Internships, Jobs & Careers
Internships
Why an internship?
- Learn through practical experience
- Invaluable as a means of professional networking and career advancement
- Make connections between regular classroom work and possible profession
- Earn college credit
- Intern in DC via our affiliation with The Washington Center
Placements
- national, state, and local executive and legislative offices
- government agencies
- political campaigns
- party and interest group organizations,
- think tanks
- judicial agencies
- law firms
- international business
- international non-government organizations (NGOs).
For Employers
If you are interested in sponsoring an internship, please email us at plsdept@gvsu.edu with the following:
- Position Description
- Estimated hours
- Length of Position
- How to apply
- Contact information
Set Up Your Internship
Internship Syllabus
PLS & IR Internship Syllabus
Experience Matters
See examples of GVSU Political Science internships from each student's perspective at the Experience Matters site.
Contacts
Political Science: Dr. Donald Zinman
Phone: (616) 331-8714; Email: zinmand@gvsu.edu
International Relations: Dr. Polly Diven
Phone: (616) 331-3282; Email: divenp@gvsu.edu
Internship Postings
April 17, 2018
State Rep. Jim Lilly (R-MI 89th) internship announcement
March 21, 2018
U.S. Senator Gary Peters State Office Intern Opportunity
Paid Political Campaign Fellowship with Students for a New American Politics PAC Summer 2018
February 26, 2018
Paid Political Campaign Fellowship with Students for a New American Politics PAC Summer 2018
Jobs, Careers, Grad School & Law School
Jobs & Careers
The department faculty work closely with Career Services and students on internships and career advising. Students are highly encouraged to pursue an internship. Capstone professors help senior students to prepare for careers and graduate school. For more information, consult our career guide and visit with your faculty advisor.
Career options
- Advocacy
- Business
- Campaigns & elections
- Communication
- Criminal justice
- Education
- Government
- International affairs
- Law
- Non-profit
- Public administration and policy
Graduate & Law School
Political science is a suitable major for many graduate programs:
- Business
- Communication
- Criminal justice
- Education
- International relations
- Law (Pre-law information)
- Political science
- Public administration
- Public Policy
- Earn a dual degree in political science and law through LEAP. Earn a BA or BS from GVSU political science and a JD from Michigan State University College of Law
For more information:
Pre-law
See the graduate school section of our career guide.
Spotlights
AmeriCorps VISTA in Alaska.
National Assistant Principal of the Year
Attorney for State and Federal Employment Law
Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland
Selma Tucker
Grad Works for City of Grand Rapids
News
September 27, 2019
GVSU Political Science and International Relations Summer 2019 Internships
September 17, 2019
Weekly Group Tutoring Sessions Available for PLS 102, 103, 105, and 211
September 09, 2019
Beyerlein and Mattler Named Batchelder Scholars for 2019-2020
Bretschneider and Mendez Win Malson Memorial Scholarship
September 09, 2019
Bretschneider and Mendez Win Malson Memorial Scholarship
Events
GRADUATE SCHOOL FAIR 2019
October 23, 2019 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Explore your future at the annual Graduate School Fair hosted by the GVSU Career Center on October 23 from 10:30am to 1:30pm in the atrium of Henry Hall. Stop by to chat...
Checking Executive Power: The Role of State Attorneys General
October 24, 2019 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
In an age of expansive executive power, what role do the states play in holding that power in check? Political Science Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence Alan Dunklow will talk about the important...
Thriving in the Job Market with your Humanities and Social Sciences Degree
October 25, 2019 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Distinguished Grand Valley Alumni from the humanities and social sciences discuss the paths they took from college into the real world. They will talk about how the diverse skills they gained through...
Water: A Vision in Dance - LIB 100 APPROVED!
October 28, 2019 7:30 PM
As rural workers left their farms to work in factories during the rise of industrial might in the 19th century, a new art form arose that emphasized nature over industry and led Romantic Era composers...
A CONVERSATION WITH GRAND RAPIDS MAYOR ROSALYNN BLISS
October 30, 2019 5:00 PM
Mayor Rosalynn Bliss became the first female mayor of Grand Rapids when she took office on January 1, 2016. She previously served as a Second Ward City Commissioner for 10 years. She earned bachelor’s...