Internships
Previous MPA internships have included:
Municipal Government
- City of Las Cruces, NM – Management Intern
- City of Phoenix – Management Intern
- City of Tucson, AZ – Evaluation Office Research
County and State Government
- Arizona State Department of Water Resources - Performance Audit
- Arizona State Legislature, Joint Legislative Budget Committee
- Pima County Transportation Department– Management Analyst
Federal Government and
National Agencies
- Bank Information Center, Washington, DC Finance Analyst
- National Weather Service – Policy Analyst
- U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Intern
International
- Arizona–Mexico Border Health Foundation, Tucson – Strategic Planning
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), D.C. – Policy Research
Non-Profit, Health, and Educational Organizations
- The Children's Defense Fund – Policy Analysis
- Kino Community Hospital – Finance Department
- The Museum of Television and Radio, NYC, Development Department – Funding Research
The Internship Requirement
All MPA students are required to complete a 400-hour, on-the-job internship for 6 hours of the 54-credit MPA program. Students share responsibility for final internship arrangements with faculty advisors and the School's assistant director.
Internships are jointly supervised by a faculty advisor and a supervisor at the host agency to assure that the experience is both educationally valuable to the student and useful to the organization. Interns are often paid for their services and are expected to perform tasks of managerial substance.
Finding an Internship
The School provides a great deal of assistance identifying the best opportunities at all levels of government and in the nonprofit sector. A seminar is offered early in the first semester to provide information and introduce students to the internship experience. In addition, opportunities and related information are routinely distributed to students via email, flyers, etc. Files on past and potential internships are maintained and available for students to review at their convenience.
Internship Rationale
This final requirement of the MPA degree provides first-hand exposure to the internal dynamics, value system and external environment of an organization.
A working world perspective provides a vital supplement to classroom study. The internship also introduces students to job opportunities in their selected area of concentration and frequently leads to permanent placement after graduation.
For additional information, please contact us.
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