Career Development at SPEA Your degree is not a destination; it’s just the beginning of a lifetime of opportunities. At the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA), career development is a top priority as our students train to become the next generation of leaders across all employment sectors. The SPEA Career Development Office (CDO) offers a diverse range of programs, events, and customized services to help facilitate the bridging of academic excellence to career opportunities for the SPEA community. The CDO assists the SPEA community in connecting with professional networks of alumni and employers to learn about career paths, jobs, and internship opportunities. By empowering SPEA students to build both their career skillsets and professional connections, we facilitate successful lifelong learning and career exploration.
Array of Services
The CDO offers a wide range of services for students, including: • On-campus interviews and employer information sessions • Informational interviews • Customized career coaching — including assistance with job/internship searches, networking, and résumé and cover letter writing • Interview preparation — including mock interviews, employment offer negotiation tips, and follow-up advice • Annual SPEA Career Expo • Career development workshops and alumni panels • Free continuing career development assistance post-graduation
On-campus Interviews and Employer Information Sessions
The CDO partners with employers from across the country to host on-campus interviews and information sessions. Employer participants vary from year to year, but past participants include: US State Department (multiple locations); US Environmental Protection Agency (multiple locations); Grant Thornton, LLP (Alexandria, VA); Crowe Horwath, LLP (multiple locations); PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (multiple locations); CCS Fundraising, LLC (multiple locations); Education Pioneers (multiple locations); Eli Lilly (Indianapolis, IN); Rolls-Royce Corporation (Washington, D.C.); and Cardno Ltd. Emerging Markets Group (multiple locations).
Career Networking and Exploration Trips (CNETs)
Rachelle Bennett MPA 2014 Nonprofit Management Undergraduate institution: Indiana University (Bloomington, IN) SPEA involvement: Office of Overseas Studies Summer internship: Program Specialist, Office of Overseas Studies Current position: Associate Director, CCS Fundraising, LLC (Madison, WI)
“My SPEA MPA degree provided me the necessary foundation for my work as a fundraising consultant. My coursework allowed me to build the quantitative skillset I need for the analytical side of consulting and gain the theoretical insight to understand client needs and qualitative approaches to evaluation metrics. Throughout my coursework, I was given hands-on experience working with clients and managing project timelines. The consulting field is broad and SPEA’s cross-disciplinary approach provides a breadth of knowledge that is invaluable. Through the MPA program I gained the skills and confidence to pursue this challenging and rewarding career.”
SPEA’s master’s students get a competitive advantage with career exploration trips to Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Indianapolis. Career Exploration Trips offer students the opportunity to network with practitioners and alumni in their fields, learn about career and internship opportunities, and gain insights on career preparation and the job search in a particular field or location. Each year, many full-time positions and internships directly result from students’ participation.