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The Fall 2025 Graduate Program Application is open! Apply by the priority deadline on May 13, 2025.
Through practical experiences in Chicago and around the globe, you'll round out your educational experience at Harris and gain invaluable professional training.
Drive real-world impact: In a real-world policy context, you’ll apply the analytical tools that you develop in the Core.
Broaden your network: Practical experiences at Harris broaden your professional networks and give you the opportunity to explore new industries and career paths.
Harris requires all students in the following full-time programs to complete a practical experience during their program of study:
International students: This requirement ensures that F-1 international students who need to begin the academic year from outside the U.S. remain eligible for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) beginning in the Summer Quarter after their first academic year.
You may request a waiver for the practical experience requirement if you meet one or more of the following requirements:
Request a waiver by submitting the practical experience requirement form.
You can fulfill the requirement by completing one of the following practical experiences:
Find the practical experience that fits your needs:
The following courses count toward the practical experience degree requirement:
You can suggest a practical course be added to this list by filling out the practical experience requirement form.
Note: You do not have to take any action to have these courses count toward fulfilling the practical experience degree requirement. Once a grade is posted for the course the requirement will show as complete on your degree audit.
Work with professionals in the field and kick-start your career through an internship (paid or unpaid) of no fewer than 150 total hours with employers like Deloitte, the Chicago Community Trust, the World Bank, Brookings, and more.
We strongly encourage you to look for an internship that is relevant to public policy. Though many students complete an internship during the summer between their first and second year, internships can be taken at any point during your enrollment.
Note: We will gather information about your internships at the end of the first year, upon return from summer break, and at the end of the second year. The information will be added to your degree audit.
Find a Research Assistantship position with individual University faculty or University research centers, such as Behavioral Insights and Parenting Lab, Urban Labs, and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago at the University of Chicago.
Explore research centers and institutes affiliated with Harris.
Note: For students that receive a research assistantship, we will gather information at the end of your first year, upon return from summer break, and at the end of your second year. The information will be added to your degree audit.
Harris students participate in a variety of policy competitions:
Note: If you participate in a policy competition and want to use that to fulfill the practical experience degree requirement, complete the practical experience requirement form.