LBJ School students are able to integrate classroom knowledge with real-world application in an experience that prepares them for a successful career in public affairs.
The LBJ Internship Experience
The LBJ School requires students to complete a 400-hour public policy internship before they graduate. This summer internship allows students to apply their knowledge to policy issues in the public, private or nonprofit sectors while developing their skills in their policy area of interest. LBJ School students pursuing summer internships are eligible to apply for financial support through the internship fellowship program.
Varied Internship Positions
Students work with the career management team, other LBJ School staff, faculty, alumni and their own network to identify an appropriate internship experience that matches with their policy area of interest and career goals.
| A recent snapshot of organizations where our students have interned: | |
|---|---|
|
Master of Public Affairs
|
Master of Global Policy Studies:
|
Intern Spotlight
"Overall, I had a great experience at AEI. I really enjoyed expanding my knowledge of security issues in the Middle East and North Africa. I worked on the Critical Threats Project, a team that analyzes a variety of national security issues. I had the opportunity to use my foreign language skills everyday and to develop my analytical capacity."
— Nathan Bumagny (MGPS '20); Internship: American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC
"The best part of interning in an agency within the legislative branch is being able to attend the Intern Lecture Series, in which members of Congress give closed-door talks to summer interns. I had the pleasure listening to talks from Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). I went to luncheons and talks from various think tanks across DC, such as Urban Institute and AEI. As interns, we even had a Capitol tour for the day, checking out the various tunnels and offices of the members of Congress. All of these talks were super engaging and involved many other interns, so it was fun to meet them."
— Lucas Arbulu (MPAff '20); Internship: Budget Analysis, Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC
"I frequently wrote briefs and designed fact sheets, but my core project was coordinating our involvement in American Wind Week. I created events and designed collateral for our wind farms nationwide, and I coordinated all logistics with the American Wind Energy Association."
— Farish Mozley (MPAff '20); Internship: EDP Renewables Communications Department, Portland, Ore.
Are you a company looking to hire an LBJ student? Email our Career Management team: lbjcareers@austin.utexas.edu.