Internships

Overview

The Geography internship program offers Geography majors and minors the opportunity  to expand on their academic training through professional experience, gaining new practical skills and making contacts beyond CU Boulder while earning credit towards a degree. In keeping with Geography’s breadth and interdisciplinarity, students have interned with a wide range of organizations, ranging from advocacy groups and non-profits to government agencies and research institutes. Previous hosts of Geography interns include Boulder Food Rescue, the Global Greengrants Fund, the Nature Conservancy, and government agencies like NOAA, INSTARR and the US Forest Service.
 

Eligibility

The Geography internship progam is open to students who meet the following criteria:  

• Geography major or minor (Distributed Studies Majors with a primary area in Geography are also eligible)
• Junior or Senior status
• GPA of 2.00 or higher

Application

To apply, interested students should begin by identifying a host to sponsor their internship. Students are encouraged to work with Department faculty to identify and approach potential sponsors. Once a sponsor has been identified, the student will need to complete an Internship Agreement with their Sponsor agency, and submit it to the Geography Department. Once the agreement is approved by the Department, the student will be given access to enroll in GEOG 3930. All paperwork must be completed before the add/drop deadline for the semester in which the student wants to earn internship credit. Internships for credit may be paid or unpaid.

Requirements 

Once enrolled in GEOG 3930, interns are required to complete 144 hours over the course of a semester (about 8-10 hours/week). To earn course credit, student interns must also complete the following requirements:

• Attend four (4) class meetings organized by the Department Internship coordinator, Taneesha Mohan. The meetings include an orientation session at the beginning of the semester, a mid-semester check-in, a professional development workshop, and a final presentation;
• Give a 10-minute presentation summarizing their internship and addressing its relationship to Geography at the final class meeting for GEOG 3930; and,
• Submit a 1500-word paper reflecting on their experience. 

Finding an internship

Students are welcome to secure an internship position on their own, though these positions must be approved by the Geography department prior to the add/drop deadline. To receive approval for an internship site secured by the student, complete the Internship Agreement.

In addition, the Geography department also has a list of agencies and positions that may be interested in an intern. Stop by the front desk in GUGG 110 to browse the internship binder, or visit our Potential Internship Sites page to learn about internship sponsor agencies. Students may then apply directly to the sponsoring agency who is responsible for selecting the student intern at their discretion. Once a student has identified a sponsoring agency, they must fill out an Internship Agreement and submit it  for departmental approval.

For more information or help securing an internship site, please contact the Geography department at 303-492-2631, stop by GUGG 110, or contact the Department internship coordinator, Taneesha Mohan.