To prepare students to work with local and global communities by providing cross-disciplinary orientation in such international issues as urban planning, social welfare, public policy, economics, administration, public health and environmental sciences.
About the International Practice Pathway (IPP)
International Development Fieldwork
The International Practice Pathway (IPP) is a global gateway for students in the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs who are committed to working with local and international communities whose lives are negatively affected by various political, economic, and environmental processes within the context of international development. An integral part of the GPA @ UCLA Luskin initiative, the IPP has the following goals:
Program Goals:
IPP Summer Fellowships
The IPP has a list of potential summer internship placements, including contact information of summer employers, second-year students and Luskin graduates who completed summer internships. Summer internships are serious professional undertakings involving recognized international organizations. Professionalism, responsibility, and respect are required of all students participating in the program.
Roles, responsibilities, and job descriptions for field positions will be issued in writing and will be commensurate with the student’s level of training and experience. Field placement organizations will be encouraged to support student work programs that fit within the normal international standards for global organizations. Work may involve a variety of tasks, including but not limited to providing direct operational support, developing training programs, and conducting on-site research. Students will have a dedicated supervisor from the partner organization for the duration of the placement.
The IPP provides panel discussions and pre-departure seminars for students interested in pursuing international placements. The IPP also provides individual guidance for students to discuss fieldwork placements, including an evaluation of the placement upon return. During summer field placements, students are expected to adhere to a series of protocols set forth by the IPP, as well as any professional protocols issued by the partner organization. Students will share their experience by blogging during their summer placement, as well as by supporting the IPP as second-year students.
Read the blogs from last year’s IPP Fellows here; learn more about previous IPP placements here!
The deadline to apply for summer 2019 is March 29th.
Important note: Some internships may require knowledge of a foreign language. Students are encouraged to enroll in foreign language classes at UCLA to prepare for these internships.
Sign up for more info!
Washington, D.C. Spring Break Trip
Global Public Affairs took selected students on a career development trip to Washington, D.C. during Spring Break 2018. They had the opportunity to visit top international organizations, including the World Bank and the State Department, and network with staff, including UCLA Alumni. To find out more about student experiences from the previous year, please read the blogs below from two participants.
If you are interested, click here for an application. There is a $400 fellowship available to help cover costs (airfare, hotel, etc.).
Capstone Projects
Students have the opportunity to connect their fieldwork during the summer internship to the capstone project that they will complete in their second year of the Master’s program. Students enrolled in the GPA@UCLA Luskin global certificate program can also connect their summer field placement to their particular cluster. The IPP provides panel discussions with second-year students to describe this process.
While the capstone project is not a direct part of the Global Public Affairs IPP fellowships or the GPA certificate program, both provide students with valuable tools, which bolster their prior work experience and individual research.
For example, some MPP students pursue international topics in their capstone Applied Policy Project (APP), which can be augmented by connections and knowledge made during the summer IPP fellowship. This is a relatively new opportunity, but there is a legacy of APPs on international topics, including microfinance in Mexico and education in rural Pakistan. We encourage you to connect fieldwork and coursework to the capstone projects.
