How to Get an Environmental Research Internship

Get an internship with our nation's leading environmental agency, non-profit organizations or private businesses that conduct environmental research. Round out your academic studies with practical field research and discover potential career paths. Your internship can expose you to innovative techniques, cutting-edge research into environmental problems and opportunities to experiment with potential solutions for them.

Things You'll Need

• Transcripts
• Resume
• Letters of recommendation

Instructions

1. Visit the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection to get information about careers in this field. Review the variety of career paths in this industry that are open to undergraduate and graduate students.

2. Review research internship opportunities in a mixture of environmental protection, policy and research fields at the Environmental Careers Organization website. These internships are available to students, recent college graduates and mid-career professionals. They are co-sponsored by the EPA.

3. Use the college internship links on the Princeton Review website to research additional environmental industry internships. Investigate the companies and organizations that offer internship placements before applying.

4. Look for opportunities with research companies that recruit directly through university career placement officers. Your academic adviser may also have additional contacts for internship placements in your field of interest.

5. Consult your academic adviser to arrange for academic credit for your internship experience. It should qualify as the equivalent of at least course in your major, possibly more, depending on the duration of the internship.

6. Find out in advance if any of the internships pay a stipend. Many summer internships require full-time effort. If your internship takes place during the academic school year, you will have to forgo work-study or other job opportunities.

7. Request or download applications. Apply for internships that fit your academic qualifications and job experience. Collect required documents, references, recommendations and transcripts, and submit your application package to the sponsoring company or organization.

Resources

• Find internship links and information at Princeton Review.
• Choose from a variety of flexible paid internships at EPA.
• Explore a variety of environmental careers at the EPA.