The Master of Public Policy (MPP) requires an internship/work experience during the summer or full academic year. This internship should be 12-15 weeks (full-time summer or part-time academic year). We encourage a paid work/internship experience. MPP students will enroll in a professional development seminar (spring) for a total of 2 academic credits. Local, regional, state, national or global internships are all acceptable and should align with your public policy interests and career goals. We encourage all students to create an Excel list with available internships and due dates. UNC Career Services has general information on internships.

Search

• Google (search internship and location)
• Indeed (what and where)
• Chegg internships (keyword and city/state)
• Idealist (key word and place)
• Handshake
• LinkedIn
• Simply Hired (job title and city/state)
• Glass Door

US

• House of Representatives
• Senate
• Federal
• GovtJobs (search internship and location)

North Carolina

• Internships for State Government Agencies
• Municipal Intern Program
• Chapel Hill Mayor’s Internship Program

Global

• UN Jobnet
• EuroDesk
• The Intern Group
• World Bank

Private Sector (search ‘government affairs’ internships)

Government relations, also known as lobbying, consists of individuals and organizations engaged in promoting the interests of their employers or clients. Their activities involve monitoring legislative and executive activities to influence policy, legislation, regulations, or negotiations, on behalf of governments, industries, specific companies, interest groups or constituencies. In Washington, DC, lobbying is regulated by law, calling for disclosure by lobbyists of organizations or clients they represent, LDA (Lobbying Disclosure Act) or FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act.)

Consulting (search ‘public sector consulting’)

Public sector consulting refers to the branch of management consulting that works with local and federal governments as well as government agencies. Several major management consulting firms (McKinsey, BCG, Booz&Co, Deloitte) do public sector engagements as part of their business. Consultants are usually brought in as experts or facilitators on a given project.

Think Tanks (search internship on individual web pages)

• On Think Tanks
• Harvard Think Tank Search
• Georgetown’s Think Tank Resources

Nonprofits

• National Council of Nonprofits
• Work for Good

Additional Resources

For more information on resumes and cover letters, see Resumes and Cover Letters.

For advice on zoom interviews, see Advice on Zoom interviews.
 
 
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