Undergraduate Internships
Internships may be taken and counted as “general” electives only. Students earn three academic credits for these internships by signing up for PSC 490. Normally the on-site, office workload is about 12 hours per week. Several on-campus meetings and briefings, a book report and a final paper (all under the supervision of John Tuman) are also required.
Prerequisites of PSC 101 — Introduction to American Politics (4 credits) and junior or senior standing. All undergraduate students interested in interning should contact the internship coordinator John Tuman.
Finding an Internship
- Make sure you satisfy the prerequisites for a political science internship: PSC 101 is completed and you are a junior or senior.
- Consult the list of different types of positions that will be available. If you need further information, please call John Tuman at 702-895-3754 to talk about the options.
- Email John Tuman your resume, including: your contact information, education (year at UNLV, major, GPA, etc), work experience including your own assessment of your computer competency. Also list any extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, awards, honors, etc.
- Tuman will examine your information and send it to the organization or office that seems to have the best fit with what you're looking for.
- If the organization or office believes you to be a good fit, they will call you for interview.
- Prepare for the interview: dress professionally, bring the UNLV internship application with you for them to fill out, should they offer you the position on the spot.
- If they offer you the position, contact John Tuman and complete the rest of the application process with him.
- Once your application has been completed, the political science department will give you consent to enroll in the course, PSC 490.
- You then register for PSC 490 (PSC Internship). Tuition for this course is the same as all others.
- If, after one week has elapsed, the office or organization has not called or made an offer, contact John Tuman again and the process starts over, matching you with a different internship.
Types of Internships
Administrative (PSC 490A)
Work in the local office of a government agency (like Governor Sisolak’s Las Vegas Office) or similar non-governmental organization like Planned Parenthood, Chamber of Commerce, Progressive Leadership (PLAN), Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, The National Park Service at Lake Mead, etc.
Legislative (PSC 490B)
With this type of internship students are posted at the Las Vegas office of a member of the U.S. Congress doing contact, policy and constituent-service work. Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen; Representatives Lee, Titus and Horsford.
Campaign (PSC 490C)
There will be many opportunities for UNLV students to learn the goals, strategies, and techniques of running a campaign for political office. Positions will be available with the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns plus all of the U.S. Senate and House races that are based in Nevada. Postings will also available with several privately owned campaign-consulting firms, as well as the campaigns of Nevadans running for state-level offices (State Senate, etc.)
Legal (PSC 490D)
Students selecting a legal internship will work in the office of one of our many cooperating attorneys with the goal of finding out what the practice of the law is like on a day-to-day basis. It’s a good experience to have before you decide whether to go to law school yourself and a great asset when applying for admission to one. Get some advice about interning in a local law office from a student.
Broadcast News (PSC 490E)
This is an assignment with the local NPR radio station, KNPR. Intern will do research and other tasks for the program “State of Nevada.”
Video Interviews with Former and Current Interns
The Element of Trust
It will be considered a breach of trust if you get an internship referral from the internship director, get the position, and then do not sign up for PSC 490. The internship coordinator is not a job-referral service. Offices that offer positions on this basis will lose their accreditation with the program.
Contact
John Tuman
Undergraduate Internship Coordinator
702-895-3754
john.tuman@unlv.edu
Christian Jensen
Graduate Coordinator
702-895-1337
christian.jensen@unlv.edu