Internships

Gain experience working within a “real world” organizational setting

Young student and teacher identify flowers on Niwot Ridge

Graduate Internship Overview

The Environmental Studies Graduate Internship Program involves a part-time or full-time position working for a public, private, or non-profit organization in a substantive area related to the student’s degree program. The goal of the program is to provide the student with experience working within a “real world” organizational setting.

The internship should be for a minimum of 20 hours a week for eight weeks or the equivalent (i.e. 10 hours for sixteen weeks).

Graduate internships may be with public, private, or non-profit agencies or firms. It is important that the work be related to the student’s educational and/or career goals. The preferred internship, especially for students with analytical skills is a paid internship, but many internships in Boulder in particular are unpaid.

Students are responsible for arranging their own internships. The Environmental Studies Program maintains a file of past internships, contacts, and internship reports. A formal contract with the agency is not required. However, we recommend that each student come to a clear and explicit understanding with the agency/firm regarding the rights and responsibilities of the intern and the obligation of the employing agency to provide meaningful work, adequate supervision, and feedback on student performance.

Internship Credits

An internship is highly recommended for all graduate students in the Environmental Studies Program, and is required for students choosing the Plan II, non-thesis M.S. option. In order to assess the educational component of the internship experience, the student with his or her advisor or faculty sponsor, should develop a project based on the internship. The details of this project along with the requirements for receiving the two credit hours should be agreed upon before beginning the internship. When the work at the agency or firm is completed, the student should register the following semester for the two internship credits and write the report as per the agreement with the faculty sponsor. The professor who makes this agreement with the student is responsible for granting the credits at the completion of all requirements.

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