The Texas A&M University Public Policy Internship Program (PPIP) helps develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good by providing students with hands-on experience in public policy careers. Students from across schools and majors can participate in public policy internships to discover the role policy plays in every industry. PPIP staff place students in policy-related internships domestically and abroad each semester - from the State Capitol in Austin, during the state legislative session to Germany.
PPIP internships meet key learning outcomes set by the university, provide students with invaluable experiences that will shape their career trajectory for years to come, and energize their academic pursuits as they see facets of their degree program play out in policymaking.
Related Programs
PPIP staff also manage a related program that focuses solely on agriculture policy for College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students, called the Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy (ANRP) Internship Program.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of participating in this professional policy internship, interns will be able to:
- Apply academic knowledge in a professional setting
The primary goal of an internship is to provide the student with the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to solve real problems in personal and professional settings.
- Develop professionally relevant competencies and relationships in a professional setting
The student works together with the site supervisor to specify how the student plans to sharpen and develop new knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to serve effectively in a professional policy related setting. Students will use appropriate strategies and tools to represent, analyze, and integrate information while in the internship to develop reasonable positions. Additionally, relationships with the site supervisor and other professionals add to the student’s professional network.
- Gain understanding of and exposure to the public policy process
The student is able to learn through formal training and on-the-job experiences the public policy process. The student is able to experience various aspects of the policy process through interactions with the site supervisor and other employees, as well as through interactions and meetings with customers, clients, and/or constituents.
- Observe a diverse professional organizational culture and an understanding of professional etiquette
The student begins to understand the dynamics of an organization’s culture through observing and reflecting on how decisions are made, how work is structured, how power is shared, how colleagues interact, how an organization’s mission/vision are implemented, and to what degree accountability and feedback are present in the organization. This is accomplished in diverse (economic, political, cultural, religious, etc.) contexts. The student also practices proper business etiquette while fulfilling their internship responsibilities.
- Clarify career goals and personal aspirations
The internship experience allows the student to put their knowledge and talents to practical use in preparation for a life of leadership and service to the greater good. The student is able to reflect on the internship experience and make connections between what the student understands about his or her giftedness, and the needs of the profession the student is exploring through the internship experience.
History
The Texas A&M University Public Policy Internship Program (PPIP) was established in 1999 by Dr. Ray Bowen, then president of Texas A&M University, to respond to society’s increasing interest and participation in public policy issues and programs. Since then approximately 600 Aggies have interned in Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; and various European Union locations. Today, the program is part of the Leadership & Engagement Department within the Division of Academic and Strategic Collaborations.
I’ve always been interested in the deep economic and political ties between the United States and Mexico, therefore I chose to intern at the Embassy of Mexico in the United States. I wanted to understand and experience in firsthand the complex relationship between both countries. Since the first day, my supervisors made me feel part of the team, that same day I was introduced to the Ambassador Eduardo Medina- Mora who played a crucial role as the Attorney General of Mexico during the Mexican War on Drugs. During my internship, I developed various activities related to political, economic and US-Mexico bilateral affairs. Some of my tasks included the drafting of reports regarding the political and economic implications of the US-Mexico bilateral relation; the evaluation and analysis of legislative hearings and conference calls focused on immigration, justice and education as well as the executive actions on immigration implemented by President Barack Obama on 2014.