Department of Political and Global Affairs

Tennessee Legislative Internship Program

The Tennessee Legislative Intern Program was established in 1972 to provide Tennessee College and University students with an opportunity to work and learn in a hands on legislative environment. Each year 70 to 80 students from around the state participate in this program to learn about leadership responsibilities as well as develop legislative process skills. The interns assist legislative offices with their activities and work functions.

Please scroll to the bottom of this page to see frequently asked questions and answers about the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program & videos about the experience.

Current 2025 TLIP Interns, Tiffany, Tyler, and Anna.

Group from 2025 including College of Liberal Arts Dean Lyons, MTSU President Sydney McPhee, TN State Senator Shane Reeves, Representative Mike Sparks, and interns Tyler, Anna, and Tiffany.

MTSU President Sydney McPhee speaking at the 2025 MTSU Day on the Hill Luncheon in Nashville, TN

This is a paid, full-time internship open to all majors/minors. You earn course credits. Only open in the Spring. Applications come out in September. Takes place full-time in person in Nashville, TN at the State Capitol.

Resources

The Tennessee Legislative Internship Website: https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Intern/index.html
TN Legislation Tracker: https://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislation/
TN Legislators Database: https://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislators

Details

Course Credits: PGA offers course credits under PS 4360 Tennessee Legislative Internship earned after competition of the Tennessee Legislative Internship Program.

Application: The Tennessee Legislative Internship Program is a very competitive program, and a result, selection is done through applications at MTSU level followed by matching at the Legislative level. MTSU chooses 10 or so students every year to participate. Applications come out in early September. Deadlines are usually around October and results are usually around Thanksgiving.

Qualifications: The requirements for participating in Tennessee Legislative Internship Program include:

You need at least 60 credits earned in your degree and a minimum 3.0 GPA;
Open to Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students in law, political science, history, administration, social work, economics, sociology, journalism, and related fields are eligible for this program;
- In the past, we’ve had interns from Agribusiness & Economics, Business, Political Science, Communications, History, and many more. Please feel free to reach out about this opportunity regardless of your major/minor if you feel it has a connection to your career goals.
Students must be at least 20 years of age prior to the start date of the program.
It is only offered in the Spring semester because this is when the Legislature is in session. You will need to be able to go to Nashville, TN full-time for this internship in the Spring.

This is an excellent opportunity for MTSU students interested in public policy, legislative affairs, government affairs, different types of policy such as trade, infrastructure, economics, health, etc. as well as advocacy and lobbying. Students will gain valuable hands-on experience in the Legislature and numerous opportunities for networking, professional development and career building, and sharpening skills.

TLIP News

MTSU‘s legislative internship program with the Tennessee General Assembly and the annual “Day on the Hill” for students with an eye on public service are in the spotlight in this month’s edition of “Out of the Blue,” the university’s monthly TV magazine.

Read more: https://mtsunews.com/day-on-the-hill-march23-ootb/

Graduating MTSU legislative intern crafts bill that becomes state law

Read about PGA graduate Dalton Slatton‘s legislative internship experience. Dalton interned during the 2019 session of the Tennessee General Assembly in Nashville, Tennessee, for state Sen. Jeff Yarbro, the Senate Democratic leader at the time. Dalton lobbied for a bill that passed both houses of the General Assembly — a feat veteran Capitol staffers told him may very well have been a first for an intern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Juniors, Seniors, and Graduate Students in law, political science, history, administration, social work, economics, sociology, journalism, and related fields are eligible for this program. Students must be at least 20 years of age prior to the start date of the program.

Selection is based upon academic qualifications (including a 3.0 and above GPA), each applicant’s expected potential for professional research and a variety of other job assignments in connection with the work of the General Assembly, and for successful personal interrelationships in the environment of a legislative session.

Interns will be appointed for the 2025 session to serve from January 13 until May 2, 2025. The appointment period will not be the same as the quarter or semester calendar. Any student applying for the program must be willing to commit for the entire time of the internship.

NOTE – The Tennessee General Assembly does not currently have a summer internship program. Our program is for the Legislative Session only.

A stipend of $500 per week will be paid to each full-time intern and $13.33 per hour for each part-time intern, plus reimbursement for travel at the rate of $0.65 per mile of authorized travel between the full-time intern’s home institution and Nashville, limited to one round trip per month. A one-time advance payment of $500 will also be granted for each full-time intern for relocation or adjustment purposes. If there is any change in the amount of the stipend paid to each intern, as a result of the meeting of the Sponsoring Committee, the students will be notified prior to their arrival.

The number of hours of academic credit granted to each student differs. To find out how many hours of credit you may obtain by participating in this program, please contact Dr. Amy Atchison (amy.atchison@mtsu.edu).

Interns will be assigned to legislative leadership offices and committees and will be expected to devote full time to their legislative duties during the term of their appointments, adapting to the legislative schedule. Duties will vary from office to office, but will include bill analysis, constituent work, research and general office work.

Interns will be expected to attend weekly meetings usually held on Fridays.

The intern class participates in various community service projects and tours. Some past tours are, a maximum-security prison, the State Capitol, the Bicentennial Mall and The Tennessee Supreme Court. Past projects included the Great Strides Project for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and collecting food for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Some of the guest speakers have included Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and TBI Director David Rausch.

Each year, the intern class plays the Legislators in a game of basketball.

Check out the TLIP website here: https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Intern/index.html

Support Political and Global Affairs

College of Liberal Arts

Advising