Partner with Us

The Environmental Studies Department is always looking for new partner organizations for our internship program. If you have any questions or want to become a partner, please contact our internship program coordinator, Nasheli Hau-Gutierrez.

About our internship program

Our department is focused on teaching students methods for investigating and addressing the complex issues that emerge from the interactions of natural and cultural systems. Our undergraduates have knowledge and skills in five main areas: agroecology and sustainable agriculture, conservation science and natural history, environmental education and sustainability, environmental policy, and political economy.

Experiential learning, especially a directed field experience, is an essential component of our undergraduate education. Our internship program reflects this commitment and has been an integral pillar of our academics since 1972. Through internships, our students apply the theoretical and technical information they’ve learned in the classroom to defined projects in an agency or field setting. Students have been placed in public and private organizations locally, nationally, and internationally, where they have provided crucial support for research, education, and policy formation projects while gaining first-hand experience in their fields of study.

We are constantly looking for new placements to meet the diverse needs of our students and to serve the environmental community. We are especially interested in more placements in the areas of alternative energy, integrated pest management, ecodevelopment, cultural ecology, conservation biology, public policy, and environmental justice.

How it works

Our department maintains a database of internship opportunities listed by our partner organizations, which students use to contact agencies and apply. Agencies may then request a resumé of a student’s education and work experience, along with supporting materials, and conduct interviews to determine which intern(s) they would like to take on.

Students are expected to spend twelve hours (120 total) per week on their internship to receive 5 units of credit or six hours per week (60 total) to receive 2 units of credit. Each quarter at UCSC is ten weeks long. Students may also undertake an internship over the summer. Over the course of the internship, students will work to support the mission of their host agency.

Student responsibilities

Set mutually satisfactory & feasible goals with agency and faculty sponsors
Become an integral and participating member of the agency/institution staff
Become familiar with agency policies and procedures and abide by all regulations
Notify the agency sponsor when you are unable to work
Consult your supervisor when confronted with problems you cannot satisfactorily solve by yourself
Schedule regular check-ins with the faculty sponsor and supervisor
Evaluate each meeting or activity that has been planned and conducted
Set a positive standard for other interns to follow
Complete work as outlined in the Learning Contract

Field supervision of the student intern by the hosting agency must be clearly established through the assignment of a field sponsor within the agency. This person is expected to work closely with the student to set goals and delineate responsibilities for the experience, to provide feedback, and to maintain contact with the Environmental Studies Department’s internship program office. At the completion of the assignment, the field sponsor will be asked to provide a written evaluation of the student’s work.

Agency responsibilities

Prepare agency staff for the arrival of the intern
Orient the intern to the agency’s philosophy, policies, programs, and services.
Define the agency’s expectations of interns, including specific project(s) for the quarter
Determine, with the intern, the types of learning experiences that might provide challenge, growth, and success and help advance these experiences
Integrate the intern as a fully functioning participant in appropriate levels of agency activities, projects, and programs
Provide supervision by meeting at least once a week with the intern
Train the intern as necessary
Through a verbal midterm check and written final evaluation, evaluate the intern’s progress, overall performance, and the degree to which they have met the stated goals and objectives.

Student interns are supported by both the Environmental Studies Department’s internship program coordinator and a sponsoring faculty member. The internship program coordinator handles administration and paperwork to track internships and resulting academic credit. Faculty members help students connect their internship experience to their academic work and may provide specialized expertise, when needed, to support the student’s success in their role with the placement agency.

Faculty responsibilities

Meet with interns during the quarter to supervise academic components of work (i.e., suggest readings, help students connect internship to a theoretical base)
Serve as a consultant to interns and the agency for technical advice
Meet at midterm to review and sign the midterm report
Provide mediation support for the intern if needed
Make a site visit, if possible
Provide guidance in focusing on the final paper
If possible, meet at the end of the quarter to evaluate experience
Write a final evaluation of the intern’s work

Are our interns a good fit for you?

Specific criteria must be met before establishing an internship with a new agency. Since undergraduate interns are registered for credit, the placement must have an academic component that provides a growth experience. Learn more about our two basic types of internships below to see which might meet your organization’s needs.

Beginner skills

Students may receive lower-division credit for a placement primarily focused on an introductory experience and skill development. Lower-division interns are generally not responsible for completing a project.

Advanced skills

Upper-division internships are for more advanced and specialized work. Placements typically last for ten weeks to align with UCSC’s quarter system. We expect interns to keep a journal, write a reflective, analytical paper, and complete an extensive evaluation of their placement. Project-type internships with a definite beginning and end are more accessible to our students for upper-division academic internships.

Students have the option to intern multiple times with the same organization, and returning interns can often help prepare fellow students for placements and continue their work through projects and papers in other courses. Many advanced interns also draw upon an internship for their senior projects.

Become a partner agency

If you’re interested in providing an internship opportunity, begin by filling out our new agency form. We will reach out within a month with follow-up information and will notify you when you may fill out the internship description form to have your opportunity listed.

When writing your assignment description, be as specific as possible regarding the skills and background needed to participate successfully in your internship. Partners may list more than one project on a form and enclose appropriate backup material as available. Upon your completion of the form, we will add your organization to our resource sheet and inform interested students of your opportunity.