"Don’t be afraid to apply to internships outside of your comfort zone. Use your internships to figure out which career paths you are most interested in — and be open to changing your mind!" Isabella Terracina, Class of 2026, Major Crimes Bureau Intern, Monmouth County, NJ Prosecutor's Office.
It is highly recommended to pursue an internship during your time at Rutgers. If you are unsure where to start, the Department can connect you to internship possibilities in a wide range of political fields, including but not limited to the legal profession (primarily law firms but also county prosecutors and courtrooms), government service (the governor’s office, other executive branch agencies, and the state legislature, as well as local office of federal legislators), nonprofits (advocacy groups in NJ and NY, including at the UN), and political campaign organizations (candidate campaigns, party organizations and consulting firms).
STUDENT INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCES
- Ashley Kankam, Class of 2027, Legislative Intern, New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.
- Justin Ford, Class of 2026, Congressional Intern, Washington DC, Office of Congressman Herb Conaway (NJ-03)
- Eva Maria Hernandez, BA ' 25, NJ Governor's Hispanic Fellow, The Center for Hispanic Policy, Research and Development (CHPRD)
SPECIALTY INTERNSHIPS
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY SCARLET SERVICE INITIATIVES
The goal these initiatives is to provide high-impact, hands-on summer internship opportunities in public service for Rutgers sophomores and juniors. Though competitive, these programs are unique in that they are offered to sophomores, provide stipends & housing (where applicable).
EAGLETON INSTITUTE OF POLITICS
The Eagleton Institute also offers a number of internship possibilities to students who are not Eagleton Undergraduate Associates but who wish to get involved. Academic credit for these internships comes from the Internship in Political Science course but supervised by the appropriate Eagleton faculty or staff member. For information on internships with the Center for Women and Politics and with the Eagleton New Jersey Project, see the program descriptions here. Eagleton’s Youth Political Participation Program also has an internship program, as does Public Leadership Education Network.
EARN ACADEMIC CREDIT
Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher and have junior or senior class standing to earn academic credit. Approval by the Undergraduate Program Director is required. Students will work with the Undergraduate Program Director to determine eligibility. To earn academic credit
- Students must devote a minimum of 160 hours to the internship.
- Course structure is asynchronous, pass/fail
- Students are expected to complete all requirements of the asynchronous internship course, which includes an interview of a manager or supervisor and a reflection paper.
To request an SPN to enroll in Fall, Spring or Summer session internship course, email with the following information:
- Internship position description, including a brief justification for why this internship should count for credit to the political science major/minor.
- Name and contact information of internship supervisor.
- Total number of expected hours worked at the internship
- Expected start and finish date