If you are an Evans School Master of Public Administration (MPA) student not enrolled in the Executive MPA program or the Peace Corps Master’s International MPA track, and have fewer than two years of recent, relevant work experience in public service, you are required to complete a 400-hour professional internship before graduating. In some cases internship waivers are granted for students who meet certain criteria. We recommend making an appointment with Career Services staff to plan your internship search.
An internship is the cornerstone of many MPA programs nationwide because it allows you to:
- Apply the skills you are learning in the classroom to real-life settings that directly match your career goals.
- Be a cut above your competition in the after-school job market by expanding your professional network.
- Gain practical and professional experience by using substantive analytical or managerial knowledge to solve problems related to policy development, implementation, or evaluation.
To fulfill the internship requirement, the Evans School requires you to:
- Work a total of 400 hours either paid or unpaid that can be completed full-time during the summer, part-time during the school year, or a combination of both.
- Have job duties relating to more than one area of your MPA degree skill set. Internships entirely administrative in nature will not fulfill the requirement. If you are unsure whether your internship will fulfill the requirement, please contact Career Services at evansjob@u.washington.edu.
- Document your internship by following these steps:
- Submit an Agency/Student Contract Form within two weeks of starting the internship that describes the scope of work, your professional objectives, and the agency’s expectations. This contract must be discussed with your supervisor before you start working. To allow for this discussion, you can download a blank internship contract to go over with your supervisor. Once the contract is agreed upon, you must submit the online form.
- Submit an Internship Evaluation Form within two weeks of completing the internship that describes the quality of the internship and what you got out of it.
- Remind your employer to submit the Intern Supervisor Evaluation Form.
Internship Waivers: At the beginning of the school year, Career Services staff reviews the admissions files of incoming students to determine who will receive an internship waiver (based on whether a student has the equivalent of two years of recent, relevant, full-time work experience in public administration). If you are not granted a waiver, but want to request consideration for one, you need to submit an internship waiver form (53 KB Word file) by October 31 of your first year for approval by the Evans School Career Services office to substitute two or more years of recent and substantial work experience that is relevant to your educational and professional goals. Internship waivers are NOT guaranteed to be approved. Please do NOT delay submitting this request, because if your waiver is not approved, you will need time to find and complete the 400 hours of internships in order to be allowed to graduate.
Finding an internship is ultimately your responsibility, but the Evans School Career Services office is here to be your central point for guidance and information. There are various career resources available to you through the Evans School and outside organizations. (Please note that not all internships posted through outside organizations will fulfill the internship requirement.)
If you are pursuing an unpaid/low-paid summer internship we offer several awards to help assist with costs. Please note that funding is limited and cannot be guaranteed.
For more information about internships, view our employment and internship statistics or contact Evans School Career Services at 206.221.7698 or evansinterns@uw.edu.