The Political Science Department supports for-credit internships, providing students the opportunity to gain valuable experience working as interns at government agencies, or other establishments relevant to the field of political science while also earning academic credit that counts toward the major or minor. While students are encouraged to identify internship opportunities themselves, the Department does email relevant internship announcements to political science majors whenever they are brought to our attention and works with alumni to identify opportunities.  We are happy to work with you to find a good fit!

Students wishing to earn course credit for internships must contact a faculty sponsor or the internship coordinator (Associate Professor Hong Min Park) and secure her or his support, and then enroll in that faculty member’s section of POL SCI 489: Internship in Political Science. There are two prerequisites for POL SCI 489: junior standing and a GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Each faculty member may have her or his own course syllabus and will share expectations with students before enrollment.

The requirements of the internship program are described in the Internship Contract, which must be signed by all students enrolling in POL SCI 489, their supervising faculty members, and their internship site supervisor.  In addition, interns must secure a letter from their internship site supervisor, detailing their job responsibilities and expectations.  Interns are expected to work a minimum of 120 hours (40 hours per credit).

Students enrolled in POL SCI 489 have interned in a variety of places, including the offices of Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin, the Mayor’s office for the City of Milwaukee, in offices for both of the major political parties, the County Executive’s Office for Milwaukee County, and the Milwaukee Justice Center, among many others.

For further information about the Political Science Department’s internship program, please contact Associate Professor Hong Min Park.