Internships

Qualified students who wish to deepen and expand their political science experience may undertake internships, community-based learning programs, and/or experiential learning courses. Political Science majors are also strongly encouraged to participate in one of St. Lawrence’s semester abroad or off-campus programs, some of which offer internships as part of the experience (including Kenya, London, NYC, and Washington, DC). For further information on these and related off-campus programs, visit the CIIS website. 

Summer and Semester Internships for Credit

Students who undertake an internship over the summer or during the semester can receive a 1/2 unit of credit by meeting the following requirements:

• Identify a member of the Political Science Department faculty willing to serve as an advisor.
• Complete a minimum of 100 hours at the internship site.
• Keep a journal updated once a week and submitted weekly to the advisor on Sakai or via e-mail, describing the work and reflecting on it from a scholarly perspective.
• Complete a selection of readings (kind and amount to be agreed on with advisor) on the agency or policy area of the internship; submit brief book or article reports on the readings.
• Complete a research paper or other written project (the details of which are decided with the advisor) on a subject related to the internship.
• An evaluation from the internship supervisor.
• Students must secure an advisor and meet with them to come to an agreement on the details of the above requirements before the internship begins. Students may not retroactively receive credit for an internship.

For summer experiences, credit for the internship will appear on the transcript the semester following the internship. While this course will earn university credit, it may not count as one of the upper division electives for the major.

Find an Internship

The Center for Career Excellent can help political science students identify internships that align with their particular interests within the field.  Please visit their Internship webpage to get started. 

Government Related Internships and Application Deadlines

CIA Student Opportunities, Undergraduate Internship Program

The application period for Summer employment goes through October 15. Applications for winter, spring, and fall employment should be sent nine to twelve months before the desired start date.

State Department Internships

Application deadlines: Summer -- November 1, Fall -- March 1, Spring -- July 1

Freeman Foundation SLU China Internship program

The application deadline is generally around April 1, but please read the program information to see the exact date for this year.