The MPA Program does not require an internship, but encourages internships for pre-career and career-changing students. Rutgers SPAA assists on-campus MPA students in locating internship opportunities with an expanding network of partners in the Newark urban area in local, county, and state government organizations, and among dozens of nonprofit organizations in the surrounding areas. Additionally, the school circulates information about available national and international internship opportunities via regular email announcements. Approval from the MPA Director is required before any internship taken for academic credit begins. Students are limited to one 3-credit internship; if a student takes an internship, the credits count toward the student’s concentration, which means he/she takes two elective courses from his/her concentration, rather than the customary three. An internship must be related to the student’s concentration. After the MPA Director approves the request, the student will complete the internship contract and submit it to the department for a special permission number to register for credit. An internship can only count for an elective and cannot replace a core course.

Requirements to receive credits for internship:

• Submit a completed contract
• Complete 150 hours of work within one semester
• Submit mid-semester and final evaluations (by the supervisor and the student)
• Submit a 10 to 20-page research paper relating the internship to the student’s concentration (if applicable) at the end of the semester