University of Southern California

Career Services

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The Office of Career Services provides career development programs and career advising for SPPD undergraduates, graduate students and our alumni. In addition, our career resources encompass both the not-for-profit and public sectors, with a strong focus on local, state and federal governments.

Career Services Programs
SPPD believes that its graduates will make a vital difference in the world — and the Career Services Office is committed to helping students achieve that goal. The Career Services Office offers current SPPD students a broad range of helpful information and programs tailored specifically to areas of interest within planning, public policy, public administration, healthcare and development, such as:

  • Career Workshops
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  • Individual Career Advising
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  • Networking Events
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  • Professional Mentor Program
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  • Shadow a Job
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  • Externship Program
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  • Internship Program
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  • "Ask a Professional" Program
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    Alumni Involvement
    One of the important attributes of a USC education is access to the Trojan alumni network. The School of Policy, Planning, and Development has a long tradition of alumni support for its Career Services Programs. In addition, we encourage our alumni to share their professional experiences with current students, and we ask for their participation in several possible ways:

    • Career Advisement: Alumni provide advice regarding employment in their various fields and geographic locations.
    • Internships: Alumni host internships at their organizations, or identify outside opportunities to Career Services via: www.usc.edu/sppd/careers/jobs/job_submission.html.
    • Student Organization Forums: Alumni are often invited to speak regarding their professional expertise by one or more of SPPD's 10 student associations. The associations are listed at: http://www.usc.edu/sppd/students/associations/.
    • Student Recruitment: Alumni participate in several on-campus recruitment events throughout the year, and they also help attract outstanding students from all over the country and the world by contacting SPPD applicants and discussing shared interests and/or geographic roots.

    To register for these volunteer opportunities, please complete and submit the Alumni Involvement Form online. You may also download the form and submit it to Patrick Boergers via e-mail (boergers@usc.edu), fax (213-740-7573), or mail (650 Childs Way, RGL 108 MC 0620, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0626).

    Internships, Fellowships and Job Opportunities
    Career Services offers an online database of internships, fellowships and job opportunities for all professional levels. This database is updated several times a week, and an average of 120 new announcements are available every month.

    In addition, the database is maintained exclusively for current SPPD students and SPPD alumni. It includes listings for the following categories: health administration, public administration, policy, real estate, planning, internships and academic appointments.

    Online Employment Resources
    A comprehensive listing of online employment resources – covering the public, private, and nonprofit sectors – are available to current SPPD students, as well as alumni. Categories include:

    • General Career Information Resources
    • Public / Government
    • City and State Government
    • Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
    • Nonprofits
    • Private
    • Healthcare