Experiential Learning & Study Abroad

The purpose of the internship is to provide an opportunity for students to obtain supervised experience in applying tier geographic knowledge and skills in the workplace environment.

The internship in geography is a 3-credit-hours course. It carries a grade of S or U reflecting a student's performance of internship requirements as described below.

Internships may be arranged on a full-time or part-time basis, and they can be paid or unpaid. In order to receive credit, students must complete at least 150 hours of work during the semester enrolled. Each internship earns 3 credit hours, however, GEOG 3990 can be repeated for a total of 6 hours.

The purpose of the internship is to provide an opportunity for students to obtain supervised experience in applying tier geographic knowledge and skills in the workplace environment. Placement may be with public sector organizations and agencies or private sector business and professions. Primary responsibility for locating and securing placements rests with students, but they are encouraged to consult with relevant faculty members to identify potential options. Students interested in internships can also seek leads from the University's Career Center, other intern programs like the student conservation association, former employers, and the many websites devoted to internships. The acceptability of each proposed internship for academic credit will be judged on its own merits. In all instances, there must be some geographic implications or relations in the assigned task or responsibilities. The job should not involve only menial work. Internships differ from jobs because they are explicitly designated as such and have a set start and end date.

A proposed internship placement must be approved by the geography internship coordinator before a student can register for internship credit. See this page for more details on the application and approval process. During any internship period, a student should feel free to contact the internship coordinator about any problems or questions.

The university has scholarships available for students pursuing approved experiential learning activities (which includes internships and GEOG 3990). More information is available on this page.

By the end of finals, the intern should submit a summary report of their work to the internship coordinator. The requirements of the report are described on a separate page. The assigning of an S or U grade on an internship will be based on a student's timely and satisfactory submission of their summary report and on their supervisor's evaluation.

For a list of recurring internship host sites, please click on this link and view more information about these potential sites.