Health and Social Policy Internship/Service Learning Course (TC 330)

Plan II students who are interested in medicine, public health, law and government are invited to apply for structured internships in the offices of leading Senators in the Texas Legislature (priority acceptance will be given to third-year and advanced second-year students).  This six-unit, two semester TC 330 course is led by Professor Alfred McAlister at The University of Texas School of Public Health Austin Regional Campus. It includes seminars and training sessions in the first semester, placement in a Senate office with assignment to selected policy issues, writing assignments and student presentations.

Time commitments are for ten to fifteen hours per week of seminar time and internship work in the Fall and Spring. These unpaid positions provide a unique opportunity to learn about and contribute to legislative deliberation of policy issues. These may include health care funding, public health and preventive medicine, environmental protection, labor safety, international trade and commerce, criminal law, victim services and many other diverse topics.

This experience can provide a distinct competitive advantage for applicants to post-graduate programs in medicine, law and related professions.  Students who excelled in their Senate work have gone on to medical school at Harvard and Johns Hopkins, Yale Law School and other fine professional schools.

A maximum of fifteen students will be selected for this course each year.  Note: the TC 330 is an upper division elective course and cannot be used to fulfill the Plan II Junior Seminar requirement.

ALL POSITIONS FOR THE 2017-2018 ACADEMIC YEAR HAVE BEEN FILLED, APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR THE 2018-2019 ACADEMIC YEAR DURING THE SPRING 2018 SEMESTER: To apply, please provide your name, EID, contact information, expected graduation date, list any second majors/concentrations/certificates you are pursuing in addition to the Plan II Major (if applicable), plans for postgraduate education, career goals, GPA, résumé, and a brief statement of interests and qualifications.  Application materials should be submitted electronically in PDF format to Melissa Ossian, Plan II Academic Advising Coordinator.  

Testimonials from past TC 330 participants:

Nicole Kruijs, Class of 2015, Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company 
"Applying for the TC330 Health and Social Policy senate internship program was one of the best decisions of my time at UT. The program gave invaluable experience in the world of politics and the professional world, opportunities to make an impact, and mentorship provided by Professor McAlister, Plan II, and the staff in my Senator's office. I drew from the experiences later on in applying for other internships, scholarships, and my current job now that I've graduated. Driven students with interests in all subjects and from all backgrounds have a lot to gain from this program, and I highly encourage you to apply; I'm so thankful I did!"

Anjali Nambiar, Class of 2013, currently attending medical school at UT Southwestern   
"Being in TC 330 and working with Professor McAlister subsequently on my thesis were two of the most rewarding and instructive experiences of my college career.  I am certain that I would not be in this position with acceptances to UT Southwestern, UT Houston, San Antonio, and El Paso without it support and guidance.  I spoke about my Capitol internship and my Plan II Thesis in quite a few of my medical school interviews, and I wrote secondary essays on how these experiences pushed me to focus on public health and healthcare for underserved populations.  My career ambitions have been transformed by the Capitol Internship TC 330."