The Internship Program

The Government Department internship course provides students with practical political and policy experience informed by their education at the university. Students may register for the course (GOV 374N, Political Internship) by application only -- registration access is limited to those students who have applied and been approved. Application forms can be downloaded from the documents page.

Students interested in participating in the program should expect to spend 9-12 hours per week working for an organization or entity directly related to government and politics. The most common internship takes place in a legislative office, but students occupy a wide variety of slots in state agencies, nonprofit political organizations, and political campaigns. Students are required to occupy positions entailing substantive tasks that will provide firsthand experience about politics and government that will amplify knowledge gained in their classroom experience.

In addition to their tasks in the organization of their choosing, students also meet periodically with the internship coordinator and complete a series of assignments that link their internships to academic reflection and analysis. The current syllabus is available for viewing on the bar on the right-hand side of the page. The particulars of the class can be expected to change somewhat from semester to semester.

There is now a recently started Facebook group for former and current UT Government Department interns.

For more information contact the internship coodinator, Dr. James Henson.