Internships
Public Administration Internships
Students without previous public service employment (those designated as "Pre-service" upon admission) must complete (6) semester hours of internship credit.
Students have the option of enrolling in PAD 6963 (3 credit hours) in two separate semesters, or PAD 6966 (6 credit hours) in one semester to meet the six (6) hour requirement. Students are expected to complete 300 work hours for 6 internship credit hours or 150 work hours for 3 internship credit hours. Enrollment in classes must take place before the work hours are accrued for the work experience to be considered appropriate for an internship.
Prerequisites: Good academic standing, consent of instructor willing to grade your final paper and 18 semester credits of graduate work.
Enrollment procedures
Students interested in enrolling in internship hours should:
- pursue their own internship opportunities (we encourage student to meet with their own academic advisors to discuss appropriate internships);
- have a faculty member agree to be the "instructor of record" for the internship; this faculty member will be responsible for grading a short (3-5) page written summary of the students internship duties, and will assign the final grade based on the on-site evaluation and the paper.
- complete the internal departmental internship approval form and outline; this form requires students to identify a site supervisor who will oversee the student's internship, complete an evaluation, and verify hours worked at the end of the internship (note: students will not receive credit for their internships until this evaluation form is complete and returned to the instructor of record for grading and processing).
- Because of new agreement policies required by UTSA, all students interested in completing an internship must work with their agency site before the semester when they want to complete their internship.
More on the internship requirements and process can be read in the Internship Handbook.
Deadlines
Internship Approval forms should be turned in no later than:
Spring Semester internship – November 1
Fall Semester internship – July 1
Summer Semester internship – April 1
Where to Intern:
Seek out an internship that provides significant managerial or project-related experience in the public and nonprofit sectors. Private sector activities related to public administration may also be considered. When applying to do an internship, keep in mind that your selected agency may have particular procedures for potential interns that could delay meeting the department’s deadlines. In the past students have interned at:
- The City of San Antonio, TX
- Bexar County, TX
- Texas Department of Human Services
- San Antonio Water System
- San Antonio Nonprofit Council
- The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Phoenix, AZ
- UNESCO, Paris, France
Partial Listing of Current Opportunities
City of Leon Valley Internship (City Manager's Office)
City of Olmos Park Management Internship
City of San Antonio Internship Program
Center for Public Policy Priorities
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's South Texas Chapter
Postgraduate Opportunity: Governmental Accounting Standards Board
Do I need to do an internship?
If you have a strong work experience and background, you may submit a résumé and cover letter to demonstrate the attainment of leadership roles and practices to the GPC chair for review. Satisfactory submissions result in a waiver for the internship requirement. These waiver requests should be submitted no later than the semester prior to your planned graduation date. Please see page 11 of the MPA Student Handbook for more information on the waiver process.
Is it possible for my agency to host an internship?
Potential internship host sites should refer to the MPA Internship Handbook for more on the program and contact the internship coordinator. Sites must be willing to complete University required Affiliation Agreements.
For questions about internships or information concerning internship opportunities, please contact Keneka Garrett, 210-458-2533.