Internships

The School of Public and Nonprofit Administration seeks to "educate students for lives of active citizenship and for professional careers in public and nonprofit organizations." To do this, it is essential to provide students with real life experiences that create a bridge between classroom theory and the challenges of professional life. This is accomplished through the SPNA internship experience.

Benefits of an Internship

Whether a student is new to the profession, making a career change or is looking for ways to network and get a "foot in the door," the importance of an internship cannot be overstated. Research has determined that internships benefit students by:

• Allowing students to make better career decisions & faster career progress
• Enhancing students' problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, and teamwork skills
• Improving students' academic performance and motivation
• Making the student more likely to obtain work related to their academic background or interest area
• And, after graduation, students who do an internship obtain work faster, and typically are given more responsibility than students without internship experience

(Taken from "Supporting and Expanding GVSU Internships" by Chris Plouff, GVSU Career Center)

Internships are Required

Undergraduates:

Undergraduates receive three credits for each 150 hours of internship and may do up to two internships for credit.

• Students seeking a BA or BS in public administration are required to complete one internship (PA 490) and may register for a second internship (PA 491) to satisfy elective credits.
• Students seeking a PA minor may elect PA 490 to gain additional experience.
• Students seeking a minor in Nonprofit Administration are required to complete one internship (PA 490) and may elect a second internship (PA 491) to satisfy one elective in the minor.
• Students seeking American Humanics certification are required to take six credits of internship for a total of 300 hours.

Graduate Students:

Graduate students receive three credits for 300 hours of internship and may do up to two internships for credit.

• MPA students without previous or concurrent work experience in the field of public or nonprofit management are required to take three credits of internship (PA 690).
• MHA students without previous or concurrent work experience in the field of health management are required to take three credits of internship.

Finding and Registering for an Internship

Finding an Internship

Students who would like assistance in finding an internship should contact Quincy Williams at 616 331-2362 or WilliamQ@gvsu.edu at least three months prior to the beginning of the semester in which they wish to do the internship to allow time to find a site that meets the students' needs and interests.

Students may also join the SPNA Job & Internship Listserv to receive announcements on a bi-weekly basis. To sign up, send an email to Mark Hoffman at hoffmanm@gvsu.edu

If a student has a particular placement in mind, please first call the internship coordinator to see if a contact has been established with the organization. If not, you may contact the organization yourself and set up an informational interview to learn about a possible internship placement.

Registering for an Internship

Once a student has found a placement, they may request a permit from the internship coordinator. The permit will allow the student to register for the appropriate credits and may be picked up from the SPNA office, 288C DeVos.

Requirements and Grading the Internship

Students must meet both academic and field hour requirements in order to receive credit.

Field Hour Requirements

• Undergraduates complete 150 hours of fieldwork for three credits
• Graduate students complete 300 hours of fieldwork for three credits
• Each student will be evaluated by his or her site supervisor. Satisfactory completion of fieldwork is a requirement of receiving academic credit.
• Each student will coordinate a site visit for the internship coordinator to meet with both the student and the site supervisor during the internship.

Academic Requirements

• Complete an Internship Checklist and turn in to the internship coordinator by the end of the first week of fieldwork.
• Undergraduates submit 2 progress reports (every 50 hours) and a final paper by the last day of classes in the semester they wish to receive credit.
• Graduates submit three progress reports (every 75 hours) and a final paper by the last day of classes in the semester they wish to receive credit.

Grading

The internship is graded on a Credit / No Credit basis.

Questions?

Please Contact…
Quincy Williams
Ph: 616 331 2362
Fax: 616 331 7120
WilliamQ@gvsu.edu</p>

Internship Resources:

• MI Internships
• Corporation for National and Community Service
• Studentjobs.gov (US Office of Personnel Management)
• Presidential Management Intern Program
• Wetfeet Internship Search Engine
• Rising Star
• Intern Abroad Internships