Why do an internship? It's better to ask yourself why not. Employers look for experience when reading the resume of a potential employee. A recent college graduate with one or two internships will be more attractive than one without that work experience. Employers know that internships give students hands-on experience with workplace skills, challenges, and environments — experiences that make those students valuable employees.
Internships give you the chance to try out a profession and collect references and professional contacts. You can also get course credit. If there's a downside to interning, we haven't heard about it.
Our Students' Experiences
Internships involve a combination of work with an organization or agency and coursework relevant to the internship, which generally consists of essays about the internship experience. Internships can be with nonprofit organizations, campaigns, government agencies, or other organizations that provide experience for students seeking careers in political science. In terms of locations, internships can be either local or in other cities. Also, several students have taken virtual internships.
Students have earned academic credit for public service internships with:
- Senator Richard Shelby, Senator Jeff Sessions, and Representative Spencer Bachus in their Washington, D.C., offices
- Representative Terri Sewell in her Birmingham office
- Governor Kay Ivey
- The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
- Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform
- City of Orange Beach
- United Way
- Women's Fund of Greater Birmingham
- Cawaco Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council
- YWCA of Central Alabama.
Want to Know More?
Contact the department for more information on internships for credit. You can also explore the following organizations for internship information and listings: