As part of the practice and professional development component of the one-year MAPP program, students are required to fulfill a mandatory practice requirement. Students can choose between the completion of the Policy Lab course or an internship.
Policy Lab
Policy Labs are an elective course for students in the Department of Public Policy. Run over two terms and supported by CEU faculty, students work in small teams of three-four to produce and present a piece of original research for an external client that is engaged in public policy advocacy, implementation and development. Clients vary in size and subject, but all come from the public, private and civic sectors and share a common interest for using social science research in support their work.
Policy Labs offer real-time practical experience on producing and using policy research. The course is based on the assumption that in many cases, policy oriented research is carried out by teams rather than individuals. Policy labs are made up of small groups working in close collaboration, drawing on quantitative and qualitative methods, and making their recommendations after close consultation with interested parties.
Policy Lab outputs include briefing reports, policy studies, reviews of academic and practitioner literatures, policy scenarios and situation reports and in-depth case studies.
Download the Policy Lab Brochure
Course instructors: Andrew Cartwright and Florian Weiler
Policy Lab is mandatory for MPA students and mandatory elective for 1-year MAPP students and elective for Mundus MAPP and MAIPA students.
Internships
The purpose of the internship is to provide students with an opportunity to gain insights into the day-to-day operations of an organization in the public, private, NGO, or multilateral sector, thereby gaining practical experience and advancing their understanding of how policies and processes are shaped by context, institutions, and culture. Most students take advantage of the internship to acquire policy-related professional experience, including knowledge and skills that will help them progress towards their long-term professional goals. Some students choose to do internships dedicated to research within an academic or research-focused institution.
The minimum duration of the internship is 40 working days or 320 hours. Students enrolled in the one-year MAPP program may not commence their internship until after they submit the master's thesis. Students may pursue internships in their home country, their country of residence, or internationally.
In order to fulfill the mandatory practice component, internships must have a clear learning agenda and be clearly relevant to the practice of public policy. The host organization is expected to provide interns with a substantive, policy-relevant professional development experience. Students are required to obtain a document from their host institution that specifies their tasks and responsibilities and designates an individual at the host organization to serve as a supervisor or mentor during the entire period of the internship. The supervisor/mentor designated by the host institution is expected to provide guidance and instructions to the intern and to serve as the host organization's contact for CEU Careers.
Credits Earned
The completion of an internship OR the Policy Lab fulfills the mandatory practice component. The Internship earns 2 US credits, the Policy Lab earns 4 US credits.