According to NASPAA, accredited MPA degree programs shall have a primary focus “of
preparing students to be leaders, managers, and analysts in the professions of public
affairs, public administration, and public policy and only master's degree programs
engaged in educating and training professionals for the aforementioned professions
are eligible for accreditation.” Furthermore, NASPAA accredited programs will, “ensure
that students learn to apply their education, such as through experiential exercises
and interactions with practitioners across the broad range of public affairs, administration,
and policy professions and sectors.”
For pre-service students requiring an internship, a minimum of 20 hours per week of
work for 15 weeks, or 300 hours, is required to successfully complete the required
three-credit (3) internship course. While all students entering the degree program
acquire professional competency through a number of applied and experiential exercises,
pre-service students, those with less than one year of relevant post-baccalaureate
work experience, are at such an early stage in their professional development that
an internship is necessary to provide a sufficient link between theory and practice.
In light of this, the internship program is designed so that students acquire public
sector work experience that prepares students to lead and manage across boundaries
of the public, nonprofit and private sectors.
Based on the universal purpose of MPA programs, which is to prepare students for careers
in public affairs, public administration, and public policy, the internship requirement
may be waived for students who can demonstrate more than one year of relevant post-baccalaureate
work experience. Relevant work experience is defined as a professional position in
the public, nonprofit, and/or private sectors that requires significant leadership
and independent decision making. Because we are a program committed to educating and
training professionals for careers in public service, we find that the public service
values found throughout the curriculum provides individuals with private sector experiences
as leaders, managers and analysts with sufficient training to make those private sector
experiences relevant and therefore warrant waiver of the internship experience.
With the assistance of the MPA Internship Coordinator, students should secure their
internship prior to the start of the semester. Throughout the semester, the MPA Internship
Coordinator will regularly contact the student and host site to facilitate a productive
internship experience. All students will be required to complete an internship portfolio.
The portfolio shall consist of an activity log that documents the student’s activities
and progress on meeting the goals of the internship program. The portfolio will also
require students to construct an essay that links theory and practice, with an emphasis
on demonstrating the ability to apply public service values.
Upon the successful completion of PPA 601, Public Policy and Administration Internship, students will have:
- Gained experience working in the public or nonprofit sector,
- Made the connection between theory and practice by applying concepts and knowledge
learned in the, MPA program during the internship, and
- Developed a professional report to their internship organization outlining a recommendation
on how to incorporate public service values into their operations.
