Internships

The School of Political Science, Criminology & Sociology runs three internship programmes: Parliamentary Internships, Public Affairs Internships and Washinghton Internships. A placement in any of these programmes offers students the ability to develop and exercise analytical and practical skills that will add to their university experience and will facilitate their transition from study to the workplace.

Competition for placements in these internship programmes is strong, but applications and enquiries are encouraged.

Parliamentary Internships

Students who undertake a parliamentary internship are placed with a member of the Victorian Parliament. There the student undertakes research and writes up a substantial (6,000 word) research project on a mutually agreed upon topic. Recent topics have included: community-building in Melton, a profile of Braybrook's Vietnamese community, the operation and regulation of telephone call centres, parliamentary privilege, Victoria's bus strategy, tourism in regional Victoria, and a review of Victoria's gambling laws. Students complete their assessment by writing a final reflective essay.

The co-ordinator of Parliamentary Internships, Dr John Chesterman, can be contacted on ph: + 61 3 8344 7944 or email: jhc@unimelb.edu.au.

Public Affairs Internships

The central aim of a Public Affairs Internship is to provide students with the experience of working in an organisation that is involved in broad terms in public policy making. Public Affairs Interns are placed with a senior manager in a government or non-government organisation where they undertake research and write up a substantial (6,000 word) research report on a mutually agreed upon topic. Students complete their assessment by writing a reflective essay detailing their thoughts on their placement.

In previous semesters students have been placed in a wide range of organisations that are involved either in designing public policies, in reviewing public policies, or in lobbying to change public policies. Examples of organisations which have recently taken on Public Affairs Interns include: the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Australian Film Commission, the Environment Protection Authority, Workcover, the YWCA, Jubilee 2000, the Wilderness Society, Fitzroy Legal Service, the Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, and the Financial and Consumer Rights Centre.

The co-ordinator of Public Affairs Internships, Dr Tom Davis, can be contacted by email: tdavis@unimelb.edu.au.

Washington Internships

Want to learn more about the US legal and political system?
Live in the US for 2 months?
Immerse yourself in the US Congress?
This might be the thing for you...

Political Science students at the University of Melbourne are eligible to participate in the 2008 Uni-Capitol Washington Internship program, which establishes internships in the US Congress in Washington DC.

For more information, including how to apply, see the web page for Washington Internships. Please note that applications will not be accepted after the 1st June 2007 deadline.

Please submit your application on the form downloaded from here: Application Form

The co-ordinator of Washington Internships, Dr Tom Davis, can be contacted by email: tdavis@unimelb.edu.au