Internship Requirements

The Public Policy major at Gettysburg College requires students to complete a policy-related internship for academic credit (PP 470). Students must take PP 221 and participate in an internship information session before undertaking their internship. Many students complete their internship during the summer before their junior or senior year. Many others complete their internships during our “DC semester”, during a Center for Global Education (CGE) experience, through the Center for Public Service, or through community opportunities. Please refer to the CGE website to see how to obtain academic credit for internships done through CGE.

Public Policy internships can be in local, state, federal, or international environments. They can occur in governmental and non-governmental settings.

What Are the Internship Requirements?

BEFORE YOU START YOUR INTERNSHIP

  1. Identify an internship that relates to your area of concentration.
  2. Submit a one-page summary (PP/PHP Internship Registration Form) of the proposed internship experience to your Faculty Adviser and Amanda Martin @ amartin@gettysburg.edu describing the organization, its purposes, how it relates to your policy studies, and what you will be doing.
  3. Register your internship with the Center for Career Engagement (CCE) and complete the learning contract in consultation. You MUST choose a Fall or Spring semester to avoid additional personal costs;
  4. The CCE registration process will also register you for PP 470, which allows you to receive academic credit for your internship and the required Policy Concept Paper. Be sure to register for PP 470 for the semester following your internship when you will be on campus. For example, if you do your internship in the summer and then plan to study off-campus in the fall, please register your internship for the spring. You must be on campus to complete the PP 470 course requirements;

DURING YOUR INTERNSHIP


  • Keep a daily journal, highlighting how your internship experience relates to key policy concepts studied in PP 221;
  • Complete a minimum of 160 hours of work during the internship, documented per instructions from your internship adviser;
  • Prepare a 12-15-page Policy Concept Paper during the semester following your internship.
  • Enjoy your internship experience!

AFTER YOUR INTERNSHIP


Prepare your Policy Concept Paper and submit it to your Faculty Adviser and Amanda Martin @ amartin@gettysburg.edu.

*June 10th is the deadline for submissions.
*September 30th is the deadline for the Policy Concept Paper.

  • The final grade for the internship is based partly on the paper and partly on your on-site internship supervisor’s evaluation of your performance. Your internship grade is on an A-F basis. The credit fulfills the Public Policy internship requirement and counts toward the College’s 32-course graduation requirement.

How Do I Find an Internship?

  1. Work with the Center for Career Engagement to identify possible internships. Begin working with them as soon as possible.
  2. Consult with your Public Policy faculty advisor.
  3. Join Gettysburg Connects to interact with alumni interested in mentoring students.
  4. Review this list of organizations offering internships.
  5. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for newly released information.
  6. Join our private LinkedIn group for networking opportunities.
  7. Industriously and creatively reach out to organizations relevant to your policy studies.

* We ask for three objectives:

  1. An objective related to learning about a substantive policy arena, with specific language related to what you hope to learn about that policy arena
  2. An objective related to the policy process, such as policy development, documentation, communication, or some feature of the policy cycle we study in PP 221
  3. A personal goal related to your growth as a scholar or your professional future.