Internships

The Department of Political Science offers a number of internships for students interested in applying what they are learning to real world situations. Departmental internships currently include the following:

• Tennessee Legislative Internship (PS 4360) (Spring Semester only) 
  • Information Sheet (2013)
    
  • Application Form
    
  • Check list for internship application
    
  • Intern Appraisal Questionnaire
  • Policies
    
• The Washington Center program (PS 4280)
• Paralegal (PLEG 4010)
• Pre-Law (PS 4040)
• Political Campaign (PS 4270)
• Public Service (PS 4290)
  
  For information on internships, click here.

Availability . Internship opportunities vary from semester to semester. Students enroll in the Legislative Internship program in the spring (applications are usually due in early October). Other internships may be more suitable for summers. Students are typically expected to enroll in internships in the semester in which they are taking them. Students who receive course credit for internships pay regular tuition and fees.

Credit . Internships vary in the amount of credit available. The department typically expects 120 hours of on-site work for each three hours of credit earned, with full-time work required for twelve hours of credit. Internship directors may consider both the quantity and the nature of the work in deciding on course credit. Students who take twelve-hour internships typically may apply only six hours of credit to the major; the remaining hours are used as elective to be counted toward the 120 hours needed to graduate.

Prerequisites . Most internships have prerequisites, including grade point averages. Students participating in internships should recognize that they represent not only themselves but the University.

Finding Internship Opportunities . The department has some recurring internship opportunities for which students can apply, but students often locate other such opportunities on their own. In the latter cases, students are responsible for getting prospective approval of the departmental director of the internship before beginning work or signing up for course credit.

Internship Portfolio. All students completing a PS 4290-Public Service Internship, PS 4270-Political Campaign Internship, and PS 4040-Pre-Law Internship will complete an online portfolio to help them plan for and gain academic and professional insights from their internship experience. The components of the portfolio will be completed within D2L throughout the semester.

For information on internship opportunities see: > internship forum (fall 2012) handout > the bulletin board outside the department office (Peck Hall 2nd floor) > Facebook page (MTSU Political Science) > Dr. Langenbach

Sample of Internship Organizations (from the past year): Political Parties/Campaigns/Lobbying Fletcher Long for Mayor, Springfield TN Tennessee Democratic Party Southern Strategy Lobbying, Nashville Mike McWherter for Governor Bill Haslam for Governor Zach Wamp for Governor Government Offices Tennessee Legislature Congressman Jim Cooper in DC Congressman Jim Cooper, local office Congressman Bart Gordon, M'boro Office Department of Education, State of TN Metro Police Dept Domestic Violence Divison State of TN, Dept of Finance and Administration Charleston Police Department, Charleston Il. US Senator Lamar Alexander, Nashville office County of Rutherford, Highway Dept. CASA of Rutherford County Legal Offices District Public Defender, Cannon and Rutherford Counties Judge Don Ash, Murfreesboro NGOs June Anderson Women's Center Catholic Charities of TN, Refugee Relief Services Islamic Center of Nashville World Relief Chamber of Commerce, Nashville