Whether in the mayor's office or out in the field, internships deepen student understanding of policy in an incomparable way. At the same time, the community benefits from the energy and contributions of volunteer service.

Internships take two forms at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS). At the graduate level, the Master of Arts in Policy Studies (MPP) requires that all students complete a 300-plus hour internship. This experience ensures that MPP students gain a realistic understanding of the complex issues and trade-offs facing policymakers.

At the undergraduate level, the IPS six-credit Introduction to Urban Policy course requires students to complete a 10-12-hour per week internship in the city council, a city department, or community organization, alongside a three-credit seminar on the nature and responses to the urban challenge.

The course is cross-listed in the Johns Hopkins’ Departments of Political Science, Sociology, and Geography and Environmental Engineering. The seminar is also open to graduate students, who register for the seminar only.

Admission into this class is competitive, and students must complete an application and interview. The course is co-taught by IPS Director Sandra Newman and IPS Senior Fellow Marsha Schachtel

View Undergraduate Internships, 1987-2002

View Graduate Internships, 1987-2003