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; broadly speaking, 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.
US capitol

Step 1.  Explore Internship Opportunities

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. 

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, non-profit organizations, or NGOs. 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:

 

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  

The Betty Anne McCaskill Scholarship offers students a unique opportunity to further their understanding of public policy through experiential learning in Washington, DC during summer semesters. A competitive academic summer program available exclusively to University of Missouri undergraduate political science majors who are Pell Grant eligible and interning in the nation's capital, 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. 

Selected students will receive a scholarship up to $5,000 from a fund designed to help students defray the costs of living in D.C. while participating in an internship. Any money not spent on housing, and not exceeding $5000, will be given to the student as a stipend to alleviate other expenses related to living in D.C. Reach out to Professor Rudy Hernandez at 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 1-12 credit course designed for Sophomores, Juniors, and 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 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-D)  FallonRM@missouri.edu
  • Lane Cargile (last names E-L)  LCargile@missouri.edu
  • Sarah Kammeyer (last names M-R)  KammeyerS@missouri.edu
  • Kati Abbott (last names S-Z)  AbbottKM@missouri.edu

 

Mo Capitol