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

Student internship agreements, self-evaluations, and supervisor's evaluation forms can be found on 12Twenty under "Internships."

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.

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.