• Welcome
• For Prospective Students
• For Students
• Degree Programs

• Focus Fields
• Faculty and Staff
• Research
• Public Service and Outreach
• Career Development
• For Alumni and Friends
• Calendar
• News
• Contact Us
• Sitemap

---

Robert M. La Follette
School of Public Affairs
1225 Observatory Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Telephone:  608.262.3581
Fax: 608.265.3233


Last updated:
March 11, 2008

© 2006 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Course: PA 827 - Administrative Internship

Administrative Internship Guidelines

Instructor: Associate Director Menzie Chinn

 

• PA 827 Administrative Internship earns La Follette School students academic credits for successful completion of an internship approved before enrollment by Career Development Coordinators as a suitable professional experience and by the Associate Director as suitable for academic credit. PA 827 is graded on a pass-fail basis and may only be taken once. Generally students enroll for 3 credits.

• To receive 3 academic credits, students must work a minimum of 13 hours per week during the fall or spring semester and 40 hours per week for 8 weeks during the summer.

• Upon approval of the Associate Director, students may receive 2 academic credits for an internship with fewer hours of work, but no fewer than 8 hours of work during one semester or no fewer than the equivalent of 6 weeks of 40 hours per week during the summer. Students who hold a year-long internship may with the approval of the Associate Director register for 1 academic credit the first semester and 2 credits for the next semester, with the required paper due at the end of the second semester.

• The Associate Director will work with the internship supervisor to assure the placement provides substantial professional experience, drawing on skills and principles from La Follette School of Public Affairs coursework.

• The Associate Director will periodically meet with the students enrolled in PA 827 and their supervisors to assess progress during the placement.

• At the end of the internship, the Associate Director receives an assessment of internship performance from the internship supervisor. This is factored into the student’s performance evaluation.

• As part of requirements for completion of PA 827, students are required to write a paper, to be received by the Associate Director in electronic form as an email attachment on or before the end of the semester grading period (to be specified each semester and summer term).

• In addition, students must complete an internship summary of approximately 250 words, which will be made available for public viewing on the La Follette School website. This summary describes the internship experience and is expected to conform to basic policy memo criteria. This may be returned for rewriting before posting on the web.

Paper Guidelines

• The internship paper, distinct from the brief summary, is not merely a description of the internship experience. Rather, it takes the internship experience as a point of departure to examine analytically the supervising agency, drawing on relevant scholarly perspectives acquired through the first year of coursework. It may analyze a particular issue relevant to the internship work and present policy recommendations to the supervising agency as client.

• The paper is expected to be no longer than ten pages double-spaced, excluding any appended material, tables, or figures. This requires careful selection of issues to be discussed and articulate presentation. Follow policy memo outline and content guidelines as described for the Professional Development Workshop series.

• Students are required to discuss with the Associate Director their plans for the paper early in their placement. This may be done in person or through email. Because, it is difficult to identify relevant issues without having first begun the internship, this discussion should begin shortly after the beginning of the summer internship.

• The student is expected to propose a topic or an issue that can be examined during the period of the internship. It may arise from specific tasks assigned during the internship (e.g., a policy study conducted as part of the internship) or from the student’s interest in how policy is developed or the organization is managed. This could be a paper done for PA827 only or could be a topic that might be developed into a fuller paper in a later class.

• The purpose of the paper is for the interns to examine more closely than they might otherwise the development of policy or the management of an organization. The purpose of early identification of the paper topic, but yet only after the internship has begun, is to encourage topics chosen that might shape how the student interacts with the organization, for example by choosing to participate in meetings or to initiate participation in projects or discussion.

• The paper is not intended to encourage the student to move beyond the permitted tasks of the internship or to request information that may not be appropriately shared. Hence, be sensitive to what topics are best selected that will enhance your value as an intern as well as the knowledge you gain from it.

• These papers are not public documents. However, be cautious about putting in writing information that is confidential. It is preferable not to name specific persons (unless the position is very public and the identity can’t be hidden—e.g., “current governor” versus “chair of the personnel committee”).

Summer Internship Support

The La Follette School provides limited support for summer internships to cover costs beyond the usual costs of summer employment and living expenses. Receipt of this support requires enrollment in PA 827. Priority in funding is given to those whose internships require high travel costs, which are in more expensive living locations, or for which out of state tuition must be paid. Academic record and the fit of the internship with one's focus field and/or career goals is also taken into account.

A few more important policies to consider in submitting applications:

1. Students who hold PA, RA or TA positions in the spring semester are eligible for full tuition remission during the summer. Full tuition coverage does not preclude students from requesting support to cover non-tuition expenses.
2. Summer support does not come with tuition or health insurance benefits. Out-of-state or in-state tuition will be assessed based on the student's tuition status.
3. Students may receive no more than 3 credits for internships. If a student has already received 3 credits for PA 827, they are not eligible for summer support.
4. The expectation for receipt of 3 internship credits is 40 hours per week for 8 weeks of work. Subject to Divisional Committee approval, it is likely that beginning summer 2006 internships can be taken for 1-3 credits. Fewer credits will be awarded upon careful consideration of why hours of work are fewer than expected, the professional content of the internship, and the academic value of the work. Thus, you may apply for support if you expect to work fewer hours, but should attach an explanation of why the work hours are fewer that the usual expectation. The flexible credit policy will allow a student to receive credit for fewer hours of work, or spread credits over more than one internship if that is desired for credit-load reason.