Question about internships/work experience before graduate school

juillet
Mon, 25 Nov 2013 17:23:49 +0000

Most successful MPA applicants have about 3-5 years of work experience, and are about 25-27 years old. So I think you should plan to take at least 2 years “off” before starting graduate school. MPA programs, much like MBA programs, are really designed for students who come into it with some work experience so that they have experiences to draw from in class.

Of the very few students who come into an MPA program with less than two years of formal work experience, virtually all of them have done extensive internship work in college - as in not just summer internships but also working part-time during the academic year. Think about it - they are training you to be a public administrator. Who wants to hire an administrator with no experience doing the thing he’ll be administrating?

An MA in poli sci would be a little different; you would really need some research experience if you wanted that. But you would still also need to make the time to get research experience (typically 10-20 hours a week) with a professor.

Personally I don’t think it’s a good idea. There are ways to make your college experience more enjoyable - see if your college has any domestic exchange or study abroad programs and spend a year somewhere else. Or get involved off-campus or with something you love on-campus. You really need the time to do the internships and get the work experience if you want to get into a good MPA program.