San Diego State University- Imperial Valley Campus
PA 796: Internship in Public Administration
Course Syllabus: Spring 2014
Instructor: Richard C. Martin, Ph.D.
Office: Faculty Office East 112
Office Hours:Wednesday and Thursday 3:00PM to 4:00PM or by appointment
Phone:
760-768-5681
E-mail 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.
Following graduation, 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. 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; 360 units= 9 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; 360 service hours to earn= 9 units; 480 service hours to earn 12 units
toward graduation and complete the internship. These hours and all reports must be completed by May 8 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. The Public Administration Practitioner
Reflection Paper will only be accepted on blackboard via turnitin assignment.
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. The MPA Internship Report (described below) – must be handed in via blackboard
turnitin assignments – after the internship hours have been completed but no later than May 9 at
8:00PM 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.
*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.
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*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:
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.
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.
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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