Professional Development
These programs are invaluable: they help you learning about yourself, offer professional experience, and can offer a real-world look at public policy in action.
Local Government Interns
The Local Government Intern Program is an opportunity for students to explore careers in public service/public policy and provides students with a chance to gain experience in a local government agency or organization; while receiving support from the Baker School of Public Policy and Public Affairs and the Institute of American Civics. Students will learn professional development and the structure of local government through a biweekly class taken concurrently with your internship, students are eligible to receive 3 credit hours for the course. All internships will be between 10-15 hours a week and are paid.
The Local Government Intern program has partnerships with the City of Knoxville, Knox County, Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, and the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce. Interns will be assigned to work in various local offices based on partner’s availability and student expertise. Past student internships have ranged from researching affordable housing, working with community members through the Police Advisory & Review Committee, and shadowing city leaders. The interests and experience of the applicant is taken into account for the position.
Student Eligibility
- Applicants must be enrolled in UTK as a full-time, undergraduate student
- Applicants must be in good academic standing with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA
- Applicants can be undergraduate students of all majors, minors, and degree programs
- Applicants can be students of all classifications (i.e. freshmen, sophomore, etc.)
Academic Credit
Interns have the option of receiving academic credit through HBS 495: Special Topics in Public Policy (1-3 credit hours). Interns will meet bi-weekly to discuss their experiences and receive mentorship from Baker School faculty and staff. All interns will be required to attend the class meetings, regardless if they need the academic credit or not. The course date/times will be published in the application, so students will be able to keep that time open in their schedule.
Application Details
To apply, students will need to complete the following to Handshake:
- Complete the Handshake Application
- Professional Resume (1 page, pdf with name in title)
- Academic History
- Local government and policy interest
- Post-graduation career goals
- How this experience relates to personal goals and skills you want to develop
- Upload a response to this question: describe your policy interests in local government and indicate any local government departments you may be interested in.
Spring 2024 applications open on Wednesday, October 11 and close on Friday, November 3. Applications are accepted via Handshake.
Institute Fellows
The institute’s undergraduate fellows program will provide students the opportunity to attend local City Council, County Commission, School Board and Planning Commission, and other government agency meetings as they follow a project, topic, or function of government through the regulatory and/or approval processes.
Students will have regular meetings with IAC Interim Associate Director and Professor Emeritus of Political Science Bill Lyons, who also served as Chief Policy Officer for 16 years in the City of Knoxville. Here they will explore the structures, issues, and interests and their resolution in the local political arena. The goal is to increase student engagement in politics and their appreciation for the critical work of local government.
Tennessee Legislative Internship Program
For more than 50 years, the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program (TLIP) has provided students from across the state with the opportunity to experience Tennessee politics first hand and contribute to the democratic process by serving as interns in the Tennessee General Assembly. At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TLIP is jointly administered by the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy & Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science.
Student Eligibility
Applicants for the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program must be:
- Enrolled as a junior, senior, graduate student, or law student
- Pursuing degree programs in political science, law, history, social work, english, economics, sociology, communications, journalism, agriculture, or other related fields
- Maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
Internship Dates
Selected applicants will be appointed as legislative interns for the 2024 session of the TN General Assembly for the period of January 8 until April 26, 2024. (The appointment period is not concurrent with the semester calendar, and school holidays such as spring break are not observed by the General Assembly.)
Financial Support
UT interns will earn $7,000 during the spring semester and be paid on a weekly basis (approx. $400/week). This stipend will also cover a $400 relocation fee and allow for reimbursement for travel from Nashville to UT once per month (approx. $200 total). Students should note that all stipend payments including the relocation allowance are treated as taxable income.
Academic Credit
UTK students will have the ability to register for 12-15 hours of academic credit during their semester internship. The Baker School and the Department of Political Science collaborate to offer students courses that provide support and context for their internship experience. Further, we work with each individual student to determine which courses will keep them on track for graduation.
Duties & Requirements
Interns will be assigned to work in legislative leadership offices and committees from 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Duties will vary from office to office but may include bill analysis, constituent work, computer and library research, and general office work. Interns are expected to attend weekly intern meetings that are either guest speakers, site visits, or other socials with the student interns.
Application Process & Timeline
To apply for a legislative internship, students should do the following:
- Application: Complete the application through Handshake. The below materials will need to be uploaded to the Handshake application.
- TLIP Application: tiny.utk.edu/TLIPApplication (i.e. Chris Doe Application)
- Autobiography: Type and save as a separate pdf file a 2-3 page autobiography as described in the application that will enable the selection committee to learn more about you and your writing skills (i.e. Chris Doe Autobiography)
- Transcript: Scan a current copy of your transcript (not your academic history) and save this as a pdf file (i.e. Chris Doe Transcript)
- Resume: Save a pdf copy of your updated resume (i.e. Chris Doe Resume)
- Faculty Appraisals: Send the appraisal link to the 2 individuals identified on your application as faculty who will be completing appraisals for you. Please remind each appraiser to complete the survey submitted by noon on Friday, October 6, 2023.
- Appraisal Link: tiny.utk.edu/TLIPFacultyAppraisal
Applications for the 2024 session have closed.
All applicants are interviewed by the UT TLIP Selection Committee. The selection committee is comprised of members from the Howard Baker School, Department of Political Science, College of Communication & Information, and UT Institute of Agriculture.