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Policy internship education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a policy internship. Policy interns usually study political science, economics, or environmental science. 76% of policy interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,527 real policy internship resumes to see exactly what policy internship education sections show.
The most common colleges for policy interns are the George Washington University, The and the George Washington University, The.
There are also many online policy internship courses to help get the education required to be a policy internship.
What education do you need to become a policy internship?
What degree do you need to be a policy internship?
- Bachelor's, 76%
- Master's, 16%
- Doctorate, 3%
- Associate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a policy internship?
- Political Science, 28%
- Economics, 7%
- Other Majors, 55%
Most common colleges for policy interns
| Policy internship common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| George Washington University, The | 10.38% |
| American University | 10.08% |
| University of California - Davis | 9.16% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 7.33% |
| Georgetown University | 5.50% |
Best majors for policy interns
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science | 28.0% |
| 2 | Economics | 7.2% |
| 3 | Environmental Science | 5.5% |
| 4 | International Relations | 5.2% |
| 5 | Psychology | 5.2% |
Best colleges for policy interns
The best colleges for policy interns are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Northeastern University.
A policy internship with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for policy interns. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become policy interns.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. University of Houston
Houston, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$8,913
Enrollment
37,291
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
20 best online courses for policy interns
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1. Data Streaming
Learn how to process data in real-time by building fluency in modern data engineering tools, such as Apache Spark, Kafka, Spark Streaming, and Kafka Streaming. ...
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3. Global Energy and Climate Policy
The Global Energy and Climate Policy course offers an introduction to the theoretical and practical understanding of how energy and climate change policies are designed, shaped, advocated and implemented. As energy markets go truly global, domestic energy policies are becoming more and more entangled with wider issues of international governance. Concurrently, the urgent need to mitigate and adapt to climate change and transition to a low-carbon future is adding a further layer of complexity...
4. 2017 Great Decisions: Foreign Policy Association
Learn about leading foreign policy challenges confronting U.S. policy makers and the American public...
5. Master Public Policy Analysis In Six Easy Steps: The Basics
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6. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
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7. Translating Research to Healthcare Policy
In this course, you will learn about the process of evaluating the real-world outcomes of health research. You will learn important terminology and concepts as you explore how the outcomes of health research can influence health policy and practice. The readings, videos, and activities in this course should be completed in the order they are presented to ensure that you will have the best learning experience possible. This course will be of interest to graduate students, health professions...
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10. Engineering Life: Synbio, Bioethics & Public Policy
Synbio is a diverse field with diverse applications, and the different contexts (e.g., gain-of-function research, biofuels) raise different ethical and governance challenges. The objective of this course is to increase learners’ awareness and understanding of ethical and policy/governance issues that arise in the design, conduct and application of synthetic biology. The course will begin with a short history of recombinant DNA technology and how governance of that science developed and evolved,...
11. Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy
Welcome to "Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy". One Health is the concept that human, animal, and environmental/ecosystem health are linked. The concept provides a useful framework for examining complex health issues such as food safety and security, emerging and vector-borne diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. It can be used to analyze government policies to determine if they are effective in improving health and well-being. Agriculture is the foundation of...
12. Active Directory & Group Policy Administration for IT Techs
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13. The Making of US Foreign Policy
Welcome to The Making of US Foreign Policy course! This course seeks to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the United States’ Foreign Policy (USFP). Through this course, you will look at the evolution of USFP from its founding to the present. You will analyze the role of the institutions which play a role in defining USFP. You will also explore how the USFP relies on trade and economic interdependence to define global economic relations...
14. Justice and Equity in Technology Policy
More than ever, technology is shaping, and being shaped by, public policy. This has an enormous impact, particularly for marginalized communities. The artificial intelligence and computer algorithms increasingly driving government and industry decisions—from the allocation of social services to hiring—are reflecting and reinforcing social biases towards women, people of color, and disabled people, among others. Global climate change is having a disproportionately negative impact on low- and...
15. Trade & investment: evidence-based policies for development
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16. Power and Foreign Policy in International Relations
Welcome to the Power and Foreign Policy in International Relations course! This course acquaints you with how power matters in the conduct of international relations and how it affects the strategies and tactics of a nation-state in dealing with other nation-states. It demonstrates the link between a country’s ranking in the international system and the means and methods it adopts to deal with the rest of the world. The course begins with introducing a few concepts about what constitutes power...
17. Central Banks and Monetary Policy
The purpose of this course is to provide you with an understanding of central bank policies and how such policies affect financial markets and the economy. The main aim of this course is to provide you with insights about the macroeconomic relationships between interest rates, inflation, and unemployment that allow you to assess central bank actions and appreciate how this action will affect the economy. The ability to extract relevant information from financial market and economic data about...
18. FinTech Law and Policy
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19. The Art and Science of Economic Policy
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Top 10 most affordable universities for policy interns
The most affordable schools for policy interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for policy interns are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for policy interns.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
7. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
8. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for policy interns
The hardest universities for policy interns to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Northeastern University.
Some great schools for policy interns are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for policy interns based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
10. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for policy interns
The easiest schools for policy interns to get into are Barry University, saint joseph's college of maine, and kean university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a policy internship without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for policy interns.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
3. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
4. William Paterson University of New Jersey
Wayne, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
994
5. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Rosemont College
Rosemont, PA • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,026
8. Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,069
9. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
10. Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, KY • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,099
Average policy internship salary by education level
| Policy internship education level | Policy internship salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $73,508 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $65,706 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025