Internships

General Internships (21:790:497): One 3-credit Internship in Political Science may be applied to a Major or Minor with the approval of the Internship Director or department Chair.

 

The Washington Center (21:790:397): Only six credits of the Washington Center internship may be applied to the Major with the approval of the Department Chair or Internship Director, even though the Washington Internship may be taken for a total of 15 credits for the spring and fall semesters or 12 credits for the summer semester.

 

Only three credits of the Washington Center internship may be applied to the minor, with the approval of the Department Chair or Internship Director, even though the Washington Internship may be taken for a total of 15 credits for the spring and fall semesters or 12 credits for the summer semester.

  1. When can I do an undergraduate internship for credit?

The Political Science Department offers internship courses each semester. You can participate in an internship, for credit, after you have completed one semester at Rutgers—Newark.  Ideally, you would be a junior or senior and have completed coursework that would prepare you for getting the most out of this experience.

  1. How do I find an internship?

Visit the Career Development Center Web site, Jobs and Internships and join Rutgers-Newark Handshake, RU-N Handshake Login, or identify organizations on your own, through other students, family members, friends or other contacts. The internship director will also send internship vacancy announcements to majors and minors as opportunities arise.

  1. What will I gain from doing an internship?

An internship is an opportunity to learn about the professional world. Students may discover they love the area they have chosen, or that the work environment does not fit their career interests or aspirations. Either way, an internship provides a great way to gain practical experience about a specific professional field and to make professional contacts.  An internship course may also fulfill a subfield requirement toward your major. Indeed, the job site, created a list of reasons why students should participate in internships and you can read them here - Benefits of Internships

  1. Should I expect compensation for my internship?

No. Internships provide valuable work and research experience. On occasion, depending on the employer, you may receive a stipend or transportation subsidy.

  1. How much time will students need to invest in an internship?

To earn internship credits, you must work a minimum of 10-12 hours per week for at least 12 weeks during the semester (between 120 and 144 hours total).  You can intern in the fall, winter, spring and summer semesters.

  1. Are there any other requirements to receive internship credit?

Yes.  You will need to meet with the Internship Director once a month, receive a favorable review from the internship supervisor and submit a final paper.

  1. Do I need a resume?

Yes.  You must have an updated and professional-quality cover letter and resume as a prerequisite to apply for an internship.  The RU-N Career Development Center, Hill Hall, will help you to create one. You can make an appointment with them using this link - RU-N Career Development Center

  1. What happens if I encounter a problem during my internship?

An internship is a learning experience and a job. If an in-person internship, you should arrive on time, dress appropriately and actively participate (be a good team member).  If you encounter a problem, speak with your supervisor first, and then the Internship Director or the Career Development Center, if necessary.  

9. How many times can I get internship credit?

You can get internship credit only once as an undergraduate and once as a graduate student in the political science department.

10. How does the internship credit get applied to my political science major or minor in Degree Navigator?

After the completion of the internship, send an email to the internship director [Professor Miller] letting her know which elective course requirement the internship course should satisfy. For example, if you have an elective course in American Politics and Public Policy that you need to take, email the professor stating that you would like the internship course to complete the elective course requirement in XXX subfield. She will advise the Office of Academic Affairs to make the change. The change should appear in Degree Navigator in 24-72 hours.

11. Additional advice?

Be realistic about your schedule, the goal is to have a positive internship experience and a successful semester.  The goal is to successfully graduate Rutgers Newark. The internship opportunity should enhance your academic experience, not detract or replace it.

For more information, contact the Political Science Internship Director: hyacinth.miller@rutgers.edu

Career Development Center (CDC) at Rutgers-University Newark  Process for Internship Reviews in Collaboration with Political Science

 

Step 1- Student secures internship, and determines appropriate academic department/faculty advisor to issue credit. 

 

Step 2- Student completes a questionnaire with details about the opportunity including the department that would issue the credit, Political Science, and the name of the internship faculty supervisor Professor Miller. Find the link to the intern questionnaire: Rutgers University-Newark Student  Internship Questionnaire or contact careers@newark.rutgers.edu.  

 

Step3- Using the information the student provides, the CDC contacts the internship supervisor with a request to complete an Employer Questionnaire. The questionnaire requests information about key duties, learning outcomes, skills or knowledge gained, supervision, and equipment and training provided to the student during the internship. 

 

Step 4 –CDC reviews both completed questionnaires to ensure consistency and alignment with NACE criteria, and forwards findings to Professor Miller.

 

For an experience to be defined as an internship, the internship must meet the NACE 7-Point Criteria for an Experience to be Defined as an Internship:  

  1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.  [About 25% of the work should be administrative in nature - hm]

  2. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.  

  3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.  

  4. There are clearly defined learning objectives and goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.   

  5. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.  

  6. There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.

  7. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.   

For more information on the 7-point criteria visit:  
https://www.naceweb.org/about-us/advocacy/position-statements/position-statement-us-internships/  

 

Step 5- Professor Miller makes a decision as to whether the internship merits credit and contacts the student to provide the SPN to register for the internship course.  

 
Step 6 - The student registers for the course, reviews the course requirements in the course site and follows up with Professor Miller with any questions.

 

One 3-credit internship in political science (21:790:497) may be applied as an elective to a major or minor with the approval of the Internship Director or Department Chair. To receive internship credits in political science, students must complete the following requirements:

  • Work 10-12 hours a week for the equivalent of 12 weeks in a position related to political science (minimum of 120 hours for the semester)
  • Meet once a month during the semester with the internship director to discuss the internship
  • Make sure that the internship supervisor completes the performance evaluation. The internship supervisor should then email it to the internship director [Professor Miller]

FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS: Submit a 5-7 page paper at the end of the semester that responds to the questions below.

FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS: Submit a 10-12 page paper at the end of the semester that responds to the questions below.

Final Paper requirements:

For the final paper, share your internship experiences and be sure to respond to the following:

  1. What did you learn?
  2. What were some challenges the organization faced and how were they handled? What were some of the successes the organization faced and how were they handled?
  3. How would you have conducted your internship differently?
  4. What is the biggest 'take-away' from this internship? Have you learned new skills or increased your knowledge of any particular area?
  5. In what ways has this impacted your career choice, if any?
  6. In what ways has this internship influenced the decision to major or minor in political science?
  7. Have any of your courses prepared you for this experience?
  8. Would you recommend this internship placement for another student?

At the completion of the internship, the Career Development Office requests a completed performance evaluation from the internship supervisor. The internship supervisor then emails the completed evaluation to the Career Development Office and/or department internship director.

Based on the internship supervisor’s evaluation, monthly meetings and the final essay, the internship director will issue a final course grade.

Grades

33% supervisor evaluation

33% monthly status report s

34% final research paper

General Contact 

Students should contact the internship director, Professor Miller, by email at hyacinth.miller@rutgers.edu if having trouble on the internship or if there are questions about how to proceed.