Public Policy Internships

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. Such agencies may be in local, state, or federal government; nonprofit organizations; the private sector, or an international experience in a non-U.S. setting to prepare for foreign service after graduation. The Public Policy internship should provide a perspective on how the methods and theories learned in the cases studied in the classroom may find practical expression in non-textbook and complex real-life settings.

Start your Public Policy Internship search today by accessing Handshake, Pepperdine's premier internship and job resource.

Master of Public Policy intern - Pepperdine University — MPP Student Internship Highlights

Marina Sangit (MPP '20) internship - Pepperdine University — Past Public Policy Internship Listing

Student Internship Information and Forms

Procedures and Requirements

It is the student's responsibility to follow the internship procedures and requirements as well as to ultimately secure a policy internship.

Internship Agreement Form

The Internship Agreement acts as a preliminary agreement between the School of Public Policy student interns and the company/agency for whom they intern.

Release of Liability Form

Students interested in an international Policy Internship must refer to the University Travel Policy. Pepperdine University adheres to the recommendations of the US State Department travel policies. The Release of Liability Form also applies to international students who are interested in returning to their home country to earn their Policy Internship credit.

Note to students exploring an internship, not in the United States: In the interest of preserving their safety and security, students in the School of Public Policy are not permitted to travel to countries for which the US Department of State has issued Travel Warnings, even if the warning only provides details on a specific city or region within the destination country. View the current list of Travel Warnings. Students are also not permitted to travel to locations in which Pepperdine University has issued its own travel warnings, or against the direct instruction of Pepperdine staff. Locations to which travel is prohibited may include an entire nation, a specific region within a nation, a city, or a specific area within a city. Such warnings will be given to students on a timely basis and will be reviewed frequently. A student may petition for a specific, one-time exception to a travel ban through their program coordinator, contingent upon consideration and approval by the Executive Vice President and the Provost. Students who fail to receive special approval and travel to locations with a Travel Warning from the US Department of State will receive sanctions, which will likely include dismissal from the School of Public Policy. Students will be responsible for paying all canceled travel costs. Additionally, it is the student's responsibility to update their emergency contact person(s) on Wavenet.

Download the Release of Liability Form.

Student Internship Completion and Self-Evaluation Form

Complete this confidential online Student Internship Completion and Self-Evaluation form. The form requests detailed on the duties of the position and recommendations for future interns as well as reflections on the lessons learned will be open and available for future students' internship reference.

Note: The remaining fields under "Personal Reflections" will be kept confidential and will be reviewed only by the administration and the student's faculty advisor.

Supervisor's Internship Evaluation Form

In order for the students to receive full academic credit for their internship, this report must be received within two weeks of their last day as an intern.

Download the Supervisor's Internship Evaluation Report Form.