Services
How We Help
The Office of Career Services supports students as they develop professional strategies and prepare for their future. Students should take advantage of all opportunities provided to them and alumni are encouraged to stay connected to the School following graduation.
Alumni Networking
The School aims to engage alumni on the behalf of students. Ask-an-Alum sessions, regional alumni mixers, LinkedIn, PeppConnect, and individual introductions allow students the opportunity to meet with and learn from School of Public Policy alumni in an effort to broaden their network and learn about policy careers.
Career and Internship
The required 240-hour Public Policy Internship should be selected in an agency related to the student's area of specialization and must be completed prior to the second semester of the second year. Career Services helps facilitate summer internships to put policy into action. Career Services also maintains a job/internship search database, accessible to students and alumni. Search Careers and Internships
SPP Events
Throughout the academic year, SPP hosts a variety of events and workshops. These are open to all students and enable them to mix with potential employers, learn about different policy career tracks, and enhance their own professional development and branding.
Individual Résumé, Cover Letter, and Interview Feedback
Individual appointments can be scheduled with the assistant director of career services to review résumés and cover letters to tailor submissions to specific internships and jobs. Assistance is also available to conduct mock interviews in person, over the phone, and via Skype. For more detailed guidance, students may make individual appointments for videotaped practice interviews. Follow-up coaching is also available to help students grapple with stress interviews, salary negotiations, and the first few weeks on the job. These services continue after graduation to support alumni in their future job transitions.
Job Board
Public Policy students and alumni can utilize the job board to search for jobs and open positions in the areas of public policy that are of interest to them. Explore the Job Board
Join PeppConnect
In this unique virtual community, Pepperdine alumni, faculty, staff, and parents have made themselves available to offer the exact resources you're looking for in one convenient location. Log in today to build professional, personal, and purposeful relationships with Pepperdine people all over the world.
Mentor Collective
Students will be matched with alumni or peer mentor based on common interests, background, academics, and professional aspirations. To get started, students and mentors register and complete an online survey to assess personality and experience.
Open Sessions
Throughout each term, the assistant director of career services has open sessions (aka, office hours) where students can drop by—without an appointment, individually or in groups—to work on professional development, discuss internship and employment options, or work on a mock interview, branding, resumes, cover letters, or other career-related topics.
Pepperdine Career Week
This annual week-long series provides cross-discipline guidance on job search strategies and tactics. The School of Public Policy Office of Career Services in partnership with the other Pepperdine Career Services offices hosts workshops, alumni discussions, and other events - open to all students.