Internship opportunities

PP&E offers students unique opportunities to learn about government and the policy making process at the federal, state and local levels. Through direct participation in the political process and broad exposure to the public policy issues and problems that confront us, this experience will help compliment your formal education at UW Tacoma through real world experiences.

As a PPE student, you have two internship options—TPOLS 496 and TPOLS 497, and participating in either of these is one way to fulfill your capstone requirement. For either internship, the first 5 credits will go toward meeting your PPE capstone requirement. Up to 5 more internship credits can go toward meeting a requirement in the Law and Policy track of the the PP&E curriculum. Additional internship credits can be applied toward your elective credits.

TPOLS 496 is a highly selective internship program available to advanced PPE students who have excelled in the classroom at UW Tacoma. Specifically, TPOLS 496 typically offers credit options of 5 or 10 credits (and in rare cases 15 credits) and allows PPE students to participate in an internship related to government, political campaigns or public policy during the fall, winter or spring quarter.

TPOLS 497 is only offered in the winter. It is open to all UW Tacoma students accepted into the Washington State Legislative Internship program. It involves working in Olympia as staff for members of the House of Representatives or Senate. Staff working for the Legislature select around 60 students from around the state for this internship. In the past, around 5-10 UW Tacoma students have been selected for this internship program. Students are paid a monthly stipend, work full time at the Capitol, and receive 15 credits via TPOLS 497. Applications are due at the end of October, candidates are notified in November, and if selected, interns begin working at the Capitol the first week of January. The Legislature’s website for this internship is http://www.leg.wa.gov/internships/.

In addition to the work you will be performing as part of your internship, both internships require a range of academic requirements, including writing a lengthy policy research paper, maintaining weekly log of your internship experience, and attending class and individual meetings throughout the quarter.