Internships

Purpose of the internship

The purpose of the public management internship is to provide the fledgling public administrator with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a public or nonprofit organization. The internship is a key component of the MPA program and provides pre-career students with an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge and develop professional skills that will lead to a successful career. Moreover, the internship experience frequently provides the student with an entry into a permanent position.

Pre-career students must complete a paid internship of at least 440 hours of employment. (Pre-career international students for whom an internship is inappropriate must complete six additional hours of course work.) Students must register for PADM 5800, MPA Internship Preparation, in the first semester of the program and, ideally, before beginning an internship appointment. This three hour course meets four times during the semester and prepares pre-career students for an internship. Career testing, resume and interview preparation, and discussions of professional and ethical conduct are covered. When the student is ready to begin an internship, the internship coordinator will assist in identifying internships, but the student is ultimately responsible for securing an appointment.

Students then enroll in PADM 5810, MPA Internship Practicum, for which they receive three hours of credit once they complete a minimum of 440 hours of employment (approximately five months of at least a half-time employment), attend one class, and complete all internship paperwork. If an internship is less than the minimum, an additional internship must be completed to receive three hours of credit.

Internships may be completed during the summer months, on a part-time basis during the academic year, or once all course work has been completed.

Placement

The most important criterion for internship placement is that the student's interests and skills match the needs of the agency. Included in making this determination is the student's interview with the prospective supervisor. Students should inform the internship coordinator as soon as possible of the date when he/she will be prepared to begin an internship. Students regularly are apprised of internship openings through several devices: (1) posting of intern positions, (2) information circulated to the faculty for distribution in classes, and (3) personal notice by the internship coordinator to students seeking internships.

While the internship coordinator and other public administration faculty will assist in locating internship opportunities, it is the student's responsibility to develop the qualifications and interpersonal skills necessary to convince an employer to accept him/her as an intern. Students are encouraged to make their own contacts with agencies with which they wish to do an internship. Many students, in effect, place themselves in an internship. The ability to make one's own contacts is facilitated if the student has devoted some time to the development of his or her professional network.

The internship coordinator has assisted students recently in securing internships in the City Manager's Office in the cities of Cedar Hill, TX, Addison, TX, Denton, TX, and Southlake, TX; at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region VI; at The Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas, TX; in community services in the City of Hurst, TX; in business services at the University of North Texas; in utilities administration in the City of Denton; in the Dallas County Tax Office; at the Food and Drug Administration; with consulting firms; and in various other organizations.

There are also a number of post-graduate internships available. While they do not fulfill the internship requirement, they offer excellent career building opportunities. One such internship is the Presidential Management Fellowship. Fellows receive a two-year internship in a federal agency. To be eligible, applicants must either be graduating or have completed all course work in the academic year in which they are nominated. Nominations are made by the faculty to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

For more information, please contact the MPA Internship Coordinator,
Mrs. Amy Holt; 940/565-2305; amy.holt@unt.edu ; Chilton Hall, Suite 204.