SPS Capital Connection Program

Have you ever wondered about living and working in our nation’s capital?

You’re in luck! The School of Public Service has a new program for students to apply to spend a spring semester living, studying and interning in Washington, D.C. We’ll help pair you with an internship that fits your interests (Congress, a federal agency, etc), and you’ll get to experience DC life and culture while learning from your internship experience, bonding with your Boise State cohort, and gaining credit with two remote courses taught by SPS professors. The program will be similar in both cost and workload to a typical semester at Boise State, and will begin officially in Spring 2024, with applications due at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester.

Interested? Still have questions? Use this online form to let us know about your areas of interest, and/or email the program’s Faculty Coordinator, Dr. Charles Hunt (charleshunt@boisestate.edu). Check out the information on this page for more!

The cornerstone of the Capital Connection Program is the internship, where you’ll make important career connections, learn critical skills, and get a taste for what it would be like to work in our nation’s capital. If you are accepted into the Program, SPS will help pair you with a full-time internship that aligns with your career goals.

Internships will be available at organizations like:

Congress
Federal agencies
Thinktanks/advocacy groups
Media organizations
Law firms and consulting
DC city government

Although SPS is committed to helping you secure your internship, we strongly recommend that you do two things before applying:

Use this online form to let us know of your career and academic interests early on so that we can begin the search for opportunities as soon as possible. That way, once you’re accepted into the program, we can hit the ground running!
Feel free to investigate your own opportunities, including personal connections you may have in the area. We’re open to anything!

In conjunction with your internship, you’ll be completing 14 credits of coursework throughout the spring semester.

In-person coursework with include:

POLS 491 – An internship and experiential learning course that integrates your lived experience in your internship (6 credits)
POLS 340 – A series of professional development workshops on skills like networking, resume-building, and interviewing for jobs (2 credits)

In addition, you will take two standard 3-credit upper-division POLS courses related to your time in Washington (mostly asynchronous/online). These courses include:

POLS 406 – The U.S. Congress (3 credits)
POLS 407 – Policymaking in our Nation’s Capital (3 credits)

Before applying, please make sure you get in touch with SPS Advising, so that you can make sure the coursework fits into your timeline for graduating (particularly if you are not a POLS major or minor).

Worried about where to live? Don’t be! By contracting with WISH (Washington Intern Student Housing), we’ve got you covered with housing that offers:

Great options in prime locations throughout DC
Close proximity to DC metro
Safety and security
Weekly activities: networking, speaker events, tours

You can learn more about WISH housing by clicking here to access their website.

You may also be asking yourself, “doesn’t it cost a ton of money to live in DC?” It can, but we estimate that costs will be roughly equivalent to a semester on-campus at Boise State.

Here’s a rough breakdown of the costs for the semester:

BSU tuition ($4,182)
WISH housing ($6,240 for double occupancy)
Program fee ($1,500)
Additional costs (Est. $4,500 for transportation, flights, meals)

We hope in the coming months and years to be able to offer scholarships and other sorts of aid to help defray these costs for potential applicants. We’ll also be able to work with most current financial aid situations to keep these costs as low as possible. If you have questions about the financial aspects of the Capital Connection Program, please email Dr. Hunt at charleshunt@boisestate.edu.

We will be updating this website in June 2023 to include a download of the official application for our inaugural Spring 2024 Program! In this application, you can expect to need to include things like:

Statement of interest (why do you want to join this program?)
GPA and transcripts
Areas of interest for internships
Housing preferences

The main deadline for applications will be September 15th, 2023. Applications received by this time will receive priority consideration; however, you are welcome to submit your application after this deadline — but before October 15, 2023 — to have your application considered if space permits in the program. Regardless, we will be making the initial decision by the end of September, so that you can be fully prepared for Spring registration.

Is the Capital Connection Program just for Political Science majors?

We are hoping for applications from all SPS students, not just POLS majors and minors! We even welcome applications from outside of the School of Public Service. However, before applying, please make sure you get in touch with your major/minor’s advising team, as well as SPS Advising, so that you can make sure the coursework fits into your timeline for graduating.

What kind of public policy areas will be covered by POLS 407?

Although the POLS 407 course will cover general principles of public policy, it will also be tailored to each of your respective experiences; for example, if you are most interested in environmental policy, the course will be designed for you to learn more about that area and utilize (ideally) your internship experience.

What kinds of people will I get to meet in Washington?

In addition to your internship co-workers and your fellow students, we have an extensive network of Boise State alumni in Washington who will help guide you throughout your experience, including in your professional development course! We also hope to be able to help you make connections with other students living and working in the area during your stay.