Graduate Public Service Internship

PSC 690f


To the Attention of Graduate Students,

I am writing to inform you of the Political Science Department Public Service Internship. Political Science 690f is offered every semester as well as during the summer; students may register for one to six credits. Unlike many internships, graduate students receive letter grades for their participation. Three credits of PSC 690f may be counted toward your degree.

PSC 690f is a wonderful opportunity may graduate students overlook. A public service internship allows students to work with one of many government or not-for-profit public service organizations in the Washoe County area. Many students who have participated in the program have found that doing so helped them define their career objectives more clearly while also preparing them for professional life. While generally undergraduates participate in this program, many local organizations specifically need and want graduate students with special skills (like budget analysis or legal research). A number of graduate students who have participated in the program have found their experiences extremely helpful to their employment prospects in the local area.

I am well aware that many of you work in addition to attending classes. Taking on an internship, therefore may seem unduly burdensome. Signing up for a three credit internship, however obliges you to 90 hours of work during the course of the semester. This translates into six hours a week for 15 weeks. An internship need not be overly time-consuming, nor should you have to consider drastically altering your work schedule to pursue one.

Should you be interested in pursuing an internship, please come by the Political Science department office and pick up a brochure about the program. Also, take some time to consult our internship directory which lists and describes all of the organizations with which our department has established internship programs. If you wish to pursue an internship, ask for an application form in the main office and return the form to me.

I hope you will consider pursuing an internship and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Dr. John Marini