San Diego State University- Imperial Valley Campus
PA 796: Internship in Public Administration
Course Syllabus: Fall 2013
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Phone:
E-mail
Richard C. Martin, Ph.D.
Faculty Office East 112
Mondays 4:30PM-5:30PM, Wednesday 3:00PM-4:00PM or by appointment
760-768-5681
rmartin2@mail.sdsu.edu (best way to reach me)
MPA Internship Requirement:
The internship experience is a cornerstone of the graduate student experience in public
administration. A public service internship is essential to a student’s ability to practically apply
classroom theory and successfully achieve employment in the public or non-profit sector
following graduation. It is for this reason that all MPA students are required to register for and
complete 12 units of PA 796, which includes a minimum of 480 hours of internship experience.
Students who have had considerable experience in the public sector, or who are currently
working in the public sector, may be permitted to waive some or all of the internship
requirements. Please see the School of Public Affairs’ website for information on the Internship
Waiver Request process.
Course Overview:
This course provides MPA students with practical experience in the field of public
administration. Students are typically placed in a government or non-profit agency and will
perform duties including research, data collection and analysis, drafting agency policies, project
management, public outreach, major event planning and grant writing. Students work under the
joint supervision of the Internship university instructor and an agency representative.
Credit Hours per Internship Hours:
120 hours = 3 units; 240 hours = 6 units, 480 hours= 12 units
Learning Objectives:
The objectives of this course are to:
1) Give students practical experience in the field of public administration;
2) Apply theories and principles of public administration in a community-based setting;
3) Provide students with additional professional contacts and networking opportunities in
this field;
4) Allow students to develop their leadership abilities in government or non-profit sectors;
5) Enhance students’ understanding of the particular office/organization they are working
in;
6) Evaluate and compare the students’ experience and observations with scholarly
literature; and
7) Enhance students’ self-awareness about the type of public service career they would
like to pursue (or not pursue) following completion of the MPA Program.
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Course Format:
This course is an independent study course where the student maintains contact (in person and
via e-mail) with the instructor.
Internship Process:
 Each student meets with the instructor individually to discuss career goals and develop a
plan to apply for an internship positions. Students are not permitted to use a current
job for credit in PA 796.
 The student contacts the instructor once the student is invited to interview with one or
more agency and immediately once a position has been secured. The student turns in
the completed Intern Assignment Placement Report signed by the student’s supervisor
as soon as possible.
 The instructor will provide the student with a Special Study Authorization Contract. This
contract solidifies enrollment in the course and constitutes an agreement between a
faculty member and student regarding projects to be performed and assignments to be
completed by the due dates.
 If the agency has not completed a Service Learning Agreement and Learning Site
Activity Form and if needed the student must have these forms signed by the agency
and give them to the instructor. Please discuss this requirement with the instructor.
 The student will need to provide 120 service hours at the same agency in order to earn
3 units; 240 service hours to earn 6 units; 480 service hours to earn 12 units toward
graduation and complete the internship. These hours and all reports must be
completed by December 18 to earn a grade of credit for this course.
 After a student accepts an internship position, he/she should not resign and start
another internship position unless extraordinary circumstances exist and this has been
discussed with the instructor.
 The student will check in periodically with the instructor as needed and turn in the
Public Administration Practitioner Reflection Paper half way through the internship.
 After the student completes the required number of service hours, the student will
provide his/her internship supervisor with the MPA Intern Evaluation. The student
must hand deliver the form to the instructor along with his/her MPA Internship Report
(described below) – both in hard copy form – anytime after the internship hours have
been completed but no later than December 18 at noon in order to receive a passing
grade in the course.
Student Conduct:
Students working as interns through the PA 796 course are representing San Diego State
University and their work reflects upon the School of the MPA Program and fellow students. As
a result, professional conduct by students is required throughout the internship process. Interns
should respect the policies and work rules of the agencies for which they are work and
demonstrate extraordinary initiative work ethic and performance.
Course Requirements and Grading:
Each student will receive a final grade in the course of CR or NC. The student’s final grade in
the course will be based on: 1) Completion of the required number of service hours; 2)
Satisfactory completion of the Public Administration Practitioner Reflection Paper; 3)
Satisfactory completion of the MPA Internship Report; and, 4) Outstanding workplace
performance as determined by the on-site internship supervisor.
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*Public Administration Practitioner Reflection Paper:
During the first half of the session, the student is encouraged to focus on his/her development
as a professional in the public or non-profit sector workplace. To assist in this reflection, each
student will read the book The C Students Guide to Success by Ron Bliwas. In a minimum of four
(4) pages (double-spaced), students will analyze how each of the 10 lessons presented in the
book relate to his/her professional development. If one or more of the lessons do not apply, the
lesson(s) can be analyzed in terms of the student’s future career in public administration.
*If you’ve enrolled in this course previously, please see the instructor regarding an alternative
assignment.
MPA Internship Report
The Internship Report should be a minimum of eight (8) pages (double-spaced) and include the
following information:
I. Organization Overview
This section will provide an overview of the agency including mission, organizational
objectives, annual budget, and number of employees, number of residents (or clients)
served stakeholder groups, services offered and any other relevant information.
II. Literature Review
The student will choose a specific program or function within the organization to
analyze in their MPA Internship Report. Using a minimum of six (6) peer-reviewed
scholarly journal articles in addition to other sources as appropriate, this section will
analyze the program or function using current academic literature (within the past three
years). Sources should contain literary reviews or research studies evaluating the type of
program or method of service delivery (if relevant) or current challenges in terms of
finances, governance, changes in clientele etc. This section of the paper should be a
minimum of five (5) pages in length. Work should be cited in APA format and include a
references page at the end of the paper. Please consult with the instructor if you
require guidance in the focus of the literature review.
III. Critical Review
This section will provide a description of the internship duties and the student’s
contributions to the overall mission of the organization and how the experience helped
the student become a more effective Practitioner. This section will conclude with a
discussion of how the student’s experiences and observations compared or contrasted
to the academic literature reviewed about this type of organization.
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