Career Opportunities

All Degree Levels

American Association of University Women (AAUW) – American Fellowships– AAUW is a national organization that promotes education and equity for all women and girls. The AAUW Educational Foundation is one of the nation’s largest sources of private funding exclusively for graduate women pursuing educational programs or professions that directly benefit women and girls.

The Emerson National Hunger Fellows Program– A social justice program that trains, inspires, and sustains leaders. Fellows gain field experience fighting hunger and poverty through placements in community-based organizations across the country, and policy experience through placements in Washington, D.C. The program bridges community-based efforts and national public policy, and fellows develop as effective leaders in the movement to end hunger and poverty. This is a year-long fellowship.

Coro Fellowship Program– A full-time, nine-month, graduate-level experiential leadership training program that prepares diverse, intelligent, and committed individuals for effective and ethical leadership in the public affairs arena.

Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship– A competitive national program that provides college graduates the opportunity to work in Washington, DC, with one of twenty-five participating public-interest organizations focusing on international security issues. The program is offered twice yearly, in the spring and fall. It lasts from six to nine months and provides a stipend, health insurance, and travel costs to Washington.

Hoover Institution Summer Public Policy Boot Camp– An intensive, one-week residential immersion program in the essentials of today’s national and international United States policy. The program is intended to instruct college students and recent graduates on the economic, political, and social aspects of United States public policy. The goal is to teach students how to think critically about public policy formulation and its results.

Leaders of Today and Tomorrow Fellows Program (LOTT)– An expansion of the very successful LOTT Women’s Leadership Conference, designed to inspire young women to become active citizens and envision themselves as future leaders. Women interested in applying for the LOTT Fellows Program should go to the League of Women Voters Minnesota Website for more information and application materials.

Lead For America (LFA)- A fellowship program lasting two years for recent graduates dedicated to developing community through transforming and strengthening local government institutions. This organization seeks student leaders to work within communities that will benefit from the impact of service for years to come.

Fulbright Student Program 

Post-Baccalaureate Awards:

Anne Wexler Master’s Award in Public Policy (Australia)- This award enables U.S. students to undertake a master’s degree in Australia in a key area of public policy such as health, sustainability, energy, climate change, regional security, education, political science, history, or government relations.

SDA BOCCONI Master’s in Public Administration (Italy)– This one-year full time program is taught in English to students from Italy and around the world. The MPA is designed for students who are looking for solid public management tools and want to pursue a managerial career in governmental and non-governmental organizations, international institutions, as well as private businesses working with the public sector.

All Degree levels:

Schuman Fellowships (EU)– Grants are awarded to U.S. students and young professionals to study or conduct research at universities or institutions in EU Member States on EU policies, EU institutions, and the U.S.-EU agenda.  Project proposals should focus on observing comparative perspectives on issues of common concern (either U.S.-EU or with reference to EU policy).

Public Policy Initiative Awards (Mexico)– The Fulbright Commission will fund two grants specifically for students pursuing fieldwork, research or an internship in the area of public administration or public policy.

Urban Planning and Sustainable Design Awards (Singapore)– These two awards offer the opportunity for Americans to better understand alternative and innovative approaches to urban planning and sustainable design practices.  Proposals are encouraged in, but are not limited to, the following areas: Geographic Information Systems, Planning Economics, Urban Design and Development, Urban Design Politics, Community Growth, and Land Use Planning, Planning for Sustainable Development, Sustainable Energy, Housing Development, Energy and Security Challenges, and Immigration and Planning.

Post-Graduate Awards for U.S. Citizens (U.K.)– A variety of awards and scholarships to numerous schools and universities in the United Kingdom, in partnership with Fulbright programming. 

H

Humphrey School of Public Affairs – University of Minnesota

Advocacy and Political Leadership program (MAPL) – Metropolitan State University

La Follette School of Public Affairs – University of Wisconsin Madison

Harris School of Public Policy – University of Chicago

Graduate School of Political Management – The George Washington University

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs – Syracuse University

Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs – Executive MPA Online – Syracuse University

Goldman School of Public Policy – University of California Berkeley

Foreign Affairs Graduate School Forum –  the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA)

School of Public Policy & Administration –  the University of Delaware

Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy – University of Virginia

Are you interested in global issues and discussing the foreign and domestic policy challenges facing the U.S.? Would you like an all-expense paid trip to a prestigious undergraduate student conference at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York?

If you answered yes, then this is the perfect opportunity for you.

SCUSA is an annual four-day conference hosted by the United States Military Academy. The purpose of the conference is to facilitate interaction and constructive discussion between civilian student delegates and West Point cadets in an effort to better understand the challenges the United States faces today. SCUSA delegates live in the barracks, attend panel discussions, hear from high-profile keynote speakers, and develop policy recommendations with other students from around the world.

This four-day conference focuses on over a dozen issues and puts participants on the forefront of national and international issues while exposing them to complex problems facing leaders today. The theme this year is Innovation and the Future of American Foreign Policy.

One student from each campus (CSB+SJU) will be chosen by a committee of McCarthy Center staff and faculty.

How to apply:

Applications must include a cover letter, resume, and unofficial transcript.

Submitted cover letters should include why you want to attend the conference, why you would make a good representative of CSB+SJU, and why the topic “‘Securing the Blessings of Liberty’: American Foreign Policy in an Increasing Multipolar World.” interests you.

More information about the conference can be found on the Here!

APPLY NOW

FAQs about SCUSA:

Who is eligible to apply for SCUSA?

SCUSA invites undergraduate students from colleges and universities across the U.S. and some international institutions who have a strong interest in foreign policy, international relations, economics, or national security. One student from each the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University will be selected. CSB+SJU sophomores, juniors, and seniors of any major are eligible to apply.

Are there any specific qualifications required to attend SCUSA?

There are no specific required qualifications, however, this conference is a great opportunity for students particularly interested in U.S. policy or international affairs, and a willingness to engage in collaborative problem-solving and policy drafting.

Summer Leadership Fellows

The Summer Leadership Fellows provides opportunities for students to engage in 10-week summer internships in non-profit and government organizations. Students represent the John Brandl Scholars, Fleischhacker Center for Ethical Leadership in Action, Marie & Robert Jackson Fellows, and Global Health Fellows. Students with varying majors, interests, and experiences are selected through an application and interview process to be part of the Summer Leadership Fellows cohort. Each student selected for the program will receive $5,000 – subject to taxes and paid throughout the summer. All majors are welcome to apply! Students may elect to register for and earn internship credits, although it is not required to receive the fellowship. Students are not eligible to receive funding for an internship that takes place after they graduate.

Expectations for the Internship:

• Each student must engage in a full-time (approximately 40 hour/week) internship for 10 weeks.
• Each internship must have a designated site supervisor.
• Internships must be in the government or non-profit sector working toward civic/community engagement and the common good.
• Internships are not permitted with electoral political campaigns.
• Students may be paid by their internship site.
• Students are NOT eligible to participate in both the Summer Leadership Fellows and any placement internship program (i.e. Urban Scholars). Any participation in a placement program will result in removal from the Summer Leadership Fellows.
• A MANDATORY cohort training takes place after spring semester wraps up, typically the week after CSB/SJU commencement.

Interested in Applying?

Application information for the 2025 Summer Leadership Fellows cohort can be found here:

Summer Leadership Fellows Application

• Check out the XPD Page on mycsbsju for several resources to help you create a successful application

A complete application includes (see application for additional information about each item):

• Resume
• Unofficial transcript
• Statement of Intent that discusses your goals/outcomes for the fellowship, industries you might explore, and connection to possible future goals (300 hundred word maximum)
• Elevator Pitch discussing your background, skills, and previous experiences (no more than 90 seconds).

Application tips:

• Please note the application deadline. Applications will not be received after the deadline passes.
• Use your campus resources to assist you in creating your application materials.

Past Program Cohort Information:

For additional information on past program cohorts, please visit the following:

Marie & Robert Jackson Fellows 

Fleischhacker Center for Ethical Leadership in Action 

John Brandl Scholars 

Global Health Fellows 

We are always looking for students to assist the McCarthy Center with day-to-day operations. Projects include creating marketing materials, researching policy, managing online content, and planning/staffing events.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, you can fill out our volunteer form to be added to our email list or contact Matt Lindstrom to set up a schedule for volunteering at the Center. 

‘Adopt-A-Highway’ Program

The McCarthy Center is involved in Minnesota’s ‘Adopt-A-Highway’ program, and is responsible cleaning up the roadside along CSAH 50 from Jennifer Drive to CSAH 51. The Center picks up trash once every spring and fall along this stretch of highway. If you are interested in volunteering and helping us clean the roadway, please contact the McCarthy Center.

Thanks to the awesome CSB + SJU students who came out to the highway cleanup! This is an awesome tradition at the McCarthy Center, in its tenth year this year! Our students traveled three miles of the highway and collected nine full bags of trash! You rock!