Blog Description

The College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at UIC is the University of Illinois System's home for the study of public policy and contemporary urban challenges. We are CUPPA.

In the heart of Chicago, we offer degrees in fields of study that can change your life and change the world. CUPPA students and alumni are uniquely skilled to build and transform sustainable urban neighborhoods and communities and to address the challenges presented in the 21st century. Find our more about our Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees at cuppa.uic.edu.

Follow our student internships and student opportunities below. For post-graduation job postings head to the CUPPA Careers Blog or follow us at @CUPPACareers on Twitter.

Have a job or internship to post? Send an email with the title, location, job description, and contact information to cuppa@uic.edu.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Summer 2021 Internship Opportunity, Park District of Highland Park

Who: Park District of Highland Park

What: Under the supervision of the Planning and Projects Manager, the Planning and Projects Intern will participate in a planning initiative to evaluate the District’s outdoor properties and develop recommendations to improve level of service at the parks.

Responsibilities:

  • Develop a data collection instrument,

  • Visit and record existing qualitative conditions at the District’s 44 park properties,

  • Taking photos of existing conditions and cataloguing photos,

  • Recording findings in a presentable format.

  • Develop visuals to map existing conditions.

  • Develop a list of recommended improvements.

Qualifications:

Current junior or senior level college student majoring in Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture, natural resource planning, or other related field. Proficient in Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, and ESRI GIS (preferred). Exceptional oral and written communication skills.

Apply here. 

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Affordable Housing Internship, Upholdings (Chicago)

Who: UPholdings is a comprehensive real estate firm that is dedicated to creating, operating, and sustaining quality affordable housing in communities throughout the United States. Our company builds, manages, and operates its projects for the entirety of their operational cycle. Our portfolio includes a wide-range of project types, including family, senior and permanent supportive housing developments. We have a growing portfolio and are currently active in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, California, and Michigan.

What: Interns will: (1) work closely with staff on various Affordable Housing Program (AHP) applications across multiple Federal Home Land Banks (FHLB), including compiling financing, due-diligence, compliance, and supportive documentation associated with prospective and under-development projects; (2) coordinate on-going project tasks and checklists to manage tasks with vendors, site managers, and contractors; and (3) assist staff with administrative tasks, including scheduling appointments and preparing outgoing document deliveries.

Qualifications:

  • Be enrolled in an educational program concentrating on urban planning and development, real estate transactions, finance, or related field
  • Prepared to dedicate 15-30 hours weekly working;
  • Deadline driven worker capable of managing multiple tasks and partnership relationships.

Apply by sending your resume and cover letter to petra@upholdings.net. 

Student Intern, City of Chicago Office of Budget and Management (Two positions)

Who: City of Chicago Office of Budget and Management

What: The City of Chicago’s Office of Budget and Management is seeking Student Interns. The Student Intern Program is for students seeking to gain knowledge of, and valuable work experience in public sector / city government operations. Work hours are flexible to meet the needs of students and city departments. This a temporary position. Internships are limited to one academic year. Students are limited to working one internship (lasting no more than one academic year) per City Department.

Responsibilities:
  • Perform various administrative functions to support program activities
  • Assist with the review of application and award budgets and programmatic documents for consistency with City policy and procedures
  • Assist with the development and analysis of budget and actuals for various grant programs
  • Assist in the development of policy and procedural documents
  • Assist with the validation and quality control of various reports and documents
  • Assist with the development of communication and marketing tools used for public and departmental engagement
  • Participate in the organization, set-up and administration of special events and program activities
  • Perform related duties as required

Qualifications:

  • Must be a student in good academic standing currently enrolled in an accredited college, university, or law school OR a student in good academic standing currently enrolled in an accredited business or data processing/ information technology school. Must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 grading scale or a 3.5 on a 5.0 grading scale.
  • Students must maintain the required GPA throughout the duration of their employment / internship
  • Must be enrolled in school with a minimum of 6 credit hours (or quarter hour equivalency) throughout the duration of internship, with the exception of academic breaks, i.e. summer
  • Must have knowledge of Microsoft Office Applications –Word, Excel and Power Point

Apply by going here and searching "student intern". Apply by April 20.

Monday, March 15, 2021

2021 Summer Affordable Housing Internship, Illinois Housing Council

Who: Illinois Housing Council

What: The Policy Intern will work directly with the Executive Director and Manager of Programs and Membership to support various affordable housing related projects at IHC. The intern will be responsible for updating the content for IHC’s current communications materials and conducting research related to IHC’s goals around advancing racial equity in the affordable housing development field.

Responsibilities:

Communications:

• Research affordable housing developments and draft content for updated IHC case studies. Interview member owners, gather information on economic impact of developments

• Develop informational materials and fact sheets on current issues in affordable housing

• Contribute to content development for IHC newsletter including summarizing policy updates, gathering event information and relevant resources

• Work with Manager of Programs and Membership to gather content for 20th anniversary video Racial Equity Research:

• Conduct inventory of existing IHC membership base that is minority-owned/led and has certification through Chicago M/WBE Program or Illinois Business Enterprise Program for Minorities, Females and Persons with Disabilities

• Research barriers to city and state certification programs in the affordable housing/development field to inform potential policy recommendations by IHC

• Gather information on existing capacity building/training programs for affordable housing in Illinois to inform how IHC can fill programming gaps

• Consult with other state housing associations to understand targeted membership programs for MWBE subcontractors and professional service firms to see if IHC can replicate

• Assist in preparations for IHC events including webinars and Annual Golf outing

• Contribute to planning efforts for Emerging Leaders Network

• Assist in other day to day operations of IHC 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning, Political Science, Business or a related field

• Strong research, writing and synthesis skills

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; Experience with Wordpress and InDesign preferred

• Ability to work independently and comfortable working as a member of a small team

• Basic knowledge of current issues in affordable housing preferred

• Interest in a career in affordable housing

Apply: Interested applicants should submit their resume and cover letter to Mackenzie Drosd at mdrosd@ilhousing.org

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Intern-Safety Data & Planning, Metra

Who: Metra

What: The Metra Internship Program provides an opportunity for college sophomores, juniors, seniors, and graduate students to gain practical experience through on-the-job learning. Metra assigns students to projects related to their academic/educational field of study, which complements classroom instruction. The knowledge gained contributes to career development, while the experience provides insight on the wide variety of jobs in the transportation industry.

Responsibilities:

The intern will conduct on-site data gathering, analysis, and visualization and assist in the development of new methods of logging and monitoring safety program efforts. Support the staff in data entry, regulatory and industry best practices research, analytics, reporting, and other duties as assigned in relation to safety and environmental compliance.


Qualifications:

The Intern must be currently enrolled as a senior in an undergraduate program, from an accredited institution, with intention to enroll in a graduate program. Current enrollment in a Graduate-level program is highly preferred. Students majoring in Occupational Safety and Health, Industrial Hygiene, Emergency Management, Transportation, Engineering, Urban Planning, Business Administration or related field preferred. Experience with Microsoft Office Excel and Access is preferred. Must be detailed oriented, with strong organizational, verbal, and written communication skills. Ability to multi-task, set priorities, meet strict deadlines and maintain confidentiality.

 

Must be 18 years or older; able to legally work in the United States; a student in good standing for each semester/quarter during their internship; and available to work between 12 and 20 hours per week for up to one year (optional: 40 hours per week during summer months).

 

Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Metra does not provide sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

Apply here.

Friday, March 5, 2021

UIC CEA Virtual International Internship Program

The UIC Study Abroad Office is excited to offer a new virtual international internship program to students! The CEA Virtual International Internship program allows you the opportunity to gain valuable resume experience, build a global professional network and expand your skill set as our world goes virtual. Internship placements are tailored to each individual student and are available across a variety of career fields and with companies in many different countries - no passport needed!

For more information, please see this recording of a recent webinar CEA and the Study Abroad Office hosted. The application deadline for Summer 2021 is March 26th and the deadline for Fall 2021 is June 28th.

If you are interested in applying or would like more information, please contact sao@uic.edu.

 

If you decide to do this program, depending on what type of virtual internship it is, you may be able to get course credit under PPOL 490 Field Experience.  Contact Sharon Hayes shar@uic.edu for approval.

Graduate Internship - Start Early (Illinois)

Who: Start Early (Illinois Policy Team)


What: Start Early (formerly the Ounce of Prevention Fund) offers the opportunity to work in an innovative, fast-paced, and challenging environment as a paid graduate intern. Interns at Start Early are considered to be valued members of our team, and are provided with support, training, and a unique opportunity to contribute substantially to our work.

The internship requires two components: both a paid full-time experience for 8-10 weeks during the summer prior to the academic year being applied for and two full days per week during the academic year. Other internship schedules will be considered if a different structure is required by an academic institution (e.g. block placement, three days per week, etc.). Two positions are available for 2021-2022.


Responsibilities: 

  • Analyze federal, state, and local policies that impact young children and their families

  • Assist in developing fact sheets and policy briefs

  • Attend internal and external meetings with governmental and community partners

  • Perform background research and data analyses

  • Support planning for and participate in annual Early Childhood Advocacy Day

  • Serve in a primary support role to staff in their assigned work areas, including providing staffing support for various committees and developing strategies to advance Start Early’s policy agenda in key content areas

  • Develop an independent project by selecting an issue, conducting research, making a presentation and/or writing a paper, and developing policy recommendations in an area of interest or related to graduate work

  • Participate in cross-departmental meetings and initiatives

  • Support for identifying and preparing for career opportunities after the internship 

Qualifications:

  • Incoming second year graduate student in a relevant field (Social Work, Public Policy, Public Health, Early Childhood Education, Law - Child and Family/Education, etc.)

  • Ability to work independently and take initiative

  • Strong critical thinking and writing skills

  • Capacity to participate in reflective supervision

  • Resourcefulness and confidence to ask clarifying questions as needed

  • Interest in early childhood system building, administrative policy,

    legislative policy, or outreach and engagement

  • Interest in and appreciation for the relationship between

    research, practice, and policy 


Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter detailing their interest in the internship, and brief writing sample (approximately 2-5 pages) to Carie Bires at cbires@startearly.org. The deadline to apply is March 12, 2021. Feel free to direct any questions about the internship to Carie Bires at the above email address. 

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Paid Internship - PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies

Who: PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies

What: Thank you for your interest in the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies (PSEG ISS) Green Teams Program. PSEG ISS Green Teams are transdisciplinary teams of students who serve corporations, organizations, non-profits, municipalities, and community groups to address substantial sustainability issues. The PSEG ISS Green Teams Program is a multi-institutional internship program targeted to undergraduates from any discipline who are interested in Sustainability. Teams of 5 students are constructed from the pool of exceptional applicants coming from many different disciplines and multiple institutions, and whose backgrounds match those required to achieve deliverables requested by the hosting organizations. PSEG ISS provides training throughout the course of the program in core sustainability subjects, hands-on experience with sustainability skills, guidance in professional development and communication, and team building.

The program runs from June 1– August 5, 2021. Keeping in mind the safety of all, the program in 2021 may operate 100% virtually (as in 2020), 100% in person (as in 2016-2019), or some combination of these modalities for a hybrid virtual/in-person, depending on the progression and control of coronavirus spread. We will be following the guidance of The State of New Jersey. In this application, we ask your preference.

For more information and to see the projects of the past Green Teams please visit montclair.edu/iss. Apply here by January 28.

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Internship - Chicago Federal Executive Board & Government College Relations Council

Who: Chicago Federal Executive Board & Government College Relations Council

What: DO YOU HAVE...

A Passion for Public Service

A Desire to Create Change

An Interest in Local and Regional Issues

Innovative Problem-Solving Skills

The Chicago FEB is looking for students enrolled in the 2020-2021 school year who can bring a unique perspective to the federal government. An internship with the Chicago FEB and Government College Relations Council will provide a specialized collaborative experience across 50+ federal agencies. Projects may also include state and local governments, the private sector, non-profits, and the education community.

Send resume with expected graduation date, a cover letter detailing your interest in public service, and three references to chicagofeb@gsa.gov by Friday, January 29, 2021.

Incomplete packages will not be accepted.

Internship is open to U.S. Citizens | Available for 9-12 month appointment | Stipend Eligible

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Graduate Internship - Legislative Analyst's Office of California

Who: Legislative Analyst's Office of California

What: The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) provides nonpartisan fiscal and policy analysis to the California Legislature. The primary activities of the LAO are to:
  1. Assist the Legislature in all aspects of the budget process through its analytical and oversight activities.
  2. Respond to legislative requests for information about and analysis of the state’s budget and programs.
  3. Conduct independent studies and produce self-generated reports on topics of importance to the state.
WHAT YOU WILL DO

Interns apply the analytical techniques learned in their graduate programs to a practical issue facing the State of California.

QUALIFICATIONS

The LAO internship program is a rigorous analytical experience open to individuals who:
  1. Have completed the first year of a two-year graduate program that includes curriculum that is both quantitative and policy based. 
  2. Are interested in becoming a full-time fiscal and policy analyst at the LAO after graduation.

MORE INFORMATION

Please visit our website, www.lao.ca.gov/careers, to: 

  • Sign up to attend a virtual recruitment panel presentation featuring analysts from our office.
  • Find opportunities to attend informal “office hours” and have your questions answered. 
  • See detailed instructions for submitting an application.

Applications due: February 12, 2021

Program length: 12 weeks

Positions available: 3-4

Compensation: $3,200 per month