Truman School of Government and Public Affairs

Truman School MPA students without significant public sector or nonprofit work experience must complete an internship, which is coordinated through the Truman School Office of Career Services. The goals of the internship are to use the competencies and skills taught in the Truman School, such as: 

• Lead and manage in public governance
• Participate in and contribute to the policy process
• Analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
• Incorporate public values into decisions
• Communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry
• Work effectively within multi-sector public service at the intersection of policy and management
• Professional conduct/Skills

Most full-time MPA students complete an internship by working full time during the summer semester. However, part-time placements during the academic year are allowed with approval by the internship program administrator. Students can accept a paid or unpaid internships, and these details should be discussed directly between the host organization and the intern.

Here are some examples of recent internships completed by our MPA students:

• Associated Student of the University of Missouri (student lobbying organization)
• City of Maplewood, Missouri
• Democratic National Committee, Washington, D.C.
• Environmental Protection Agency Region 7, Lenexa Kansas
• Edward D. Jones, St. Louis
• Heart of Missouri United Way, Columbia, MO
• International Rescue Committee, New York City
• Local Motion, Columbia, MO
• Missouri State Rep. Emily Weber
• MU Institute of Public Policy
• MU Office of Undergraduate Research
• U.S. Congressman James Inhofe, Washington, D.C.
• U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, Kansas City Office
• Veterans United, Columbia, MO

The Truman School is committed to helping students prepare for and transition to their career. You've done your internship and now is the time to see which organization is going to get the benefits of you and your talents. We believe you are now empowered to be the next generation of change-makers to in public affairs and that you will shape the future. Whether you are interested in government relations, grassroots organizing, policy research, or strategic communications, this is the place to explore opportunities. This is a space to explore what is out there.

Undergraduate students are encouraged to meet with the Arts & Science Career Coach for one-on-one guidance on career paths, application preparation, and interview practice.

Mizzou Career Tools for careers in Government and Law

Mizzou Career Job Board (Handshake)

Tailored List for Public Affairs Pathways:

If you are interested in working for the federal government, make sure to create a profile on USAJOBS where you can make your résumé visible to recruiters.  You can save jobs, save and automate job searches, and manage your application documents.  You should not use your standard one or two-page résumé to apply for federal jobs. USAJOBS has tips for completing a federal résumé at or you can contact the Career Services office for assistance. Students and recent graduates should check out the Pathways program on the USAJOBS site. 

For federal internships, check out the Federal Internship Portal.

The U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate maintain their own job and internship posting sites. If you are interested in a political appointment in the White House, the Biden-Harris Administration has a site allowing you to upload your resume and identify your areas of skill and interest. 

The Partnership for Public Service also has information about applying for federal jobs.  

Most states have a job application portal accessible from their main website (which is the two-letter state abbreviation-dot-gov, e.g., mo.gov).  From here, you will likely find an application portal for state government jobs.  Each state website is structured differently, so you may have to do some digging.  Keep in mind, these state sites may host jobs only for a state’s executive branch agencies.  Separately elected officials, independent agencies, universities, the judicial and legislative branches, and other state-level agencies may host their own job sites. 

The official U.S. Government website usa.gov also has a wealth of information about states and territories. 

In addition to accessing the website of a particular city to search for jobs, most states have a state municipal league. These websites for these organizations often host a job-posting service for their members. The National League of Cities has a directory of state municipal leagues with hotlinks to each league’s website. 

The International City/County Management Association's Job Center is another good resource for exploring careers in local government. 

GoinGlobal helps job and internship seekers find opportunities both at home and abroad. The site includes professional organizations, links to job posting sites and cultural norms/expectations concerning the job search and the working environment. Going Global also features profiles/guides on many U.S. cities. 

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) focuses on administering civilian foreign aid and ending extreme global poverty.

To research specific organizations involved in international work, try researching the members listed on the websites for InterAction and the Society for International Development. By reviewing the profiles, you can identify specific organizations that match your interests and career ambitions and monitor the job opportunities.

Use the federal job site USAJobs.gov and monitor for international opportunities with U.S. federal agencies. For international development work, the most common agencies would be USAID, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of State, perhaps the Environmental Protection Agency. The Peace Corps also has job openings, in addition to volunteer placements. 

DevEx provides information about careers in international development, including a broad array of job opportunities. Job seekers will need to sign up, set filters, and monitor job opportunities. 

Idealist is one of the most popular resources for finding opportunities in the nonprofit sector – internships, jobs and volunteer.    

If you are interested in the Kansas City area, Nonprofit Connect is a regional association serving more than 5,000 professional members from over 700 organizations representing local, regional and national nonprofits of all sizes as well as community-minded businesses and foundations.  They host a regional nonprofit job board.   

If you are interested in nonprofits in the St. Louis area, the new Rome Group non-profit career board allows for the creation of custom email job alert messages.  You can create alerts based on your personal job preferences and search criteria.  You can manage and add alerts to your account at any time. 

Additional nonprofit job sites include: 

• Council on Foundations 
• The Chronicle of Philanthropy 
• The NonProfit Times 
• Work for Good 

More and more employers are using LinkedIn to advertise jobs and recruit.  Make sure to polish up your LinkedIn profile.  If you would like assistance or feedback on how you might improve your profile, contact the Career Services office (graduate students) or the Career Center (undergraduate students).   

Daybook bills itself as the “leading job search resource for political, policy and non-profit professionals.”  Access to some postings is free, but full use of the site requires a subscription (currently $5/month).  You can filter by location, job focus and position type (internship, entry level, mid-level, senior level). 

Professional organizations often host a job-posting service for members and also provide a number of opportunities for networking.  Three of the most prominent organizations in the public service field – NASPAA, APPAM and ASPA – sponsor PublicServiceCareers.org, a website for finding jobs, career advice and information on degrees in public service and public affairs. 

The Association for Public Policy and Management hosts Career Connections, a job board for those seeking positions in the public policy field. 

Have you found a great resource you would like to share?  Pass it along to the career services office and we can expand our list! 

Post your vacancy on HireMizzouTigers powered by Handshake. This is an effective way to reach students and alumni. The postings with the best candidate response include a robust job description, clear application instructions, and a valid website where candidates can research your organization. Log in or register for a new account at HireMizzouTigers. 

The Truman School is part of the College of Arts & Science. The College of Arts & Science and the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources hold a joint career fair in the spring and fall. These fairs are well-attended by a wide variety of students representing many disciplines. Employers and students can register for these events through Handshake. 

On-campus interviews help employers identify candidates early, access diverse applicants, meet faculty and staff, and increase visibility. We can also set up a brown bag lunch, morning session, or another event with Truman School students to learn more about your organization.