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. Ask a member of the Public Policy faculty to serve as your internship adviser. Usually, your internship adviser will be the same as your Public Policy faculty adviser;
  3. Submit a one-page summary of the proposed internship experience to your Faculty Adviser describing the organization, its purposes, how it relates to your policy studies, and what you will be doing.
  4. Work with your Faculty Adviser to develop three learning objectives for your internship;

  5. 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;

    6. Through this CCE process, you will register for PP 470 to receive academic credit for your internship and related Policy Concept Paper. Be sure to register for PP 470 for the semester following your internship;

    DURING YOUR INTERNSHIP


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

    10. AFTER YOUR INTERNSHIP


    Prepare your Policy Concept Paper and submit it to your Faculty Adviser no later than September 30 for summer internships. If you are studying off campus during the fall semester, then your paper is due on February 28; and


  10. 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.