Internships
Funding
The Richard and Nancy Fenno Summer Fellowships support students pursuing a summer experience in politics or policy. Several awards, summer stipends of $3,500 each, are made every spring. Interested students should apply by March 15.
The Washington Semester and Undergraduate Political Science Research Fund provides grants to undergraduate students engaged in research projects.
Washington Semester Program
The Washington Semester Program (PSCI 394C/399) offers internships in Congress, the executive branch, party campaign committees, and lobbying, advocacy and policy groups. The department uses the Washington Center for support. The center helps students secure a placement, provides housing, and offers other programming. An internship provides a student the opportunity to learn experientially one or more of the following: how government functions; how public policies are created, adopted and implemented; and how political campaigns work.
Students need an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above to apply for the internship. Students will work in their internship four and a half days per week and receive 12 credits in political science. They also take one course from a set of 30-40 offered by TWC and receive four additional credits. The Washington Semester Internship (listed as PSCI/INTR 394C) can count as one course toward the track in Elections and Government or the track in Philosophy, Law, and Public Policy; it counts as a University of Rochester course, not a transfer course. The elective course counts as a transfer course. Students should consult with an advisor to determine if a particular elective course counts toward Political Science or International Relations—and, if so, which track or tracks it would fit in—or if it would instead need approval from some other academic department.
Internships are available in both the fall and spring semesters. Students interested in applying should read the application instructions here and contact Professor Jordan well in advance of their intended time in Washington. (Internships are also available at TWC in the summer for no credit or one credit. These are not offered by the Department of Political Science but by the Greene Career Center. For summer internships at TWC, contact the University of Rochester Greene Career Center directly.)
Local Internships in Politics, Government, Law, and Civic Life
There are a wealth of internship opportunities in the Rochester area for students wanting to gain practical experience and contribute to the local community in politics, government, law, and civic life. Through PSCI 394, students can earn four credits towards the political science major or minor by working in a Rochester-area internship 10–15 hours per week while completing academic work under the supervision of Professor Stu Jordan. PSCI 394 internship placements include the local offices of legislators at the municipal, county, state and federal levels; Monroe County’s District Attorney and Public Defender offices; area non-profit legal service providers; the Rochester Mayor’s Office; several locally based public-policy research and advocacy organizations; and a variety of grass-roots organizations working to address systemic inequities in the Rochester area. Students are also welcome to identify Rochester-area organizations where they are interested in interning and seek approval from Professor Jordan for internships at those organizations to qualify as placements for PSCI 394.
Enrollment in PSCI 394 is only open to second-, third- and fourth-year students who have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students interested in taking PSCI 394 in the fall 2023 semester should submit an online application by April 3, 2023. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by April 15, 2023. At that point, they will work with Professor Jordan to identify and begin applying to potential internship placements. Students may register for PSCI 394 for the spring 2023 semester once they have secured a placement that is approved by Professor Jordan.
Have questions about local internships? Having trouble accessing the application form? Contact Professor Jordan at stuart.jordan@rochester.edu.