Application for the Maryland General Assembly Internship Program Now Open!

The Department of Government and Politics (GVPT) and Maryland General Assembly (MGA) offer a joint internship program that gives students the opportunity to serve as legislative interns. Responsibilities may include research, writing correspondence, preparing testimony, attending committee hearings, tracking bills, and writing newsletters, among other duties. Students are eligible to earn 6 credit hours and receive a stipend through the MGA. Students must work a minimum of two full days to receive a stipend.

Students enroll in the following courses:

• GVPT388W Experiential Learning: Maryland, Public Policy, and Beyond – A 3-credit academic seminar that can be used towards the GVPT major requirements

• GVPT386 Experiential Learning – A 3-credit pass/fail course that awards general elective credit for the hours spent interning; it cannot be used towards GVPT major requirements 

Requirements:

• GVPT major 

• Minimum 3.0 GPA 

• Minimum 60 credit hours 

• Strong writing skills 

• GVPT allows a maximum of 2 experiential learning courses to count towards the major requirements. If you have already taken 2 experiential learning courses (previous internships, independent study, Mock Trial) you can still choose to enroll in a third experiential learning course and count it as general elective credit, but not towards major requirements.

If you are a GVPT major who would like to receive major credit for an internship with the MGA, you must apply through GVPT, not with the MGA directly. While the MGA deadline is October 31, the GVPT deadline is October 22. You can access the application here or https://gvpt.umd.edu/sites/gvpt.umd.edu/files/2020GVPTMGA.pdf. The application deadline is 5 PM on Tuesday, October 22, 2019. Submit application materials to Rachel Vierling via email (rvierlin@umd.edu) using subject line: GVPT MGA Application – YOUR NAME. 

Late applications will not be accepted. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Students will be interviewed by Rachel Vierling and if accepted, students’ applications will then be submitted to the MGA. The MGA Intern Coordinator arranges interviews with legislators, committees, or caucuses in order to secure placements. Note: You will not receive your placement before spring registration. If you have received an acceptance email from GVPT, plan on registering for the internship courses, but an acceptance from GVPT does not guarantee placement with the MGA.