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BPA Internship

Supervised work experience in a public or non-profit organization involves a variety of professional and technical job duties depending on the agency. The internship course is designed to broaden the experiential base, and application of, theoretical content to the field of public administration. The purpose of this course is to enable the student to develop a more comprehensive view of the practice of public administration by translating academic training into real world practice (letter grading).

Internship Eligibility

  • The student must be in good academic standing (minimum 2.5 overall GPA).
  • Successful completion of 18 credit hours of public administration coursework at FIU, including the Introduction to Public Administration course (PAD 3003) and approval of the Career Development Coordinator and Internship Faculty Supervisor.
  • The student must provide a written agreement from the agency describing the internship duties and responsibilities.
  • Internships may be paid or unpaid and credit may not be awarded retroactively. Students may not apply for internship credit for work performed at some previous time.
  • An internship is optional and is considered an elective for the program.

Internship Application Process

  • Students are responsible for arranging their own internships. Students interested in an internship should first choose an agency in the public administration field. Discussing the various options with the Career Development Coordinator can facilitate this process. Please note that the application process for federal agencies may take a year or longer to complete.
  • After selecting an agency, you should contact the agency directly to make sure that they are willing and interested in having you as an intern. Once you obtain an internship offer, please complete a written Internship Proposal Agreement and submit it to Dr. Howard Frank at howardf@fiu.edu for review. Upon departmental approval, you will be granted permission to enroll in the PAD 4940 Internship Course for academic credit.

Internship Requirements

  • Internship Proposal Agreement: Students must submit a signed Internship Proposal Agreement detailing their expected duties for approval by the faculty supervisor before starting an internship.
  • PAD 4940 Course Syllabus: The expectations, submission requirements in detail, and deadlines are discussed in the course syllabus.
  • Academic Calendar: Students are expected to begin their internship when classes begin and complete their internship no earlier than the final week of the semester.
  • Weekly Journal/ Timesheet: The journal should be narrative in nature and will serve as a basis, and perhaps an outline for the term paper, as well as record hours worked.
  • Midterm Self-Assessment Form and Final Self-Assessment Form: The quality of internships and degree of professional experience gained by students will be self-assessed at the mid-point and end of each semester.
  • Midterm Supervisor Evaluation Form and Final Supervisor Evaluation Form: Internship supervisors will complete forms that rate the intern’s quality of work and performance at the mid-point and end of each semester.
  • Internship hours: Must involve approximately 150 hours of internship experience (minimum of 10 hours per week) within the semester in order to earn three academic credits, and approximately 300 hours (minimum of 20 hours per week) to earn six academic credits.
  • Term paper: Students are expected to select a topic related to the internship experience and to a particular theoretical issue in public administration.