Career Pathway

Create your plan
Top Priorities
- Obtain relative experience pursuing internships, part time work, summer work, and research opportunities and leadership roles
- Expand your understanding of diversity with study abroad, foreign languages, student ambassador program, student groups, and outside community programs.
- Create relationships with faculty, advisors, alumni and networking within your field
Faculty Support and Interaction
University Career Service
- Join and create profile with Rutgers Handshake and connect with Alumni in your field using the Student Alumni Career Connect.
- Get a professional headshot – and attend all UNMA Career Service Workshop where we hire a photographer for this purpose. Each academic year, students who are enrolled in the Capstone, should have a bio for that academic year. Be sure to go to the Career Workshops to learn how to create your bio.
- Join Linked In and create a Student Bio/Profile for the UNMA website (these go hand in hand).
- Make an appointment with a “Professional Career Services Counselor” specifically for Graduate Students in your Career Cluster (Education and Public & Human Services) to identify interests, values, personality and abilities to clarify your career goals
- Create a professional and relevant resume with a career advisor.
- Bring job description with you when meeting with a career advisor to review your resume and to create an appropriate cover letter.
- Since private appointments are only a half an hour long, expect to visit Rutgers University Career Services several times in a semester.
- Go back as many times as you need and get a variety of career cluster professionals to take a look at your entire professional profile. Prepare for and go to all Career Mega Fairs.
Internships
- Experiential Opportunities such as job shadow, volunteer, work part time, or finding an internship can be included on a resume and can help you find what you are passionate about pursuing professionally.
- Search UNMA Career Database for various relative organizations under our UNMA Sakai Graduate Workspace – link on our website
- Search DEVEX UNIVERSITY DATABASE -link on our website
- Search IDEALIST.ORG a career database for connecting idealists – people who want to do good – with opportunities for action and collaboration.
- Be fully aware of application deadlines to those organizations that appeal to you.
- For State Department internships - be sure to read this guide before you apply.
- Find a part time job (if needed) on campus or similar through Rutgers Office of Financial Aid – on Rutgers website and Rutgers Handshake
- Sign up for 16:790:590 –Research Internship for United Nations and Global Policy Studies for 3 credits applied toward your degree after you pursue an appropriate internship (must be approved by MA Program Director) – know your course requirements and follow the curriculum deadlines and needs.
Research Programs
- Join Library Research workshops with Dr. Tom Glynn – especially for UNMA Students for writing assignments and research understanding in the UNMA field
- Discover research programs within Rutgers, Aresty Youth Project, Eagleton, Center for American Women and Politics, Center of Youth and Political Participation, or any project approved by the UNMA Program Director
- Researching job-placement rates and career outcomes in your desired field. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook is a good place to start
- Network and talk to potential employers to discuss what professional development you need to enter the field and then take action accordingly. Attend the Annual UNMA Global Policy Roundtable.
- Connecting with potential employers to request guidance and to network
Publishing
- Working with assigned professors who are working on research projects and get your name on the project
- Submit an outstanding essay in our UNMA Annual Essay contest and get published in our online Occasional Paper Series.
Study Abroad Opportunities
- UNMA –European Summer Institute in in partnership with the University of Kassel, Germany where students can earn up to 6 credits toward their degree during the summer months and gain a global multidisciplinary network of relative experience in Global Policy studies and the United Nations
- Rutgers Global has a variety of programs to study abroad and gain valuable experiences in the United Nations and political science arena. Students may or may not get credits toward their degree.
- Engage in the School of Graduate Studies summer language immersion program to learn a 2nd or 3rd foreign language.
Leadership Opportunities
- Apply for UNMA Student Ambassador Program – a 25 hour volunteer position that to help with student recruiting efforts for the Office of Political Science, Rutgers University.
- Share your Bio and relative and unique experiences with our Students on the Move and current students section of our website in order to create an even stronger online footprint.
- Join, start up or lead campus and community student organization to develop interpersonal and communication skills. List of Rutgers student groups can be found