Political Science Internship Handbook

Academic Requirements

Academic requirements include maintenance of:

• A “weekly journal” of activities
• The completion of a substantial project to benefit the agency
• Participation in periodic on-site, telephone, or email conferences with the university internship supervisor
• (Examples of the journal and project are included in Part II of this handbook.)

Eligibility Requirements

Undergraduate | Graduate

Undergraduate Students

There are three eligibility requirements for undergraduates:

Your major/concentration must be one of the following:

Undergraduate Majors:

• Political Science
• Political Science Pre-Law
• International Studies

Undergraduate students must have completed at least 57 credits, with at least nine credits in political science and a 2.0 average in their major. Consequently, the internship opportunity is open to juniors and seniors who have performed satisfactorily and completed at least nine credits in their Major, with some coursework completed in the area of internship interest.

You must enroll in one of the following:

PLSC493 Political Science Internship

• Section 001: 3 Credits
• Section 002: 6 Credits
• Section 003: 9 Credits
• Section 004: 12 Credits

Attainment of Semester Hours: The student is expected to work at the internship site for at least 40 hours for every semester hour to be earned. For example, a six-credit internship would require that at least 240 hours be spent at the internship site during the course of the semester, while a 12-credit internship would require at least 480 hours.

Students should “intern” in their major, rather than a minor field. The IUP maximum permitted for internship credits applicable to graduation requirements for all departments is 12 credits. No more than six credits of internship credit counted toward the minimum required for the major, and no more than three credits in the minor area. Occasionally, and with prior permission of the departments involved, internship credits can be split between two majors or a major and a minor.

Interns who are located in Washington, DC may enroll in PLSC 480 - Seminar in Political Science

PLSC 480 Political Science Seminar
Section 001: 3 credits

Students who utilize The Washington Center or IEL - The Capital Experience for an internship placement may also earn three credits for a total of 15 by enrolling in a seminar through the Center. The seminar would be counted as a free elective in political science.

Graduate Students

PLSC 698 Political Science Internship

• Section 001: 3 Credits
• Section 002: 6 Credits

A student in the Master of Arts in Public Affairs program may fulfill the “directed research requirement” for their degree by participating in an internship related to his/her specialization. Three credit hours are typically earned via an internship for a semester of full-time or part-time work, with or without compensation, to gain practical, professional experience in government, administration, and/or politics. In exceptional circumstances only may six credits be earned for a graduate internship.

Attainment of Semester Hours: The student is expected to work at the internship site for 40 hours for every semester hour to be earned. Students are encouraged to work as many hours as possible during the course of their internships to gain as much practical experience as possible.

The best internship option is for the student to be given the opportunity to temporarily become part of the existing staff of an agency or organization.

This allows the student to truly be exposed to the work environment and to function as he/she would be expected to, if the job were a full-time position. (In many instances, students will learn that a job’s requirements will vary from day to day and that most work is not glamorous or exciting.) It also allows the student the opportunity to experience what it feels like to be responsible for meeting the personal scheduling requirements of a job, completing assignments on time, and interacting as a professional with other employees and agency clientele.

Internships that offer the above atmosphere are those that recognize the value of the student intern and are anxious to accept interns on a continuing basis. Being able to identify an internship site that will meet the needs outlined above requires that the student’s approach to seeking an internship be much like that they would use to seek a full-time job in their area of interest. It will take careful thought, and hard work and interaction by the student, the internship coordinator, and the prospective host agency personnel to successfully secure a quality internship opportunity.

1. Internship assignments often cannot be finalized until the very end of the semester preceding the internship.

2. Prior to seeking an internship, students should prepare a résumé of their academic and work experience to accompany their letters of application to potential internship sites. The Office of Career Services is available to assist you in the development of a résumé.

3. Some host agencies may require the student to go through an intern selection process, which includes submission of an application and a résumé, an interview, and a reference check.

4. Students must realize that an internship cannot be guaranteed and that a position may be canceled at the last minute by the host agency.

5. You should pursue several alternative internship options to ensure that you will have a placement. You will likely be among several or many students who have contacted an agency seeking an internship.

The IUP Department of Political Science offers an internship option to students to partially fulfill the undergraduate degree program in Political Science and the graduate program in Public Affairs.

The internship program provides the student with the opportunity to plan a work experience as an integral part of his/her education. The purposes of the program are to:

• provide a learning experience in a problem-solving environment;
• introduce the dynamics and realities of operational organizations;
• create an experience that links the classroom skills, theories, and practices discussed with the immediate tasks related to the agency;
• offer insight into the organization’s mission and implementation strategies and into individual values pursued at the internship site; and
• enable the student to improve and expand their after-graduation employment options.

The student internship is intended to be both an educational and work-focused experience. It requires direct interaction between the student intern and his/her internship supervisor. Students must exhibit high individual motivation, initiative, tolerance for uncertainty, maintenance of an analytical perspective in the work environment, and a willingness to assume primary responsibility for the completion of the internship.

At the same time, the internship is intended to provide a learning opportunity, subject to academic requirements established by the university, department, and faculty internship coordinator. This experience provides an opportunity to build on the education acquired in the classroom and to further develop perspectives and skills gained from a work environment.

Compensation of an intern by the host agency is not mandatory nor, in most cases, likely. When compensation is available, it is generally at or slightly above minimum wage, or may be offered as a one-time stipend to the student to partially offset living or travel expenses.

Many departments of the university have developed internship programs that allow a student to participate in university-supervised work experiences for variable academic credit.

An internship is typically viewed as an integral part of a student’s academic preparation because it gives the student an opportunity to apply the theoretical and philosophical considerations gained through classroom learning to a practical work experience related to the student's academic program.

The Department of History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies offers internships at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The purpose of this and the second part of the handbook is

1. to describe the internship option available to IUP students, and
2. to establish the responsibilities of individuals and institutions involved in this learning experience.

Information regarding university and department requirements for internships is presented below.

Students are strongly encouraged to utilize this handbook as a resource prior to and during the course of their internships. Questions not covered in this document should be directed to:

Political Science Internship Coordinator

Dr. Sarah Wheeler
724-357-2683 (phone)
724-357-3810 (fax)
wheeler@iup.edu

Department of History, Philosophy, Political Science, and Religious Studies

Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Leonard Hall, Room 304
Indiana PA 15705-1014

• Governmental: National, State, County, and Local
• Executive Office or Executive Branch Agency, Municipal Manager’s Office
• Legislative--Congressman, Legislator, Committees
• Regulatory--Boards and Commissions
• International: Generally based in Washington, DC; New York; or a foreign nation
• United Nations and related organizations
• Law-related: District Attorney, Public Defender
• Court Administrator, Private Legal Practice
• Law Section of a Governmental Agency
• Law Library
• Political: National, State, County and Local
• Political Party, Political Campaign
• Interest Groups: National, State, and Local
• Trade Associations, Chambers of Commerce
• Labor Associations and Unions
• Energy, Conservation, Environmental, Consumer,and  other social issues
• Non-Profit Organizations/Agencies
• Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Domestic Violence Victims Advocacy
• Community Health Clinics
• International Business
• Entertainment Management, Travel Agency

1. Be prepared to undertake a major, time-consuming effort to bring together all of your knowledge, skills, learning capacity, and creativity. A good internship is a chance of a lifetime. It can be a unique experience you’ll always look back on with positive thoughts.

2. Be assertive (not abrasive) at your agency in seeking out significant assignments, important responsibilities, and challenges. But, like any newcomer, be ready to accept without complaint the routine, menial tasks that have to be done in any agency. Remember that being accepted as part of the staff (even if on a temporary basis) will require some flexibility on your part and that all jobs, big and small, are more successful when the staff expresses interest and concern for all of the details.

3. Avoid cliques, office politics, and idle gossip. Be discrete. Stand aside from internal conflicts and personality clashes.

4. Don’t become so immersed in the nitty-gritty of a particular assignment or your agency’s narrow missions that you miss the bigger picture and the opportunities available to you from the total environment of your internship location. In many locations, your site supervisor will probably encourage you to learn about the city and participate in activities that have been specifically designed for interns.

5. Learn from your supervisors, professional associates, and other interns through observation and dialogue. Who do you admire in your agency? Perhaps he/she could become a role model for you to follow.

6. Be alert to “leads” about employment opportunities through the internship, which may be available to you in the future.

7. Unless you are graduating in May, the internship experience may alter your plans, goals, and course selections back at IUP—and ultimately affect your career plans. This is not unusual. Be flexible.

8. At times, you may be amazed, confused, overwhelmed, disgusted, frustrated, and disillusioned about the agency you work for, the people in it, the agency’s clientele and goals, human nature, and the political process. This is natural and part of the learning experience. You are an “outsider,” with a fresh outlook, lots of energy, youth, and possibly idealism with a dash of skepticism. This is good, too, and of potential value to your agency.

9. Don’t be intimidated by the presence in your agency of interns (or alumni) from “prestigious” schools. Many agencies specifically recruit IUP students.

10. Do not be surprised if you find out that other interns at your site do not have any academically oriented responsibilities. Many colleges and universities assign credit for completion of the internship. IUP’s credits are earned on the basis of academic and work responsibilities. The journal and project requirements are very important parts of the process and should be taken very seriously.

Your internship grade will be based on your university supervisor’s evaluation of your internship through your daily journal, internship project, conferences, and written reports submitted by you and your agency supervisor.

The report forms to be used by you and your agency supervisor at the end of your internship are shown on the following pages. Should you not complete the internship requirements before the end of the semester or summer sessions, you will receive an “I” grade. A change-of-grade form will be processed when all requirements have been met.

Important Things for Interns to Remember

1. Report to the internship site
2. Forward “Internship Initiation Form” to the Political Science internship coordinator
3. Complete MyIUP student information
4. Maintain a weekly journal (submit every week)
5. Develop an Internship Project Proposal (submit by the end of the fourth week)
6. Keep in touch with the Department’s internship coordinator
7. At the end of the internship, submit:
   1. Agency Supervisor’s Evaluation
   2. Final journal
   3. Internship project
   4. Student’s Internship Assessment
8. Evaluation by Political Science internship university supervisor
9. Final grade submitted by Department internship supervisor