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Internship Opportunities

Internship Program (ENVS 497)

As one of the three Individual Study Course options, ENVS recommends environmentally-based internships for those students who want to gain hands-on, practical experience in their area of interest. Internships can be paid or unpaid, local or international; they can last just a few weeks in the summer or extend over an entire semester. They can be approved for academic credit or just utilized as a means of adding to a skill set.  In general, the more planning invested in choosing an internship, the more valuable the experience will be. At least 4 credit hours (approximately 160 hours of work) plus completion of the classroom component of ENVS 497 are required to fulfill the Individual Study Course requirement for an ENVS major.

ENVS Internship Coordinators

•Tracy Yandle is the ENVS 497 Internship course instructor. Contact her for pre-approval of internships for academic credit and for information about course requirements: tyandle@emory.edu

•Stefanie Pierce is ENVS Academic Degree Programs Coordinator. Contact her for general advice regarding internships and for the paperwork and permission number involved in registering for ENVS 497: stpierc@emory.edu

ENVS Internship Program requirements

• At least 4 hours of Internship credit is required to fulfill the Independent Study requirement for ENVS majors. The ENVS Department requires a minimum of 160 total hours of work for 4 hours of Internship credit (approx 10 hrs per week during the course of a semester). Maximum credit hours for an internship is 8.
• In addition to the actual internship work, ENVS 497 also includes a classroom component. Contact Dr. Yandle for course details.
• Download Internship Form
• Download Employer Evaluation Form

Planning an internship

• Talk with an ENVS internship coordinator about your career goals and interests areas. The more you specifically identify your interests and goals, the more you will gain from your time as an intern and the easier it will be to obtain the internship opportunity that you want.
• An appointment with an Emory Career Center counselor can be another way of clarifying your interests and the skills and experiences you would like to gain during your time as an intern. The more you specifically identify your interests and goals, the more you will gain from your internship. http://www.career.emory.edu/
• Peruse the Emory Career Center 's Guide for information on how to choose an internship, interviewing, evaluating the internship experience, etc. Also, check with the Career Center for job fairs that may offer interviews and contacts for internships.
• For the best internship experience begin planning early.  For summer internships it is a good idea to begin planning in November of the Fall semester (early Spring semester is the latest you will want to wait!). For Spring semester internships begin planning in the summer (early Fall semester at the latest!). For Fall semester begin planning early in the Spring semester.
• Don’t forget that as you go about your daily life, you are networking at every social exchange (even the seemingly most insignificant). Network skillfully - no one can be excluded as a source of possible invaluable future or present contacts!

Finding an internship

• Check out internship opportunities on the Learnlink ENVS Jobs and Internships Conference. The ENVS main hallway bulletin board may also have current fliers posted from local organizations seeking interns. Additionally, an ENVS internship coordinator and/or your ENVS advisor may have ideas and contacts for internships.
• At first, dream big! Initially, don’t limit yourself too much. For instance, if you would like to work with whales, Google “whale research” and see what comes up.
• Keep in mind that while many internships will be found through applying to advertised positions, others can be located via creative networking and research. Develop as clear as possible an understanding of your interests, goals and specific skills you have to offer that will benefit the particular organization you are interested in working for. This may help you uncover valuable internship opportunities that are not publicly advertised.

Academic credit for your internship

• Coordinate registering for the internship with the internship coordinators (see contact info above).  This is particularly important for summer internships .
• Your internship must be pre-approved (if not, it may not count for Internship credit).
• You will need a permission number to register for ENVS 497. You can not receive a permission number until your internship has been approved.

Some recent ENVS internships

• Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
• Sierra Club, Atlanta, GA
• Tsinghua Tongfang Environment Co., LTD (environmental consultants, Beijing, China)
• Southface Energy Institute ( Atlanta based environmental education and outreach non-profit)
• Vincenty, Heres, & Lauria (environmental engineers, San Juan, PR)
• The Carter Center, Peace Development, Atlanta, GA
• Georgia Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Defend Georgia’s Waters Campaign, Atlanta, GA
• Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA
• The Nature Conservancy, Atlanta, GA
• The Wilderness Society, Atlanta, GA
• Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Washington, D.C.
• National Resources Defense Council, Washington, D.C.
• The Clean Air Campaign, Atlanta, GA
• Student Conservation Association (SCA) and National Park Service, Yellowstone National Park, WY