The Environmental Studies Internship (ENVST-UA 800) will prepare students for their professional lives by providing them with experience in environment-related organizations such as non-profits, research institutes and governmental organizations. The ES Internship Program is for ES majors only. Students completing internships outside of ES should enroll in the CAS Fieldwork and Internship Seminars NODEP-UA.0980, NODEP-UA.0981. General information about internships in CAS can be found at http://cas.nyu.edu/page/internships. With approval of the Internship Supervisor, an Independent Study can be pursued if the work is related to the major.
Students can also take an internship in Washington D.C., Sydney and Berlin. See our Study Abroad page for more details.
Once ES majors register for the internship seminar, they will be contacted by the internship supervisor with guidance on how to find an internship and deadlines. They do not need to seek a site before this time. Internships may be paid or unpaid positions.
At the beginning of the internship, students and the Internship Coordinator will agree to a learning contract that establishes specific goals as well as a schedule for achieving them. Interns will meet collectively during the semester to share their experiences and to present brief reports.
For a listing of current internships, please visit the ES Resources Page.
For internship site reviews by past ES interns, please visit the ES Internship Feedback site. If you are unable to access these pages, please email Alex Bollington (arb653@nyu.edu) for access.
Learning Contract:
The learning contract should include the following, totaling a minimum of 3 pages double spaced:
- Name and email address for: you, the Environmental Studies Internship Coordinator, and your Site Supervisor.
- Start and end dates (totaling a minimum of 8 hours per week for one semester).
- Indicate that your internship is for academic credit as part of your ES major.
- The nature and detail of the internship, describing projects, tasks and skills.
- Intended learning goals, e.g., learning how a small scale non-profit works or gaining communication skills.
- How the internship relates to your course of study.
- Two analytical questions related to your internship site.
The purposes of the learning contract is to (1) foster reflection on experiential learning, to optimize the learning experience, (2) to serve as a contract should the internship change form, and (3) to serve as an assessment tool.
Assignments:
Midterm Paper and Presentation - details on syllabus
Final Paper and Presentation - details on syllabus
Journals - details on syllabus
Methods of Evaluation:
The Environmental Studies Internship Coordinator will assess learning progress mid-semester by discussing your performance with your site supervisor. Interns will also be assessed at the end of the semester by the Environmental Studies Internship Coordinator and the internship site supervisor, and through the completion of journals and midterm and final paper and presentation. Grading is based on your progress towards your goals as spelled out in the learning contract. Please note that a grade of "A" is for exceptional work that not only meets but exceeds the expectations of your supervisors.
Questions:
If you have any questions, please contact the Environmental Studies Internship Coordinator at environmental.studies@nyu.edu.
If you are interested in hosting an intern, please send a brief description of the internship to environmental.studies@nyu.edu.