CIPA fellows and alumni fare extremely well in internship
and employment markets:- In 2008, 98% of students actively seeking internships received and accepted offers.
- Historically, 95% of graduates obtain employment using their
M.P.A. degree within six months of graduation.
The CIPA Office of Professional Development is designed to empower students and alumni to succeed in competitive internship and employment markets in the field of public affairs. We serve three constituencies--current CIPA students, CIPA alumni, and prospective employers.
- Location: The Office of Professional Development is located in the CIPA Main Office, 294 Caldwell Hall.
- Office Hours: Students may meet with a career counselor for résumé and cover letter reviews, career counseling, and mock interviews. Please call (607) 255-8018 or email tjo22@cornell.edu to schedule an appointment.
- Does CIPA employ a full-time staff member dedicated to career services?
- What is the range of career services programming and expertise offered by CIPA?
- If I attend CIPA, will I be placed in an internship or job?
- Where have recent CIPA graduates found employment?
- Does CIPA have a Career Library?
- Does CIPA have an Internship/Employment Board?
- How important are internships?
- Where have recent fellows completed internships?
- Does CIPA offer funding opportunities to support unpaid internships or independent research abroad?
- Are there career fairs/conferences available to CIPA students?
- Can I begin career counseling before I arrive in the fall?
Thomas O'Toole serves as the full-time Executive Director for Professional Development. He guides students through each phase of their career development from self evaluation, to researching opportunities, to networking, to executing applications and evaluating offers. Linda Haas Manley, the Service Learning Coordinator, also offers career management services on a part-time basis.
What is the range of career services programming and expertise offered by CIPA?
Because of the diverse career interests represented at CIPA, we offer tailored career counseling to support internship and employment searches across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, as well as across all eight policy concentrations available through the M.P.A. program. Services provided include:
- Confidential Internship, Employment, Ph.D., and J.D. Program Counseling
- Résumé and Cover Letter Review
- Behavioral, Case, and Finance Mock Interviews (Videotaped Upon Request)
- Clearinghouse for Internship and Employment Opportunities and Resources
- Off-Campus and On-Campus Interviewing
- Career Events
- Workshops on Leadership, Networking, and Executive Skills Development
- Alumni Referrals
- Employer Outreach
While many employers have developed unique internship and employment opportunities for CIPA students, only the employer can create internships and employment. As such, it is not the function of the CIPA Office of Professional Development to "place" students, but to provides you with access to an array of networks, professional development opportunities, and information that will empower you to take charge of your own careers. Attending graduate school at Cornell will open a multitude of doors for you, but your academic and professional performance at CIPA will play a deciding role in your career success.
Where have recent CIPA graduates found employment?
Graduates of CIPA fare extremely well--typically 95 percent obtain employment utilizing their M.P.A. degree within six months of graduation. Representative recent employers of CIPA alumni include:
|
Accenture Ambrose ASHOKA The Asian Development Bank Institute Bloomberg Booz Allen Hamilton BPD Bank The Brookings Institution Cantor Fitzgerald Central Intelligence Agency Charles River Associates Corporate Advisory Board Collins Stewart Community Counseling Services The Congressional Research Service The Consumer Energy Council of America Deloitte and Touche DFI International Embassy of Korea Ernst and Young Federal Bureau of Investigation Federal Elections Commission Food and Agriculture Organization Goldman Sachs Government of Long Beach, California Government of Wake County, North Carolina The Indiana Legislative Services Agency Innovest Strategic Advisors Institute for International Education Institute for Children and Poverty Institute for International Education Inter-American Development Bank International Rescue Committee Jack Faucett Associates The Lewin Group Limited Brands Michelle Paige Paterson, First Lady of New York State Monetary Authority of Singapore Morgan Stanley The National Democratic Institute NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services | NYC Office of Children's Services NYC Office of Homeland Security NYC Office of Management and Budget NYC Urban Fellows Program The Office of Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA) Orbis International PNC Financial Services Policy Design Initiative PriceWaterhouseCoopers QLF/Atlantic Center for the Environment Rugmark International Standard Chartered Bank Towers Perrin UBS Investment Bank United Nations Development Programme United Nations Division of Economic and Social Affairs United States Agency for International Development United States Centers for Disease Control United States Department of Commerce United States Department of Health and Human Services United States Department of the Interior United States Department of Labor United States Department of State United States Department of Treasury United States Environmental Protection Agency United States General Accounting Office United States House of Representatives United States Trust Company United States Social Security Administration The World Bank The World Food Programme World Vision International: Government of The People's Republic of China Government of India Government of Japan Government of Korea"Government of Taiwan Government of Thailand Government of Turkey |
Does CIPA have a Career Library?
CIPA has partnered with Vault, the world's leading publisher of career management information, to develop a virtual career library for our students. This virtual career library features more than 90 Vault Guidebooks and Employer Profiles including: Accounting, Capitol Hill Careers, Consulting, Corporate America for Women and Minorities, Case Interviews, Finance Interviews, International Careers, Investment Banking, Résumés/Cover Letters/Interviews, Schmoozing, Government and Nonprofit Employers, and Internships. These guidebooks and employer profiles are downloadable in PDF form anywhere in the world, and are made available to current CIPA students free of charge.
In addition to CIPA's holdings, Cornell Career Services features one of the largest career libraries in the country, with 900 books and links to 300 websites. For more information on Cornell's career services holdings, please visit their website: http://www.career.cornell.edu/library/default.html.
Does CIPA Have an Internship/Employment Board?
Yes--CIPA students have access to a proprietary internship/employment board for opportunities that are presented to the Office of Professional Development by alumni and prospective employers. This board is only available to current CIPA students and CIPA alumni, and is searchable by policy concentration. In addition, all Cornell students have access to a proprietary internship/employment board maintained by Cornell Career Services.
How important are internships?
Experiential learning is a key ingredient of our program: a practical experience such as an internship is required for students to obtain the M.P.A. degree at Cornell. Internships provide you with an opportunity to put you academic experience into practice. The contact networks developed through internships may also serve as an invaluable resource when you begin to search for permanent employment.
Where have recent fellows completed internships?
Representative host organizations for internships obtained by CIPA student include:
| The American Federation of Teachers The Asian Development Bank Booz Allen Hamilton The Congressional Research Service Deloitte and Touche Development Alternatives, Inc. Development Innovations, Inc. Emerging Markets Group GlobalSecurity.org Goldman Sachs The Government Accountability Office The Grameen Foundation Human Rights Watch Innovest Strategic Value Advisors The International Finance Corporation The Kellen Company MercyCorps The National Low-Income Housing Coalition The New York City Department of Homeless Services The New York City Department of Transportation The New York City Office of Management and Budget | The Office of Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) The Office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) The Organization of American States The Overseas Private Investment Corporation Save the Children Transparency International UNDP UNESCO UN HABITAT UNICEF UN INSTRAW The United Nations Secretariat The U.S. Agency for International Development The U.S. Chamber of Commerce The U.S. Congress, Financial Services Committee The U.S. Department of Justice The U.S. Department of State The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency The World Bank World Wildlife Fund |
Does CIPA offer funding opportunities to support unpaid internships or independent research abroad?
Given that many of the most challenging and rewarding internships in the field of public affairs are unpaid, CIPA has developed a competitive grant program that reimburses students for economy travel and lodging expenses incurred by pursuing an unpaid internship. This funding opportunity, in conjunction with other opportunities such as the Einaudi Center for International Studies Travel Grant Program, effectively addresses the financial needs of our students. For more information on this Einaudi Center program, you may visit their website at: http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/funding.
Are there career fairs and conferences available to CIPA students?
Cornell University's Career Services and the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations both sponsor career fairs. In addition, CIPA offers two professional development conferences during the academic year: one in Washington, D.C. in the fall, and the other in New York City in the spring. These conferences enable you to network with alumni and human capital representatives from organizations that are unable to travel to Cornell for recruitment. Conferences include panelists representing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. The Washington, D.C. conference features an additional panel on international development, and the New York City conference features a full day of briefings in the United Nations. Each event culminates in an alumni networking reception. Conference registration is free for current CIPA students.
Are career services limited to current students?
No. With the exception of the Vault Virtual Career Library, alumni have access to all of the career resources and events that current students do, including counseling. CIPA is also endeavoring to provide more continuing education opportunities and networking events for alumni in major metropolitan areas, beginning with Washington, D.C., and New York City. We encourage alumni to continue to regard our program as a source of information, referrals and expertise as they take the next step in their careers.
Can I begin career counseling before I arrive in the fall?
At the present time, the Office of Professional Development is unable to assist students prior to their actual enrollment in the program. Because there are a variety of protocols associated with alumni referral and on-campus recruitment, these service are available to students only after they have attended the career services overview during orientation.
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