Internship alternatives: Solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
| Author | Darren A Wheeler,Brandon C Waite |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/01447394211042855 |
| Published date | 01 March 2023 |
| Date | 01 March 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Curriculum Design in Public Administration Education: Challenges and Perspectives |
Curriculum Design in Public Administration Education: Challenges and Perspectives
Teaching Public Administration
2023, Vol. 41(1) 32–40
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/01447394211042855
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Internship alternatives:
Solutions for the COVID-19
pandemic and beyond
Darren A Wheeler and Brandon C Waite
Political Science, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA
Abstract
Internships are an integral component of most undergraduate and graduate public ad-
ministration programs. These learning opportunities allow students to get practical
experience in a workplace setting before graduation and provide them with an op-
portunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to the “real world.”But what are
students, departments, and employers to do when circumstances—including major
disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic as well as situations unique to specific
students—complicate or even prevent on-site internship experiences? This article
outlines a variety of approaches to finding a solution to this problem, weighing the
benefits and drawbacks of each.
Keywords
Internships, COVID-19, curriculum, employment, pandemic, virtual
Introduction
Internships are the most frequently used high-impact educational practice across all types
of universities (Kuh, 2008). In the United States, approximately 90% of colleges and
universities offer for-credit internships or similar work-integrated learning experiences
(Weible, 2010). Indeed, internships have been described as a “disciplinary success story”
for political science departments (Hindmoor, 2010) given that such departments often
have robust internship programs for undergraduate students majoring in political science,
public administration, legal studies, criminal justice, and other concentrations or des-
ignations that commonly fall under their purview. This is true at the graduate level as well.
Corresponding author:
Brandon C Waite, Political Science, Ball State University, 2000 W. University Ave, Muncie, IN 47334, USA.
Email: bcwaite@bsu.edu
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