Political Science Internships

Earn course credit with your internship

POS 484: Political Science Internship is a course designed to help you get valuable, hands on work experience upon graduation through an internship.

Are you meant to work in politics or for a political organization? Is a governmental job for you, or maybe a think tank? By completing an internship you should be able to answer these questions more definitively.

Students are encouraged to seek out and research different internship opportunities on their own. All paperwork and final approval must go through Dr. Gina Woodall at gina.woodall@asu.edu before the student begins the internship.

If you want to find an internship or job that is just right for you, register with ASU Career and Professional Development Services.

Eligibility requirements

  • Overall GPA of at least 2.5.
  • Completed at least 50 semester hours of credit.
  • Students are expected to have at least 12 hours of coursework completed at ASU.
  • 3.0 in all Political Science courses taken.
  • Coursework should include POS 110 or 310: Politics and Government or the equivalent, and other courses appropriate to the intern placement.

Important reminders 

  • Internship credit must be earned during the semester in which a student completes the internship (i.e., retroactive credit is not granted).
  • Honors contracts are not available with POS 484.
  • Final acceptance of internship applications and agreements are determined and approved by Dr. Woodall. 
  • Follow the Political Science Internship Facebook page for the most recent internship opportunities.

Deadlines 

October 1 (Fall deadline) March 1 (Spring deadline)  July 10 (Summer deadline) 

These deadlines are the absolute latest a student may register for POS 484 credit.

How to apply for POS 484 credit

Note: You only follow these steps if you have an internship lined up.  If you do not have a secure internship yet, please talk to an academic advisor and/or Dr. Woodall on how to secure an internship.

  • Login to your ASU Handshake account with your ASURITE ID and password.
  • Click on “Career Center”
  • Click on “Experiences”
  • Click on “Request an Experience”
  • Select the following “Experience Type” from the dropdown list: Political Science Internship POS 484
  • Continue filling out the form to the best of your ability and submit it. Once you submit the form, it will be routed to Dr. Woodall who will review your request. If approved, your form will be routed via email to the Supervisor that you listed. If denied, Dr. Woodall will contact you with more information. 
  • Your Supervisor will submit an electronic approval that is routed to Dr. Woodall. If denied by your Supervisor, you will be contacted by Dr. Woodall.
  • Once approved by all parties, Dr. Woodall will be in touch regarding next steps and how to enroll in POS 484.

Apply here

Frequently Asked Questions

What must I do to get credit for a Political Science internship?

First, students should contact Dr. Woodall either via email at gina.woodall@asu.edu or during her office hours to see if their internship qualifies them for POS 484 credit. Besides the internship itself, students are *required* to complete academic requirements on-line, in the same semester that they are completing the internship. All paperwork and final approval must go through Dr. Woodall before the student begins the internship.

Must I be a political science major to do an internship?

It is not necessary to be a political science major to do an internship for political science credit. It is necessary, however, that a student has completed some political science course work before beginning an internship for political science credit.

Is there a limit to the number of credits I can earn at my internship?

Yes.  If you are not enrolled in the Arizona Legislative Internship program, Capitol Scholars or the McCain Institute, you are limited to earning 6 POS 484 credits per internship experience.  You may complete more than one internship during your time at ASU, however, and may earn additional credits (beyond the 6) that don’t go towards your major requirements, but do go towards your total upper division elective credits.

What are the minimum academic requirements in order to earn POS 484 credit?

To be accepted for a political science internship, a student must have an overall GPA of at least 2.5, and must have completed at least 50 semester hours of credit. Generally, students are expected to have at least 12 hours of coursework completed at ASU and a 3.0 in all Political Science courses taken. Coursework should include POS 110 or 310: Politics and Government or the equivalent, and other courses appropriate to the intern placement.

I earned 6 credits completing an internship. The same organization asked me to intern in a subsequent semester. Is this allowed?

No.  The internship and objectives must be substantively different than the previous internship in order to earn additional credit.  All must be approved by Dr. Woodall.

Are there deadlines for turning in the application and agreement form?

Yes.  The absolute latest deadline for Spring is March 1st.  Fall's deadline is October 1.  Summer’s deadline is July 10th.

I've heard it's possible to intern in the summer and then register for POS 484 in the fall. Is that possible?

No.  You must be registered for POS 484 in the same semester that you complete your internship work.

May I complete an honors contract for POS 484?

 No.  Honors contracts are not available for POS 484 at this time.

Can I just be placed in an internship somewhere? Can an advisor or Dr. Woodall make this happen?

No.  Both academic advisors and Dr. Woodall are happy to talk with our about different opportunities, as well as show students where opportunities are listed on social media and via email.  However, the onus of obtaining an internship (researching, applying, and final acceptance) rests solely with the student.  In short, we explain the process, but the student puts in the work and earns the credit.

I found an internship on my own and I got it! What are my next steps?

The first step, before you go through the application process, is to (1) be sure you are eligible for credit and (2) the internship organization/agency is approved by Dr. Woodall (and thus, an internship agreement form is completed).  After steps 1 and 2 are complete, then apply online by going to http://asu.joinhandshake.com/experiences and searching “Political Science Internship POS 484.”

Are internships paid?

Most internships are unpaid. Rather than pay, students earn academic credit at their institutions.  Some internships are paid AND the student is able to earn academic credit.  These internships are usually much more competitive.

Do I have to be a junior or senior to apply for an internship?

You have to have earned 50 college credits, with at least 12 credits being here at ASU.  For the typical college student, this puts the class status at “mid-sophomore” year or so. 

Can I get internship credit for the work I do at my current job?

No, your current job is not eligible to be considered for POS 484 credit.  However, it can be demonstrated that you will be working on special projects OUTSIDE of your “normal” job duties, and it is related to political science broadly, then we can discuss the possibility.

Does POS 484 affect my GPA?

Yes.  This is a letter-graded class like all your other classes.  Academic work is completed online with Dr. Woodall.

How much time does an internship take?

A minimum of 50 hours of work per credit hour is required for internships.  To estimate the number of credit hours for an internship, consider that for a 15 week semester, one would work 10 hours per week in order to earn 3 credit hours.  In order to earn the maximum of 6 credits of POS 484, one would need to work approximately 20 hours per week for 15 weeks.  Students should factor this in when planning their schedules. 

Can my internship be out-of-state?

Yes.  POS 484 is offered as an online class.  There are no face-to-face meetings, so you can participate in the academic component of class from anywhere!