Hosting a Department of Political Science student enrolled in one of our internship classes means being a teacher, mentor, and opportunity-creator. 

We only approve those experiences that maximize learning potential for the student while providing useful, quality work products for you and your organization. 

As such, we work with students to build their capacity to assess if they are a good fit for you in addition to you being a good fit for them; our goal is to ensure that the benefits that you receive from your intern outweigh the time you will invest in their personal and professional development. 

Should a match occur between you and one of our students, one of the first tasks for you both is to sit down and walk through our Internship MOU together, discussing expectations before work commences. This MOU serves to prevent miscommunication and to provide a tool against with correct action, if needed, may occur.

Specifically, the MOU states that the student will:

  • Report to work on the days and times agreed upon with their supervisor for 200 hours. 
  • Perform all assigned tasks to the best of their ability. 
  • Set up and attend a weekly one-on-one check in with their supervisor to ask questions, receive task assignments and feedback. 
  • Meet weekly with their faculty instructor and my classmates during an assigned virtual reflection discussion time. 
  • Arrange for a 'site visit' meeting between themselves, their supervisor, and their faculty advisor at around the 100 hour mark. 
  • Complete the academic assignments connected to this class. 

Then, the MOU states that you, the work supervisor, will:

  • Provide the student intern with practical work experiences that are professionally relevant to the student intern. 
  • Provide the student with work experiences that generate meaningful learning related to the student's major and/or minor. 
  • Meet weekly, on average, with the student intern to develop a relationship, provide instructions, create a space for questions, and deliver feedback. 
  • Participate in the 'site visit' meeting arranged by the student intern and including the faculty advisor. 
  • Contact the faculty internship faculty members with any concerns regarding the student intern or unforeseen interruptions of the ability to fulfill the other items of this MOU. 
  • Assist the faculty coordinator in evaluting the student intern's performance to assign a grade at the end of the internship experience. 

Inquiries concerning the department's undergraduate internships for political science, international affairs, and public policy & administration students (POSC 493, PPA 494, POSC 495, & PPA 496) should be directed to Dr. Edward Yang, interim Undergraduate Internship Coordinator, yangyx@jmu.edu.

For questions regarding internships in the JMU Washington Semester program (POSC 493W, POSC 495W, & PPA 496W), contact the program director Dr. David Jones at jones3da@jmu.edu. 

Questions regarding the department's graduate internship programs should be directed to the director of the graduate program of interest:

Return to the Internship Program Home Page

Back to Top
Department of Political Science
Miller Hall
MSC 7705
91 East Grace Street
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
Email Us
(540) 568-6149
Fax: (540) 568-8021