State and Local Public Service Internships

Opportunities include the following:

NJ Legislative Offices - Use the district map to find offices for Senators and Assemblypeople, and check their webpages for contact information. Note: summer internships are a separate program and applications should be sent in March. 

Political campaigns & elections - Often short-term opportunities for specific candidates or parties, offered by campaigns or party organizations.

Municipal, county, or state agencies - There are many oppprtunities including locally in Atlantic City, Atlantic County, Cape May Housing Authority, Cape Mapy Court House, and further away such as Newark's Division of Civil Rights.

Government relations/affairs offices - Corporations & non-profits hire these positions to represent their interests in government.

Non-profit or advocacy organizations - Usually issue-based, they have a clear political position and hire a variety of roles to support their mission.

Political communication - Print and broadcast journalism.

Some of these opportunities are unpaid, but you can earn college credit. Every academic school has different procedures and requirements for doing an internship for academic credit. Please refer to the information under “Interested in Getting College Credit?” here  to find the appropriate contact for your school.

I would like to pursue a legislative or public policy-related internship. How do I start the process?

1. I would like to pursue a legislative or public policy-related internship. How do I start the process?

   Great! The first step will be to set up a meeting with a member from the Hughes Public Policy Center, who will meet with you and provide an overview of the expectations and requirements of a legislative internship. You can set up a meeting using this link. You should also look out for events promoting internship opportunities with the Hughes Public Policy Center. Once you are interviewed and accepted for an internship, the Hughes Public Policy Center will work with the SOBL or another school's Internship Coordinator to secure an affiliation agreement with the site.

2. Will I receive academic credit for this experience?

   Yes! Every academic school has different procedures and requirements for doing an internship for academic credit. Please refer to the information under “Interested in Getting College Credit?” here to find the appropriate contact for your school.

   You can request permission to enroll in POLS 3910 Internships in Public Service (up to 4 credits) with Alyssa Maurice at the Hughes Public Policy Center. You can set up a meeting with Alyssa to arrange for credit using this link. Please note, you must work a minimum of 120 hrs total for the duration of the semester to be eligible. If your internship falls below this requirement, we can work with you to earn 1-3 credits, instead of the traditional 4 credits. Other majors may have different work requirements to earn academic credit; please check with the appropriate faculty or staff supervising internships for your degree program to confirm.