Master in public policy: off-campus semester

Internship of professional experience

The internship must be at least 14 consecutive weeks and must be accomplished full-time within the same institution, with a maximum duration of 6 months. The missions you will undertake must be linked to your academic programme and/or career project.

The professional experience acquired may also take the form of a work contract or of a « VIE-VIA » (volontariat international en entreprise / volontariat international en administration).

For more information concerning the signature of an internship agreement as well as its validation, please consult Sciences Po Careers website.

Study abroad

Students can also choose to study abroad in one of our partner universities, for a duration of one semester. It is particularly recommended for students who have never studied abroad.

Students must apply one year in advance. Applications have to be submitted during the first year of the Master’s degree (or during a gap year). Each year, an information session is organised during the Autumn semester.

More information about the semester abroad.

Master's thesis

Students have the opportunity to write a Master’s thesis during their semester 4. The main objective is to enable students to deepen their expertise or knowledge in a given field, which they hope to enhance professionally.

Find out more about Master's thesis.

Personal project

Students can use this semester to carry out a personal project. This project allows them to apply the knowledge acquired during their academic training and to acquire professional experience in a given field by engaging in a concrete project of their choice linked to their personal and/or professional project. This could be the creation of a company, an in-depth commitment to an association, a civic service, etc. This project is subject to the validation of the student's academic advisor. 

Students who are interested must contact the academic advisor of their policy stream by November 15 of their M2 at the latest to have the project approved.