• Career services at the Office of Graduate Studies—The goal of career services through the Office of Graduate Studies is to develop and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships with employers from various sectors, and provide them with the highly qualified and talented IPPS students and alumni. For career counseling and other workshops, please contact Carly Einstein or visit the Office of Graduate Studies' career website.
• IPPS jobs and internships newsletter—See our current list of internships, job opportunities and other resources to help you begin your career in public policy.
• Alumni connections—Want to see where our students are today? Check out our list of former students and their current jobs.
• Employers

  Services to employers include coordinating information sessions, collecting resumes, scheduling interviews and posting open positions. To post a position with IPPS, please contact Debbie Gaylinn.

During your time at DU, you may develop an interest in a policy field not fully addressed in the classroom. This is why we encourage you to explore your ideas further by proposing independent study projects with IPPS instructors.

Independent study projects are a great way to work closely with an instructor on a very specific policy issue of your choice. Independent study projects give you the flexibility to study topics that aren't offered as regular courses.

See more information on public policy independent studies, click here.

There are countless examples of public policy students receiving employment offers as a result of their internship experiences. Some will receive offers at their host organizations, while others will receive offers at organizations that value the experience students gained in previous internship settings.

With the increasing demands of school work and extracurricular activities, many students do not have professional work experience prior to graduation. This experience is crucial when searching for full-time employment—either post-graduation or during graduate work.

Although internships are not required for graduation in the public policy programs, they are highly encouraged and most students will choose to complete an internship prior to graduation.

Find more information on public policy internships.

The departmental honors program is open to all qualified students with a 3.75 GPA. in public policy and a 3.5 overall GPA. This program is geared toward advanced students who wish to pursue their study in public policy in a more intensive manner.

The core of this program is the writing of a major research paper—an honors thesis—which is completed in the senior year of study. The honors thesis provides an opportunity for students to do in-depth research on a topic of their choice.

For students planning to attend either graduate school or law school, this program is highly recommended. Such schools tend to look favorably upon students who have completed a major, independent research project as undergraduates.

Writing an honors thesis also allows for the development of a stronger academic relationship between the student and the student's faculty thesis adviser, and this in turn allows faculty to write more effective letters of recommendation.

Review our additional guidelines (PDF).

In response to the MPP student's need to experience first hand the type of practical and professional work typical of a policy analyst, the graduate program in public policy requires all students to produce a Policy Memorandum.

For more information, please read the Policy Memorandum instructions (PDF).

View past students' policy papers.