Internships in Political Science
The Department of Political Science Internship Program provides students an opportunity to learn about public issues and their resolution through direct involvement in policy oriented organizations. Students are strongly encouraged to serve as an intern in their junior or senior years.
An internship refers to a short-term work experience that incorporates academic coursework with experiential learning. Internships allow students to investigate career opportunities, apply knowledge gained in the classroom, and develop new skills and contacts that will be helpful in securing future employment and graduate school admission. Students may choose from a variety of host organizations that engage in public policy related activities for their internship experience.
Internships may be taken during an academic break or may be integrated into a student's regular school and work schedule. A maximum of six credit hours of internship experience may be applied to your degree. For each three credit hours the student earns, the student will be expected to work approximately 150 hours as an intern for the host organization.
Internship Requirements
Undergraduate students will enroll in PSCI 4910 and graduate students will enroll in PSCI 8910 for either three or six hours of credit. For each three credit hours earned, interns are expected to work on average about 10 hours per week for the host organization for a total of 150 hours.
In addition to the duties assigned by the host organization, students are expected to keep a daily time log, a weekly journal, and write a short research paper addressing relevant academic literature with insight gained during the internship.
For more information please contact the Department of Political Science Internship Coordinator, Dr. Carson Holloway.
Intern Placements
UNO students have many opportunities for valuable internship experiences. Some students intern locally in the city of Omaha or one of the surrounding communities. Others make the short drive to the capital in Lincoln, where experiences in state government and politics are abundant. Still others intern in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., with a member of the House or Senate or in an executive branch agency. Students participating in study-abroad programs can even consider procuring an internship as part of their study-abroad experience.
The internship coordinator and other faculty members will help arrange internships. Given that most are competitive, students should let the internship coordinator know of their interests the semester before they wish to intern.
Recent Intern Placements
Federal
- U.S. Senator (NE) Deb Fischer
- U.S. Senator (NE) Pete Ricketts
- U.S. Congressman (NE) Don Bacon
- U.S. Congressman (NE) Adrian Smith
State and Local Government
- Mayor’s Office, City of Omaha
- Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services
- Douglas County (NE) Election Commissioner
- City Administrator's Office, City of West Point (NE)
Law & the Courts
- Omaha City Attorney’s Office
- Omaha City Prosecutor’s Office
- Douglas County (NE) Attorney’s Office
- Douglas County (NE) Public Defender's Office
- City Administrator's Office, City of West Point (NE)
- Federal District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr.
- U.S. Attorney's Office
Non-Profit
- Omaha Children’s Museum
- Habitat for Humanity Omaha
- Angel Guardians
- Planned Parenthood of the Heartland
Lobbying
- Union Pacific Railroad (government relations department)
Other internship opportunities may be found at the offices of:
- City of Bellevue, Nebraska
- City of Papillion, Nebraska
- City of Ralston, Nebraska
- Governor of Nebraska Jim Pillen
- U.S. Congressman (NE) Mike Flood