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Internship Opportunities

 LIST OF INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
The list of internship opportunities is a resource to help students find programs to apply to. There are suggestions/opportunities in many areas, including congressional offices; campaigns and parties; federal, state, and local government; NGOs; fundraising; and more.

The Political Science Department has a longstanding relationship with two internship programs:

The Washington State Legislative Internship Program: Winter quarters.  Students work in Olympia as staff for members of the Washington State House of Representatives or Senate.  Admission is competitive drawing from all four-year schools in the state of Washington.  Applications are due in October and open to students from all majors.  No political experience is required, but strong writing and good people skills are important.  Students earn 15 credits of POL S 497 (5 of which can count for Political Science major requirements).  If you have questions about this program, contact Political Science Advising at polsadvc@uw.edu.
Applicants:  On the application, check that you have arranged for a faculty sponsor. List Daniel Ayala for their name and Danieloa@uw.edu for their email. 

The Washington Center Internship Program (TWC): Autumn semester, Spring semester, or Summer Term.  This 15 credit Washington, D.C. program finds placements and provides housing and additional services to students who want to intern in our nation's capital.  Meera Roy, meroy@uw.edu, is the liaison for this program.

Academic Credit

You may earn academic credit for your internship through POL S 496.  Pol S 496 credits do not count towards the major or minor.  Only 15 credits of Pol S 496 may count as general electives towards your UW degree.

Pol S 496 credits require supervision by a member of the Political Science faculty. It is your responsibility to find a member of the faculty to supervise. 

Political Science faculty members eligible to supervise POL S 496 can be found here

Pol S 496 Internship Application 

Follow the instructions and submit the completed form to Political Science Advising, polsadvc@uw.edu, by the first week of the quarter to avoid late add fees. Forms must be complete and must be legibly written.  

In order to earn academic credit for your internship you will need to tie your internship experience back to what you have learned in your Political Science courses.  Work with your faculty supervisor to decide the writing assignments you will complete, when they will be due, and if there are other requirements such as additional meetings or readings.  The writing assignments and satisfactory performance in your internship will be the basis of your Pol S 496 grade. 

At the end of the quarter, you will fill out a brief survey sent to you by email.  Your internship site supervisor will also fill out an evaluation of the work you have done at the internship site.

If you have questions, contact Political Science Advising:

Tools to Search for More Internships

Handshake is run from the University of Washington Career Center.  It specifically lists jobs and internships in which the employer is seeking current students or recent graduates.  This is one of the places that paid internships are sometimes found. 

Idealist is a posting site for internships, jobs, and volunteer opportunities around the world.  It is particularly interesting because it lists more than 80,000 organizations.

IE3 Global Internships  Contact Study Abroad and the Political Science Advising office for information on how to receive Pol S credit for the internships listed below.

Looksharp is a third-party online platform to search and apply for internships on the West Coast. They list internships with established business, start-ups, and some non-profits.

Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center at the University of Washington lists internship and fellowship opportunities that they administer related to student service and leadership work.

United Way of King County has a searchable volunteer opportunity tool.  Many of the organizations listing on this source have more volunteer or internship options than they have listed on United Way.  Be sure to click through to the organizations themselves.

USA.gov is a portal that links to all of the agencies and offices of the US government.  This is a useful resource since most of the internships offered are listed through the individual agencies.

Volunteermatch lists primarily volunteer opportunities, but also many internships.

Internship-Related Resources

Candid Career Video Review Worksheet
This information designed by the UW Career Center should help you think about whether or not the internship you are considering is good enough for you.
            
EHS- Educational Housing Services 
Housing option for students interning in New York City

WISH- Washington Intern Student Housing
Housing option for students interning in Washington D.C.

Links for Surrounding counties: Island County, King County, Kitsap County, Pierce County, Skagit CountySnohomish County.

Washington State Lists of Institutions: Washington State Agencies, Boards and Commissions; Washington Associations and Organizations (A-Z); Washington State Associations and Organizations (by Subject)

 

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