Internships
Political Science students are encouraged to obtain internships in local, state or national government agencies, with political parties and interest groups, or with other organizations of their choosing.
In order for internship credit to be considered for the Political Science major or minor, the internship must be (1) supervised by a Western faculty member, or (2) offered through a formal internship program relating to Political Science broadly understood. The department offers two types of internships for credit:
- Administrative Internships
- Legislative Internships
If you are interested in a local internship, please contact the Faculty Internship Coordinator at least one quarter in advance of registration, sooner if you are interested in a state or federal internship. Any internship completed for Political Science credit must be approved by the Faculty Internship Coordinator.
Please note that students may count only 10 credits of internship and independent study combined toward the Political Science major; up to 5 internship credits count toward the minor but will not count toward the required 10 credits of upper division courses.
Faculty Internship Coordinator
Professor Todd Donovan
Political Science Department
Western Washington University
AH 418, 516 High Street
Bellingham, WA 98226-9082S 360-650-3018
Todd.Donovan@wwu.edu
Internship Opportunities
Internships are available in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer. Political Science students have interned locally, across the state and in the nation's capital. The chance to complete an internship in your field is a fantastic opportunity to "get your feet wet" in your chosen field and make connections that can be helpful down the road as your career develops. For a complete list of past internships, please contact the Internship Coordinator, Professor Todd Donovan.
Campaign Internship Opportunities
List of current campaign internship opportunities.
Please note that sharing information with students about internship opportunities is part of the regular conduct of the Political Science Department. Political campaigns may request to post internship opportunities in this database by contacting the internship coordinator Todd Donovan; please provide an internship description (pdf format) that includes contact information and application requirements. As a state entity and in compliance with RCW 42.52.180, Western Washington University is neutral with regard to party affiliation or campaign interests.
General Internship Opportunities for Political Science Students
The following is an evolving list of internships that may be of interest to Political Science students:
- The AAAS Office of Government Relations (Washington DC)
- The African Union (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
- The American Foreign Policy Council
- The American Political Science Association (APSA) Internship Resources and Database
- The Cato Institute (Washington DC)
- The Central Intelligence Agency
- The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (Washington DC)
- The Defense Intelligence Agency
- Environment America (DC and 29 states including Washington)
- Environmental and Energy Study Institute (Washington DC)
- The European Parliament Liaison Office (Washington DC)
- The Federal Bureau of Investigation
- The Governor's Leadership Academy (Olympia, Washington DC)
- Homeland Security
- Law Advocates (Bellingham)
- Marine Conservation Institute (Seattle and Washington DC)
- The National Geo-Spatial Intelligence Agency
- The National Security Agency
- The National Women's Law Center (Washington DC)
- The Obama Foundation (Washington DC)
- Office of Senator Patty Murray
- Office of Representative Suzan DelBene
- Office of Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
- Office of Representative Pramila Jayapal
- Office of Representative Derek Kilmer
- Office of Representative Rick Larsen
- Office of Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers
- Office of Representative Dan Newhouse
- Office of Representative Adam Smith
- Office of Representative Suzanne Bonamici (Oregon)
- Public Interest Research Group
- ReSources for Sustainable Communities (Bellingham)
- She Grows It
- The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program
- The United Nations
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- U.S. Department of State
- Vulcan Internship Program
- The Washington Bus (Seattle)
- The Washington Center (DC)
- The Washington State Institute for Public Policy (Olympia)
- Washington Secretary of State's Office (Olympia)
- The White House Internship Program (Washington DC)
- The World Affairs Council (Seattle)
Additional information is available at Idealist.org and Looksharp, two on-line tools for identifying internships opportunities. Students interested in doing an internship abroad may wish to consult with the Education Abroad office and view the International Internship Guidelines program.