Political Science Internship Opportunities

Students are understandably interested in how a political science education can prepare them for future careers. In addition to the courses offered regularly by the department, students are encouraged to think seriously about taking advantage of internship and study abroad programs offered by the University.

1. Government-Related Internships
Students can work in Connecticut or even out-of-state for a variety of state or federal agencies, interest groups, law firms, or the local offices of U.S. senators and representatives. No application is required, and students are responsible for arranging their own internship. Recent requests for interns from several organizations are available from the Internship Coordinator. Government-related interns write a research paper due at the end of the semester.  Paper requirements can be acquired from the Internship Coordinator.

2. Connecticut General Assembly Internships
Each spring semester, 15 students serve as interns at the state legislature during the entire session. Applications are available from the Internship Coordinator in early October. Completed applications must be submitted by November 1 and interviews are held in late November. Acceptance notices are sent in early December. Students applying for this internship should register for spring classes, as if not applying to serve as interns. This ensures enrollment in other classes, if they are not accepted. Applicants accepted drop the other classes for which they pre-registered. CGA interns write a research paper due at the end of the semester. See the Internship Coordinator for paper requirements.

3. Washington Center Internship in Washington, D.C.
Students also have the opportunity of working in the nation’s capital in federal agencies and departments, congressional offices, or government-related organizations. The University of Connecticut participates in the Washington Center program in which interns work full-time and also take a class. Information booklets and applications are available from the Internship Coordinator or the Merlin Bishop Center.

4. UConn Washington DC Honors Internship Program
Students admitted to the program have the opportunity for one semester to become a full-time Washington DC staff member for one of Connecticut 's members of Congress. As a staff member, you will participate in the daily functions of the congressional office, such as constituent service. Motivated interns usually earn additional responsibilities, such as attending committee hearings, writing policy memos, and researching legislation. This potentially career-defining opportunity is eligible to all UConn students in their Junior or Senior year and with a minimum GPA of 3.0.  Selection is on a competitive basis . More information and applications are available through www.studyabroad.uconn.edu . The faculty contact is Professor Jeffrey Ladewig in the Department of Political Science.

5. Summer internships.
You can be an intern in the summer, from May to August! Contact the Internship Adviser for details (486-3165).

Other important information:

Political Science Internship Guidelines

1. Enrollment
To enroll for an internship through the Political Science Department, students must be a junior or senior and have at least a 2.5 overall GPA. The internship must be pre-approved in advance by the Internship Coordinator.  Work done on-site must be substantive and related to the study of Political Science. Students enroll in person (not through PeopleSoft) with the Internship Coordinator; both POLS 3991 and 3999 require Department consent. Approval on the independent study authorization forms is also required from the student’s major advisor and the Chair of the Political Science Department. Enrollment is completed when the student delivers the forms to the Registrar’s office located in the Wilbur Cross building (except for The Washington Center internships and summer internships: these forms are taken to the College of Continuing Studies located at the Merlin Bishop Center).

2. Grading
There are two components to every internship: POLS 3991 (Supervised Field Work) and POLS 3999 (Independent Study). POLS 3991 is graded on a pass/fail basis (S or U). Students must fulfill two requirements to earn a satisfactory grade for POLS 3991:  they  must fulfill the number of hours required and in a manner satisfactory to their intern supervisor. Failure to fulfill both requirements will result in a grade of U (unsatisfactory).  POLS 3999 is graded (A-F). POLS 3999 is the academic component of all internships. Requirements vary depending on placement (see Internship Opportunities for more information on specific requirements). POLS 3991 and POLS 3999 MUST be taken at the same time, regardless of the internship placement. Dropping or failing to register for POLS 3991 will result in a grade of F for POLS 3999, and dropping or failing to register for POLS 3999 will result in a grade of U for POLS 3991.

3. Credit Information
To receive credit for an internship, students must enroll in POLS 3991 and POLS 3999 prior to undertaking the work. No credit will be given, retroactively, for internship work undertaken without being properly enrolled in advance. Each credit for internship work (POLS 3991 and POLS 3999 combined) must entail at least forty-two (42) hours of work. The Department of Political Science does not forbid monetary payment for internship work, provided that such payment is incidental to the experiential learning to be gained from the work. The Department of Political Science strictly adheres to the CLAS policy on internships; more information on CLAS guidelines can be found at:

http://www.clasccc.uconn.edu/approint.html

Students can earn up to 15 credits for all internships performed during the fall or spring semesters. Credits earned can be broken down as follows:

630 hours – 15 credits (12 credits POLS 3991, 3 credits POLS 3999)
504 hours – 12 credits (9 credits POLS 3991, 3 credits POLS 3999)
378 hours – 9 credits (6 credits POLS 3991, 3 credits POLS 3999)
252 hours – 6 credits (4 credits POLS 3991, 2 credits POLS 3999)
126 hours – 3 credits (2 credits POLS 3991, 1 credit POLS 3999)

4. Satisfying the minimum hours requirement for a Political Science degree
No more than six credits of POLS 3991 or 3999 can be counted toward the 24 credits of 2000-level or higher required for the Political Science major.

More information on major requirements is available at: http://www.polisci.uconn.edu/undergraduate/major.html 

More information on minor requirements is available at: http://www.polisci.uconn.edu/undergraduate/minor.html
No internship credits fulfill any requirement for the Political Science minor.

5. What are POLS 3991 and 3999?
The UCONN Undergraduate Catalog specifies:

3991 Supervised Field Work. Either or both semesters. Credits up to 12. Hours by arrangement. Open only with consent of the department head.

3999 Independent Study for Undergraduates. Either or both semesters. Credits and hours by arrangement. This course may be repeated for credit with a change in subject matter. Open only with consent of instructor and department head.

Questions? Contact the internship adviser!

H.R. Monteith Room 132
(860) 486-3165 (phone)
(860) 486-3347 (fax)

To make an appointment online: http://advapp.uconn.edu

For information on internships in general and finding an internship: http://www.internships.uconn.edu