GCS Employee Relations Manager Casey Sullens breaks down the requirements for the MPP student internship experience, from criteria the internship itself has to meet to the work the student must accomplish.
Transcript:
Casey Sullens: I’m Casey Sullens and I’m the Employee Relations Manager of Graduate Career Services here at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
MPP Students at the Ford School are required to complete a summer policy-related internship in order to graduate. The summer internship serves as an opportunity for students to apply the skills that they’ve learned in a real-world setting. This allows students to explore and further develop their career.
To meet the requirement, the internship must be full time, in ten consecutive weeks, after the student’s first year in the MPP program. The internship should be policy-focused, challenging, and of significant importance to the organization. It’s important that by the conclusion of the internship, students complete at least three of the following objectives.
Slide: Acquire and demonstrate analytical skills necessary for successful policy analysis.
Slide: Develop a sophisticated understanding of public policy institutions and processes, and the implications these have for policy development and implementation.
Slide: Develop, practice, and refine communication skills appropriate to the policy arena.
Slide: Develop and refine leadership, management, and decision making skills.
Slide: Demonstrate ability to integrate analytic, institutional, communication, and management skills.
Casey: Prior to starting an internship, students must complete an Internship Agreement Form. This fully outlines the scope of work the student will complete over their ten week internship. Your agreement form serves to solidify project objectives and goals, and to ensure that the internship meets the Ford School Requirements.
At the end of the internship experience, students will complete an Internship Report. This serves as a formal opportunity for students to reflect on their internship experience and identify major takeaways.
The internship experience provides students an opportunity to apply their skills in a practical way, and cultivate their professional network as well as their professional identity.
We look forward to working with you, and go blue!