MPA : Internships

MPA Internship Guidelines View or download guidelines

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.

View a list of past internship opportunities.
  

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 more information, please contact us.