Political Science Internships

Internships provide students with an opportunity to gain real-world experience related to their academic field of study while earning academic credit.

In the past, students have completed internships with the following local agencies:

  • Madison County Legislative Office
  • City of Huntsville Planning Department
  • City of Huntsville Personnel Department
  • City of Huntsville Attorney's Office
  • Government Accountability Office (GAO)
  • Social Security Administration
  • National Children's Advocacy Center (NCAC)
  • Law Offices
  • Alabama Circuit Court Judges
  • Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments (TARCOG)
  • Redstone Arsenal

Some students have also served as legislative and executive interns in Washington, D.C.

Interns may receive 3-6 credit hours of academic credit, with a maximum of 6 hours of credits counted toward major requirements.  An internship equivalent to 3 credit-hours roughly equates to 10 hours a week in the internship; similarly, an internship equivalent to 6 credit-hours roughly equates to 20 hours a week in the internship.  

More information may be found here.

INTERNSHIP INFORMATION SHEET

To enroll in an internship for academic credit, students must first receive departmental approval.  They must also have at least a junior standing if an undergraduate student or at least 12 hours of coursework completed if a graduate student. 

Ready to apply for an internship?  

INTERNSHIP APPLICATION

To explore internship opportunities and discuss possibilities, please contact Dr. Anne Marie Choup, the internship coordinator.

Contact

Dr. Anne Marie Choup

 256.824.2312

amc0004@uah.edu


Other Internship Possibilities

Students may find internships by contacting government agencies directly, including the following agencies listed below.  To receive academic credit, students are encouraged to meet with Dr. Reeves before they begin their internships.  

NSA Intelligence Analysis Summer Program

The National Security Agency's Intelligence Analysis Summer Program offers rising college seniors the opportunity to receive training in a multifaceted cryptologic discipline. By apprenticing to a senior NSA analyst, students gain practical and theoretical knowledge of the NSA, the Signals Intelligence process, and the U.S. Intelligence Community. This intensive program runs 12 weeks from the end of May through mid-August for undergraduates entering their final year of an undergraduate degree program (juniors at the time of application).  

NSA Summer Language Program

The National Security Agency's Summer Language Program offers students the opportunity to sharpen their foreign language skills to a professional level. Over the course of the 12-week internship, students will learn to analyze foreign communications for vital intelligence missions by apprenticing with experienced language analysts. The program is intended for high-potential full-time college upperclassmen and graduate students who have taken at least one language course per semester or who have achieved language proficiency through some other means (e.g., are native/heritage speakers).

DIA's Academic Semester Internship Program

The Defense Intelligence Agency's Academic Semester Internship Program offers high-potential full-time college upperclassmen and graduate students the opportunity to gain paid work experience in intelligence analysis while enrolled in classes. Internships normally begin in September and may be extended through the spring semester. Interns are considered part-time temporary employees (working between 16 and 20 hours per week) and must be enrolled in an accredited U.S. university or college located within a commutable distance to DIA locations.