Public Policy Internship Policy 2007-2008
Value of Internships
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. In addition, 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.
Locating Internship Opportunities
Students are able to pursue internship opportunities locally, nationally, or internationally. You may work for government, non-profit organizations, or private business. Click here for a list of possible internship locations. Please note that this list is not exhaustive and there are many opportunities with organizations not listed. In addition, this is not a “pre-approved” list; you must still obtain departmental permission for all internships if you wish to receive public policy academic credit. You are encouraged to explore a variety of opportunities and choose your host organization carefully.
Standards
Institute for Public Policy Studies students who serve as interns are held to high standards of performance and integrity. Prior to receiving public policy internship credit, all policy students are required to agree to the following statement: "I will be a positive representative of the University and the Institute; demonstrate a strong work ethic; behave ethically and responsibly; and make positive and creative contributions to the host organization.” We believe in “training-at-will,” therefore, if your supervisor is ever less than satisfied with your performance or behavior, we would respect his or her right to end the internship and no academic credit would be awarded.
Receiving Academic Credit
All internships must be approved by the Director or Assistant Director prior to receiving public policy academic credit. Only students who have declared public policy as their major or minor may receive public policy internship credit. Please send an email to Chloé Gable at cgable@du.edu that includes the following information 1) organization name, 2) organization website, 3) internship supervisor’s name and contact information, 4) description of projects / work you will complete, 5) skills you hope to obtain by completing the internship, 6) how this internship relates to your career goals, 7) begin / end dates for internship and hours per week 8) desired number of public policy credits, and 9) a statment indicating that you have read and agree to the IPPS internship standards (outlined in the section above).
Credit Hours
The maximum number of credits you may receive for an internship is dependent on the number of hours you will work (a student may choose to enroll in less than the maximum, if he / she wishes):
125 total hours, 5 credits
100 total hours, 4 credits
75 total hours, 3 credits
50 total hours, 2 credits
25 total hours, 1 credit
Students may receive a maximum of 5 internship credits to count toward the public policy BA major or the MPP. Students are encouraged to complete additional internships for the experiential value alone, but will not receive additional academic credit beyond the 5 total credits.
After receiving approval and determining the number of credit hours you will receive, then you may register for the appropriate internship:
Graduate Internships:
PPOL 4900, Public Sector Internship
PPOL 4910, Private Sector Internship
PPOL 4920, Non-profit Sector Internship
Undergraduate Internships:
PPOL 3450, Political Internship
PPOL 3460, Legislative Internship
PPOL 3470, Congressional Internship
PPOL 3880, Private Sector Internship
Grading
Prior to the first day of finals, students must submit the following information: 1) letter of evaluation from your supervisor on organization letterhead that evaluates your performance, describes the projects you completed, and verifies the number of hours you worked, 2) 5-7 page paper that describes what you learned, how public policy courses did / did not prepare you for your internship, how the internship influenced your career path, the skills you gained or utilized, and whether or not you’d recommend this internship site to another public policy student, and 3) samples of work product, if appropriate and available.
After the Director reviews the above information, you will be assigned a grade (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, or F).
LINKS
Within the Denver Area:
BBC Research and Consulting
The Bell Policy Center
City and County of Denver
Colorado Association of Nonprofit Organizations
Colorado Commission on Higher Education
Colorado Democratic Party
Colorado Department of Education
Colorado Municipal Governments
Colorado State Government
Denver Regional Council of Governments
Downtown Denver Partnerships
Education Commission of the States
Environment Colorado
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
National Conference of State Legislatures
Policy Communications
Policy Studies, Inc.
Southeast Business Partnership
State Higher Education Executive Officers
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Outside Denver Area (mainly DC):
AARP
Accuracy in Media
American Civil Liberties Union
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
American Federation of Teachers
Americans for Democratic Action
The Brookings Institute
CATO
Center for National Policy
Committee for Economic Development
Council on Foreign Relations
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Economic Strategy Institute
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Environmental Protection Agency
Family Research Council
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Reserve Board
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Heritage Foundation
National Education Association
National Regulatory Commission
The Hudson Institute
National Taxpayers Union
New Democrats Online
OMB Watch
Planned Parenthood
Progressive Policy Institute
RAND
Sierra Club
Social Security Administration
SRI
PIRG
The Urban Institute
Roll Call
USA Jobs (Federal Government)
US Department of State
US House of Representatives
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
