Career Advancement and the Democracy Curriculum are proud to offer UChicago Democracy Careers! Get involved with UChicago Democracy Careers and explore exciting careers in a range of fields, from journalism to public service, focused on democratic institutions.
A pathway within the Careers in Policy and Social Impact program, UChicago Democracy Careers provides highly tailored advising, experiential pre-professional opportunities, and cohort-based development for students in the College.
Explore Your Interests
Get engaged in the democratic process and pursue careers at a diverse range of employers!
Personalized Advising
Meet with one of our expert advisers for personalized support on your career journey. The team has a wide range of relevant professional backgrounds, from political campaigns to federal government experience to NGO operations. To meet with an advisor, sign-up for an appointment with one of the members of the team on Handshake!
Career Treks
Career “treks” are experiences that give students the opportunity to meet multiple employers in their field of interest from a specific city or region. Attending a trek can help you connect with employers who are key participants in democracy. Treks are an excellent way to explore different career paths in sustainability and rapidly grow your professional network.
Past treks have also given students to explore key elements of the democratic process such as human rights, the environment, and law.
Treks take place during winter, spring, and summer breaks. Visit the upcoming treks page to stay up to date on future treks!
Democracy-Related Cohort Programs
Public Policy Leaders Program
The Public Policy Leaders Program (PPLP) is a three-year selective track within Careers in Policy and Social Impact offered for students who are ambitious about pursuing public sector and social impact careers. As a part of the cohort, students explore professional opportunities in democracy through competitions, internships, seminars, and workshops. In the past students have learned about policy memo writing from the Harris Writing Center, political litigation from lawyers at political law firms, and democratic erosion from the Chicago Center on Democracy.
Luther H. Foster, Jr. Public Service Internship Program
The Luther H. Foster, Jr. Public Service Internship Program is a two-year selective program dedicated to promoting the success of underrepresented populations pursuing public interest careers (government, nonprofits, public policy, social service agencies, etc.) and providing opportunities for students who are committed to amplifying underrepresented voices in public service and social impact. Many participating students choose to focus their interests specifically on democracy and democratic institutions!
Get Professional Experience
Democracy-Focused Jobs and Internships
Get hands-on experience by interning with a number of employers doing critical work focused on democracy and within democratic institutions. Relevant employers who have hired candidates from UChicago for jobs and internships include:
- Chicago Board of Election Commissioners
- Chicago Center on Democracy
- City of Chicago – Office of the Mayor
- Cook County
- She Should Run
- National Constitution Center
- NAACP LDF Thurgood Marshall Institute
- State of Illinois – Office of the Governor
Get Involved at UChicago
Students can hit the ground running by partnering with on-campus institutions, centers, and offices focused on democracy. Career Advancement commonly partners with the Institute of Politics, the UChicago Office of Federal Relations, the Chicago Center for Democracy, the Center for Effective Government, and the Harris School of Public Policy to help facilitate on-campus internships and research opportunities. Sign-up with an adviser on Handshake to discuss how to take advantage of these opportunities!
Questions?
For more information about democracy career resources, contact Maha Ezalarab at ezalarab@uchicago.edu.