Loyola University Chicago

Masters of Urban Affairs and Public Policy

MUAPP

Internship Resources

To build the foundations of their career, our students acquire practical experience putting what they learn to use in real political, economic, and social contexts through a required three-credit internship.

Internship Policies

Since the MUAPP Program’s inception, it has formed many valuable relationships with organizations and government agencies around Chicago. The MUAPP Internship is required for academic credit after students have completed 18 credits which is usually after two semesters for a full-time student. You should start to actively and independently search for, inquire about, and apply to organizations about 6 months before the semester you would like to do your internship. All students are required to take a professional development class where internship options are explored further.

The Internship must be completed in the summer after your first year or fall of your 2nd year. You register for MPP 501—Public Policy Internship (3.0 credits) course and consult with the faculty member who is teaching the class for approval of your final placement choice. In addition, students should consult with the faculty member who is supervising the internship class as they plan their initial searches (e.g., cover letter and resume writing). Students currently working in a professional capacity or with substantial prior public policy work experience should consult with the MUAPP Director on the best way to fulfill this requirement.

Students are responsible for finding their own internships. The internship involves at least 150 hours of work during the semester or summer session. Students should be aware that many agencies expect 15 to 20 hours of work per week for an internship. Since the department receives a great deal of information on potential openings throughout the year, the Program Officer will regularly include this information in a weekly Internship and Job Openings email to students.

As a part of the internship requirement, students must attend all of the Practitioner Series speaking engagements in their first year. The MUAPP Program invites public policy practitioners to speak with students about their organizations and the current issues facing them, their own career paths, internship and job prospects, skills and qualities that they look for when hiring. About 5 of these events are held each spring semester. Meetings are for about an hour, typically 5:30—6:30 on Monday or Wednesday evenings. Students are not eligible to do an internship for credit until they have attended at one full-year of these events. Continued attendance is a part of the internship class requirements.

Since the department receives a great deal of information on potential openings throughout the year, the Program Officer will regularly include this information in a weekly Internship and Job Openings e-mail to students.

Recent Student Internship Placements

MUAPP students have attained internships in a variety of fields which reflect the multitude of interests and talents of our students. These internships prepare students for a career in the public, private, or non-profit sector. Some recent student internship placements are listed below:

For a more detailed list of student and alumni internship placement locations and internship search tips, please visit our MUAPP Internship Info Sheet