Internships for Academic Credit

The Internship Program provided by the School of Public and International Affairs offers our students the opportunity to explore particular areas of professional interest related to Political Science and International Affairs, acquire valuable experience and transferrable skills, while also receiving academic credit. Placements are available with agencies operating in a variety of areas, including:

  • Law
  • Government
  • The Electoral Process
  • International Human Rights
  • Civic and Public Policy Concerns

Many of these opportunities are in the Greater Cincinnnati Area, but students who find internships nationally or internationally may make arrangements to receive credit for such internships as well. Students who have taken advantage of the program have often found this kind of experiential learning to be extremely helpful in making career decisions and in adding value to their resumes.

The School of Public and International Affairs suggests two ways to complete internship for academic credit: the first option is administered by the school through POL 4090 on occasions when students arrange Internships on their own. Note that POL 4090 is scheduled during Fall Semesters but students can start and possibly complete part of their internship earlier (e.g. in the spring and in the summer). If the internship starts late in the fall and continues in the winter or spring, the student will be assigned an "In Progress" (SP) grade until the experience is complete. If you are interested to pursue this pathway, contact Dr. Ivanov at Ivan.Ivanov@uc.edu.

The second option is to earn credit for a co-op (paid experience) through the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies (CCPS). Students can earn credit for their co-op (0-12 credits) by enrolling in the appropriate online reflection course. Beyond earning credit for the co-op, students will set professional goals, reflect on their professional experience, and integrate their learning. Students can use this guide to help them determine which course will be right for them. 

These credits will count toward the total number of credits needed for graduation. 3 of these credits can count toward coursework in Political Science (POL) and International Affairs (INTA) if the co-op experience is relevant to these major programs. Similarly, students enrolled in the International Human Rights (IHR) or Security Studies Certificate (SSTD) certificate programs can have 3 credits of relevant co-op experience applied toward their certificate coursework.

Eligibility: POL and INTA students who want to pursue internships must be in good standing with a 2.00 GPA or higher. They must complete successfully at least 18 credits in their major prior to the semester during which they enroll in the Internship course (INT 3001). To prepare for the internship and engage in a guided internship search, students are encouraged to register for PD 2070: Professionalism and Purpose. To receive credit for the internship, students must register for INT 3001 by contacting the Program Director for Academic Internships, Erin Alanson (erin.alanson@uc.edu).

Availability: Internships are available locally, nationally and internationally. CEPS maintains a database of internships opportunities. For details contact Paula Harper at harperpr@ucmail.uc.edu. The School of Public and International Affairs also maintains a database of internships. For information, contact Dr. Ivan Dinev Ivanov, at Ivan.Ivanov@uc.edu or 513-556-3318.

How to Complete an Internship: There are two separate tracks:

Political Science Track

Students interested to pursue the POL 4090 track will be completing internships in the Summer and Fall and also meet the following two requirements: (1) they have already arranged an internship program on their own; and (2) this internship involves a minimum of 150 hours of work. In this case, the students should contact the Internship Coordinator, Dr. Ivanov (email: Ivan.Ivanov@uc.edu) who will give them permission to register for POL 4090 (scheduled during the Fall Semester). They also need to complete student and agency contract, journals, and obtain supervisor’s evaluation. These forms are available here.  

Academic Internship Program Track

Students interested in developing and preparing for professional success and searching for an internship through CEPS’ Academic Internship Program should register for PD 2070 (3 credits). The class will count toward the 120 total credits required for university graduation but will not count toward major or certificate requirements.

Students interested in obtaining credit for their part-time or full-time experience should sign up for INT 3001. As long as the internship is determined to be relevant to the major and/ or certificate field of study, 3 credits of INT 3001 will count toward major and/ or certificate requirements as well as total university credits. INT 3001 is taught online for the duration of the internship and includes on-line reflection work, assessment, and support components.

Academic Credit toward the POL and INTA majors and/or the International Human Rights and War, Peace and Security certificates can be earned only through INT 3001 or POL 4090 (3 credits only). For the POL and INTA majors, it will count toward the "optional electives" grouping. For the International Human Rights certificate, it will count toward the "Core Requirement II: Internship/Capstone" grouping. For the War, Peace and Security certificate, it will count toward the "non-core courses" grouping. Students pursuing the POL minor cannot apply any internship credits toward their minor.

Resources and Types of Internships

UC Resources

Preparing and Searching for Internships

The School of Public and International Affairs is a member of the Ohio Government Internship Program which offers valuable resources for students how to prepare for, search and excel at their internships. 

Local Internships

In the past, our students have interned successfully at local offices of Ohio Senators, Congressional District Representatives, the City of Cincinnati, the Legal Aid Society, the World Affairs Council, the Freedom Center, the Seasongood Foundation as well as other non-profit organizations and private corporations. Additional information about Internship opportunities and other valuable tools for experiential learning in the Greater Cincinnati Area is available on the Greater Cincinnati College Connection (GC3) page. 

National Internships

Students have also been selected for prestigious national internships with the State Department, U.S. embassies overseas, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, CIA, US Cyber Command, EPA, and other government agencies, law firms in the Greater Cincinnati area and all over the nation.

International Internships

Internship and co-op opportunities are also available internationally (in Asia, Europe, etc.) with various international organizations such as the UN, IMF, the World Bank, NATO, OSCE, OPCW, ICJ, ICC and others. Note that a large number of these opportunities are unpaid. While there is no guarantee that a successful internship will lead to a job offer, many students have been able to launch successful careers upon the completion of their internship.

Additional Questions?

If you have any questions related to internship courses, please contact the Program Director for Academic Internships, Paula Harper (harperpr@ucmail.uc.edu).

For questions related to the academic component of the internship, please contact Dr. Ivan Dinev Ivanov at Ivan.Ivanov@uc.edu, or the Undergraduate Program Coordinator at SPIA-UG@uc.edu.