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Public affairs internship education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a public affairs internship. Public affairs interns usually study political science, communication, or public relations. 80% of public affairs interns hold a bachelor's degree, and 10% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,390 real public affairs internship resumes to see exactly what public affairs internship education sections show.
The most common colleges for public affairs interns are the American University and the American University.
There are also many online public affairs internship courses to help get the education required to be a public affairs internship.
There are certain public affairs internship certifications that you should consider. These public affairs internship certifications include Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI) and Regulatory Affairs Certification - US (RAC).
What education do you need to become a public affairs internship?
What degree do you need to be a public affairs internship?
- Bachelor's, 80%
- Master's, 10%
- Associate, 5%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a public affairs internship?
- Political Science, 19%
- Communication, 16%
- Public Relations, 10%
- Business, 7%
- Other Majors, 48%
Most common colleges for public affairs interns
| Public affairs internship common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| American University | 10.35% |
| George Washington University, The | 9.57% |
| University of California - Davis | 6.64% |
| University of Maryland - College Park | 6.25% |
| George Mason University | 6.25% |
Best majors for public affairs interns
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Political Science | 18.9% |
| 2 | Communication | 15.8% |
| 3 | Public Relations | 9.9% |
| 4 | Business | 6.6% |
| 5 | International Relations | 5.5% |
Best colleges for public affairs interns
The best colleges for public affairs interns are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
A public affairs 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 public affairs 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 public affairs interns.
1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
6. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
10. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,853
Enrollment
14,759
20 best online courses for public affairs interns
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4. Press Coverage, Publicity & Public Relations For Branding
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5. Pharmaceutical Industry Drug Regulatory Affairs (DRA)
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6. Systems Thinking In Public Health
This course provides an introduction to systems thinking and systems models in public health. Problems in public health and health policy tend to be complex with many actors, institutions and risk factors involved. If an outcome depends on many interacting and adaptive parts and actors the outcome cannot be analyzed or predicted with traditional statistical methods. Systems thinking is a core skill in public health and helps health policymakers build programs and policies that are aware of and...
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Top 10 most affordable universities for public affairs interns
The most affordable schools for public affairs interns are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for public affairs 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 public affairs 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. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
9. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for public affairs interns
The hardest universities for public affairs interns to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and University of Southern California.
Some great schools for public affairs 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 public affairs 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. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
6. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Tulane University
New Orleans, LA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,428
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for public affairs interns
The easiest schools for public affairs interns to get into are Holy Names University, barry university, and notre dame college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a public affairs 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 public affairs interns.
1. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
4. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
7. Grand View University
Des Moines, IA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,060
8. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
9. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
Average public affairs internship salary by education level
| Public affairs internship education level | Public affairs internship salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $33,630 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $32,136 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025