Undergraduate Internships

Undergraduate students in Public Administration and Policy and Political Science have opportunities to engage in real world learning while earning credit hours towards their degree. Internships are an important way to help students decide on career paths, provide firsthand experience, build resumes, and create connections to secure employment upon graduation. Internships build on classroom education to further develop students’ technical, professional, and analytical skills.

 

What To Expect During an Internship

Every internship experience is unique based on the intern’s interest and office location; in general interns can expect to gain experience in these areas:

  • Policy: Responsibilities may include attending committee hearings, assisting city council meetings, researching policy proposals, and tracking legislation.
  • Constituent and Stakeholder Engagement: Responsibilities may include drafting letters, writing press releases, social media posts, researching constituent concerns or requests, attending coalition meetings, participating in weekly Zoom updates, and preparing material for weekly newsletters.
  • Office Support: While administrative tasks are not the primary focus of an internship; all tasks are necessary and valuable to running an office including filing, answering the phone calls and email, preparing packets, and welcoming visitors.

Step 1.  Explore Internship Opportunities

Internship opportunities include working in the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate; Congressional offices in Washington DC and district offices; lobbying firms; federal, state, county and city government offices; and non-profit organizations. State and Federal elected officials frequently give preference to students from their district or with a shared policy interest. Read member biographies, follow them on social media, and review press statements to research their backgrounds and policy positions:

https://house.mo.gov/MemberRoster.aspx

https://senate.mo.gov/ 

Students interested in government, public policy, or non-profit related internships should schedule an appointment with Kelly Schultz to discuss their options in more depth. 

US capitol

 

Missouri representatives:

 

The Kinder Scholars DC Summer Program 

This program is offered through The Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. Participants supplement their coursework with practical experience by interning at an organization in D.C. whose mission relates to their academic studies in the theory and history of American constitutional democracy.

 

Betty Anne McCaskill Scholarship in Washington, D.C.  

The Betty Anne McCaskill Scholarship offers students a unique opportunity to further their understanding of public policy through experiential learning in Washington, DC for the Summer 2024 semester. A competitive academic summer program available exclusively to University of Missouri undergraduate political science majors who are Pell Grant eligible, the Betty Anne McCaskill Scholarship was created by former U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, her husband, Joseph A. Shepard and their family foundation, to honor the life and public service of Claire’s mother, Betty Anne McCaskill. The scholarship offers students a unique opportunity to further their understanding of public policy through experiential learning in Washington, D.C. The student selected will receive a scholarship from a fund designed to alleviate the financial concerns associated with interning and living in the nation’s capital. Specifically, the scholarship helps students defray the costs of living in Washington DC, up to $5000. Any money not spent on housing, and not exceeding $5000, will be given to the student as a stipend to defray other expenses related to living in Washington DC. Reach out to Professor Bill Horner, hornerwt@missouri.edu or to Professor Rudy Hernandez, hernandezrk@missouri.edu for more information. 

Step 2. Earning credit

Students have multiple options for earning credit for an approved internship by enrolling in one of the following courses. Students must complete the relevant application prior to the beginning of the internship and semester in which they are enrolling:

  • POL_SC/PUB_AF 2940
    • This is a 3-6 credit course designed for Sophomores, and Juniors or Seniors who do not need 4000-level hours towards their major. If interested, please read through eligibility requirements and complete the application here.
  • POL_SC/PUB_AF 2945
    • This is a 0-credit course designed for students who cannot or do not wish to enroll in hours toward their degree. This may be an appropriate option for students who are already enrolled in 18 hours for the semester and/or students not interested in receiving credit, but whose internship coordinator requires enrollment in an official course. This is the only course option available for students interning for individual political campaigns. If interested, please read through eligibility requirements and complete the application here.
  • POL_SC/PUB_AF 4940 
    • This is a 3-6 credit course designed for Juniors and Seniors. If interested, please read through eligibility requirements and complete the application here. 

If you have questions about the eligibility of an internship or one of the above applications, please email the Truman School Internship Coordinator Kelly Schultz (KellySchultz@missouri.edu). If you have questions about how any of these course options may impact your academic plans, please reach out to a Truman School undergraduate advisor:

  • Rebecca Fallon (last names A-G)  FallonRM@missouri.edu            
  • Sarah Kammeyer (last names H-O)  KammeyerS@missouri.edu
  • Kati Abbott (last names P-Z)  AbbottKM@missouri.edu
Mo Capitol

Undergraduate Political Science Honors Capstone

The Truman School’s Honors Capstone in Political Science (POL_SC 4996) allows Political Science students a unique opportunity in their senior year to go beyond the classroom and extend their knowledge to work on new and unique projects. There is virtually no limit to the type of projects you may work on. Recent projects include:

  • analyses of the Electoral College and the uneven weighting of citizens’ votes
  • press freedom in Brazil
  • the status of “sanctuary” cities and counties in the United States
  • the impact of satirical news programs on the voting behavior of young citizens
  • factors influencing voter turnout on Native American reservations
  • the influence of nationalism, history, and public opinion on the relationship between China and Japan.

Students approved to enroll in POL_SC 4996 will engage in original research over the course of two semesters under the supervision of a faculty mentor, culminating in a 40-50 page honors thesis. In order to graduate with departmental honors, students must earn a grade of B or higher on the honors thesis as well as a minimum cumulative MU GPA of 3.25.

If interested, please read through the details of the capstone requirements and complete the application here. If you have questions about the application, please reach out to Professor Bill Horner at HornerWT@missouri.edu.

Mizzou's Office of Undergraduate Research also offers opportunities for research, scholarship, and creative activity.