Internships

The Public Administration Internship is intended for new professionals and those making a career change into public, higher education or non-profit service. It is required for anyone with less than three years of fulltime professional administrative experience.The public administration internship is intended to contribute to students’ academic, professional, and personal development. It gives students an opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in class, inform their course work with real‐world professional experiences, and reflect upon and refine their career plans. Students will perform mutually agreed professional tasks in the field placement.

Public Administration students enrolled in the PADM 281 “Public Administration Internship” course complete 280 hours at their internship placements, meet regularly with the Internship Director, and engage with other students enrolled in the seminar‐style class. Recent placements have included City of San Jose Environmental Services Department, Office of the City Clerk, Information Technology Department and City Manager’s Office; City of Santa Clara, City Clerk’s Office; City of Sacramento, Neighborhood Services Department; Department of Veterans Affairs, Palo Alto; Center for Employment Training; Differential Response, Child Protective Services; State Senator Jim Beall; and U.S. Congressman Mike Honda.

Students may obtain a waiver from the internship through three or more years of professional experience as documented on the resume. Students may also waive the internship requirement if they are working fulltime during the MPA program and will achieve 3 or more years of professional administrative experience in the appropriate sectors before completing the MPA program. Professional administrative experience in the government, higher education or non-profit sectors may be considered to support the waiver. The final decision on granting a waiver rests with the Internship Director.

For more information about the internship please contact:
Richard Kos, MPA Advisor:
richard.kos@sjsu.edu