Internship Requirements & Forms

If you are an Evans School Master of Public Administration (MPA) student not enrolled in the Executive MPA program or the Peace Corps Master’s International MPA track, you are required to complete a professional internship before graduating. In some cases internship waivers can be granted for students who meet a certain criteria.

An internship is the cornerstone of many MPA programs nationwide because it allows you to:

• Apply the skills you are learning in the classroom to real-life settings that directly match your career goals.
• Be a cut above your competition in the after-school job market by expanding your professional network.
• Gain practical and professional experience by using substantive analytical or managerial knowledge to solve problems related to policy development, implementation, or evaluation.

To fulfill the internship requirement you must:

• Work a total of 400 hours either paid or unpaid that can be completed full-time during the summer, part-time during the school year, or a combination of both.
• Have job duties relating to more than one area of your MPA degree skill set. Internships entirely administrative in nature will not fulfill the requirement.
• Submit an Agency/Student Contract Form within two weeks of starting the internship that describes the scope of work, your professional objectives, and the agency’s expectations. A website link will be provided to your supervisor of the completed form for their approval.
• Submit an Internship Evaluation Form within two weeks of completing the internship that describes the quality of the internship and what you got out of it.
• Remind your employer to submit the Intern Supervisor Evaluation Form that we will email to them during your last week of work.

To waive your internship requirement you need to submit an internship waiver form (27KB PDF) by October 31 for approval by the Evans School Career Services office to substitute two or more years of recent and substantial work experience that is relevant to your educational and professional goals.

Finding an internship is ultimately your responsibility, but the Evans School Career Services office is here to be your central point for guidance and information. There are various career resources available to you through the Evans School and outside organizations. (Please note that not all internships posted through outside organizations will fulfill the internship requirement.)

If you are pursuing an unpaid/low-paid summer internship we offer several awards to help assist with costs.  Please note that funding is limited and cannot be guaranteed.

For more information about internships, view our employment and internship statistics or contact Evans School Career Services at 206.221.7698 or evansinterns@u.washington.edu.