Internships

Internships Banner

Peer Level Pages

Overview | Internship Reports

Featured Internship Report

NOAA-GLERL

Julie Mida(2).jpg

As a Summer Fellow at GLERL Julie Mida worked closely with a lead researcher on a project to gather field data on the coastal transport patterns of the Grand River plume as it enters Lake Michigan. 



 

Map of 2008 Internship Placements

 

Upcoming Internship Events:

SNRE Internship Workshop: Tuesday, December 2nd, 11:30am, 1046 Dana - come and hear a student panel talk about their summer internship experiences and learn about internship funding opportunities for SNRE students.

Quick Links to Important Internship Information

Student Internship Reports- View Reports or Create Your Own!
Why do an Internship?
I Need an Internship - What should I do?
Are Internships Required at SNRE?
Internship Funding Opportunities
Recommended Internship Programs
Helpful Internship Hints
Health Care Considerations
Guidelines for SNRE Student Interns
Suggested Topics for the Student, Faculty Advisor, and Internship Host to Discuss
Special Resources for MLA Students
Internship Course Credit
Alumni Databases - Try Networking with Alumni to Find an Internship
Employers Looking to Hire SNRE Student Interns
SNRE's Internship Coordinator

Internship Reports

  • At SNRE, students submit internship reports after their internship. Click here to view our student internship reports.

Create your own internship report!

  • Are you a current SNRE student or a SNRE alumnus that has completed an internship?
  • Would you like to share your internship experience with other students?
  • When you tell us about your internship experience, SNRE can create an informational internship report that will be added to the other internship reports on the SNRE internship website. Tell us about your experience by completing our Internship Survey.
  • Take me to the Survey!

Why do an Internship?

  • Internships can provide a valuable professional development experience unlike no other. Students who do internships are usually looking for ways to improve their skills, gain real world work experience, and want to network with professionals in the field.
  • When looking for an internship, a student should think of their dream job. Many times students can search for a job posting on the internet of their dream job. After reading the job description, it’s usually the case that more experience or skills are needed in order to be successful in the position…and to get the job. This is why an internship is so vitally important. Internships not only provide the work experience, but they offer a place to gain skills that are necessary for their dream jobs.
  • Another benefit of an internship is that students learn the culture of the organization in which they are interning. The internship experience may show a student that they absolutely love working for a non-profit organization, or that they may be better suited for work with the government. Internships give students an ability to see just what employment sector fits their needs the best. This can either solidify their career goals or show the student that another employment sector may be a better fit for their needs.
  • Internships offer an experience that can be a key to success in the environment field.

I Need an Internship - What should I do?

Are you currently searching for an internship or will you be searching for one in the future? SNRE has a few different resources to help you with your internship search:

eRecruiter logo

  • eRecruiter is the portal for any SNRE student or alumni to search for internships posted by SNRE Career Services Staff or employers on our career services website. Also allows current students to search for alumni and employers who are interested in hosting an SNRE intern. Students can reach out alumni, employer contacts, and current students to find an internship - and you can view their profiles on-line! Internship events, such as funding workshops, are also listed on eRecruiter.
  • Organization List Click on this link if you are interested in a list of organizations who have hired SNRE interns from 2005-2007.
  • Alumni Organization List Click here to check out the list of organizations where some of our alumni work. These alumni are interested in hosting an SNRE intern! This list will provide you with information including organization, current position title of the SNRE alumni, and location. If you are an SNRE student interested in working for any of these organizations and would like the alumni contact information, please contact SNRE's Internship Coordinator Kim LeClair. If you are an alumni who wants to host an SNRE intern and do not see your organization mentioned on the list, please contact Kim LeClair to be added.
  • Check out a list of frequently used job and internship posting websites: SNRE Job and Internship Posting Sites

Are Internships Required at SNRE?

At SNRE, internships are not required, but are strongly encouraged.

Internship Funding Opportunities

Unfortunately, not all internships are paid. Check out the following links for internship funding opportunities.

Edna Bailey Sussman Foundation Support (click here for application materials and general information)

Requirements to apply-

  • Currently enrolled SNRE graduate students who will be continuing their education beyond Winter Term of 2009 (i.e. you will be continuing your master's or doctoral program into the 2009-2010 academic year or will be starting a Ph.D. program at SNRE in the fall after completing your master's degree)
  • Must be in good academic standing (cumulative GPA must be at least 5.0)
  • Internship should offer opportunities for 'real world, hands on' experience
  • No funding is provided for international internships. Internships must occur inside the U.S. or its territories and the primary focus of the internship must be on an area or with a population in the U.S.
  • No funding is provided for internships that involve any kind of advocacy or lobbying (although the host organization itself can be involved in lobbying)
  • Internships with private sector sponsors may be submitted but are rarely funded
  • Internships cannot take place on the UM campus or with a UM professor
  • Internships that would have otherwise been funded in full by the host organization are not eligible

Sussman Fund Internship Reports


Marshall Weinberg Fellowship Program (click here for application materials and general information)

Requirements to apply-

  • Have a proposed internship that is relevant to the student’s professional development and have a hosting organization with a staff member that is willing to supervise the student intern.
  • Be an SNRE graduate student in good academic standing (cumulative GPA must be at least 5.0)
  • Plan to return to SNRE upon completion of the internship. Exception: you may apply for internship funding for the Spring/Summer following graduation.
  • Have an internship with a non-profit or government sector employer. Internships with private sector sponsors are usually not funded, but students are still welcome to apply. EXCEPTION: Students who are interning with a small private organization that is working on an environmental project to benefit the public good or is in partnership with a nonprofit organization. Example: A landscape architecture student interning with a local LA firm that is working on a project to redevelop a brownfield in an economically depressed area.

Weinberg Fellowship Program Internship Reports

Other Sources for Funding Opportunities

  • SNRE’s Student Funding Database
  • Rackham Financial Assistance
  • William Davidson Institute Global Impact Internship Program
    • A complete listing of internship projects will be available in February of each year. There is a focus on international business.
  • International Institute Internship Funding
    • Eligible internship or research projects must be one month in length and constitute at least a 30-hour-per-week time commitment.
    • The application deadline is in February of each year.  Award amounts are up to $5,000.
    • In 2008, 12 SNRE students received this fellowship. 
  • UM Center for the Education of Women
    • Funding available for summer research and internships.
    • Applications are due in January of each year.
  • Raoul Wallenberg International Summer Travel Fellowship
    • The Raoul Wallenberg International Summer Travel Fellowship for students who take part in a community service project or civic participation anywhere in the world.
    • Graduate and graduate/professional students must be in good standing and actively pursuing a degree full-time, with a GPA of 6.0 or better, and be enrolled for at least one semester following return to the U.S.
    • Applications are due in February of each year.
  • Ginsberg Center Fellowships for Service
    • The Ginsberg Student Fellowships provide University of Michigan students with an opportunity to make a significant contribution to a community in partnership with a community-based organization. Community service and civic participation is a main focus of the Ginsberg Center.
    • The application is due in March of each year.
  • Luce Scholars Program
    • The Luce Scholars Program provides stipends and internships for 18 young Americans to live and work in Asia each year. Placements can be made in the following countries in East and Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, China and Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
    • The application deadline is in early November of each year. 
  • Center for Russian and East European Studies
    • Grants are available for summer research or internships.  The grants are intended to promote projects or internships at institutions in Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union. 
    • The application deadline is in March of each year.  Awards range from $500 to $1,500.
  • Center for European Studies
    • Grants are available for summer research or internships.  The grants are intended to promote the study of Europe and European integration.
    • The application deadline is in March of each year.  Awards range from $500 to $1,500.
  • Center for Japanese Studies 
    • The Center for Japanese Studies administers a number of fellowships that can be used for intensive Japanese language study, research travel to Japan, or unpaid internships to Japan. 
    • The application deadline is February 1st.  Approximately 10 summer fellowship awards are given out each year.  For more information, contact cjsadmissions@umich.edu
  • Institute for Humane Studies, Humane Studies Fellowships
    • This is a funding opportunity through the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University.
    • The internship focus must be exploring the principles, practices, and institutions necessary to a free society.
    • The deadline to apply is in December.  The fellowships are up to $12,000.
  • Interning with a non-profit? Check out this website for airline ticket discounts: http://www.flyforgood.com/
  • Also research hometown civic organizations (for example: Rotary or Kiwanis); your undergraduate Alumni Association; or a professional association affiliated with your interest area (you might propose to this professional organization that funding your unpaid internship matches with their mission).

Recommended Internship Programs

Helpful Internship Hints

  • Before you start your internship, you should know what will be expected and what goals you are aiming for. Develop a specific “work plan” with your internship host. The work plan details the scope and purpose of the project, describes project methodology, lists action steps and milestones along the way, and the deliverables agreed upon. Agreeing upon a work plan with your internship host is the best way to avoid frustration for both you and the host!
  • Make sure it’s clear with your internship host what you would like to gain from the internship so you can work towards those goals together! You may also wish to discuss a timeline and the way you will go about accomplishing your goals.
  • Let's say that you know your internship goal is to complete a report on the need of a specific community to have a brownfield developed into usable public space. Do you know how to do a survey, analyze the data in Excel, do the soil analysis, and create the plans for the new space? These may be areas in which your internship host will expect that you have experience…and you may not. You should be upfront and honest with your internship host in the beginning on what you can or can not do so that your internship host can either count on you to lead a project or count on having someone in the organization train you on how to assist on the project.
  • Do your research on the organization in which you will be interning. Not only will you know what to expect, but it will enable you to speak eloquently when talking to staff members and stakeholders about the organization.
  • Potential employers may ask you about your internship experience and the type of organization in which you worked. Being able to say that you worked for an organization that was in 17 different countries, had x, y, and z as goals, and annually gave $13 million in grants, without having to look up the information, maybe exactly what your potential employer wants to hear! If you are knowledgeable about your past employers, it will show your potential current employer that you more than likely will be very knowledgeable about their organization as well.
  • When looking for internship opportunities, think of your dream job. Then imagine how the job posting/announcement would read for this job (you can actually Google your dream job and usually find sample job postings). Read the posting and highlight any qualifications or skills the job requires. Circle those skills/qualifications in which you do not have any experience or need help. Then look for internships where you can gain the necessary skills/qualifications to make your dream job become a reality. Click here for SNRE Career Placement Statistics...see where other SNRE grads have found their dream job!
  • Remember to have fun! Your internship should be a challenging, memorable, and rewarding experience.
  • Remember to fill out the SNRE Internship Survey when you have completed your internship. This helps other students learn more about internships and can help others decide where they would like to intern.
  • If you are unsure of what type of internship you would like or where you’d like to work, contact SNRE’s Internship Coordinator. We can work together to find an internship that is the right fit for you!!
  • Check out these great resource from the UM School of Public Policy: Internship Search Guide & Making the Most of Your Internship

Health Care Considerations

Don’t start an internship without heath care; you never know what may happen! Be especially mindful of health care and transportation issues, especially in areas that you are unfamiliar with or in foreign countries. Always be careful of your surroundings. Use great care, no matter where you are.

The University of Michigan offers health insurance for all students traveling abroad. Effective January 1, 2008 this insurance will be available to all members of University community for purchase. It is required for undergraduates on University-sponsored programs, and strongly recommended to all students traveling abroad (certain graduate/professional school programs have decided to require it). It may be purchased for groups by administrators, or purchased by individuals. Individuals may purchase the insurance for spouses, domestic partners, or dependents that are traveling with them. (It is not available for alumni, for whom travel insurance is available through the Alumni Association).

The new policy has far better coverage than any travel abroad plan available to individuals, and costs only $1.00 per day (plus a $5 enrollment charge). SNRE does not purchase this insurance for students; it is up to the student to purchase the health insurance.

Here are a few websites that have information on traveling healthy and options for student health care:

Guidelines for SNRE Student Interns

As members of the SNRE community, SNRE Student Interns (SNRE students that are conducting a paid or unpaid internship with a professional host organization) are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Work done by interns can have a direct impact on the quality of life for all people. Interns must remember that they are representing the University of Michigan at all times, both on and off the clock. Interns should remember that their actions can have very positive effects on both people and the environment, but that some actions could also have detrimental effects for the future of the SNRE Internship Program, both at home and abroad. The following guidelines conform to accepted standards of conduct for SNRE Student Interns. SNRE prides itself on creating a positive, trusting, and lasting partnership with its employers, and we take pride in our students presenting themselves in a professional manner. If you plan to work with SNRE Career Services Staff, use NREeRecruiter, or use SNRE internship resources (including assistance securing an internship or using SNRE internship funding), we expect students follow these guidelines.

  • SNRE Student Interns shall be guided in all actions by honesty, integrity, impartiality, fairness, and equity.
  • SNRE Student Interns must perform under a standard of professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct.
  • SNRE Student Interns must always keep in mind the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare.
  • SNRE Student Interns should not renege on a commitment or acceptance of an internship or job. If you are participating in an internship and you find yourself in a position where you MUST leave your internship, you should contact SNRE Career Services Staff for a consultation first. If it is decided that it is in your best interest to leave your internship, you should always provide the standard 2 week notice to your employer.
  • SNRE Career Services Staff is happy to talk with you at any time about concerns that you may have about a current or future internship. We want to make certain that each internship experience is a positive one, will benefit the student, and is a professional work experience.
  • SNRE Student Interns should honor an accepted internship offer as a contractual agreement. Upon accepting a position, students should cancel any previously arranged interviews with other employers, and withdraw all outstanding applications from consideration. Continuing to interview after accepting an offer or staying active in the selection process, or reneging on an accepted offer, is unethical.
  • SNRE Student Interns may issue public statements, letters, emails or other forms of correspondence only in an objective and truthful manner. SNRE Interns shall not reveal facts, data, or information without the prior consent of the host organization. SNRE Student Interns shall issue no statements, criticisms, or arguments on matters that are inspired or paid for by interested parties, unless they have prefaced their comments by explicitly identifying the interested parties on whose behalf they are speaking, and by revealing the existence of any interest the SNRE Student Interns may have in the matters. Any public outreach should first be approved by the SNRE Career Services Staff or the internship hosting organization.
  • SNRE Student Interns must act for each organization as a faithful agent or trustee.
  • SNRE Student Interns should conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of SNRE and the University of Michigan.
  • SNRE Student Interns should be respectful of diversity and culture. Work environments are different amongst different employers, especially those in foreign countries. SNRE Student Interns should always be mindful of respecting people and their work culture in all organizations. We encourage students to research a host organization’s work culture and a country’s cultural customs before arriving on site.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall disclose all known or potential conflicts of interest that could influence or appear to influence their judgment or the quality of their services to SNRE Career Services Staff.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall not accept compensation, financial or otherwise, from more than one party for services on the same project, or for services pertaining to the same project, unless the circumstances are fully disclosed and agreed to by all interested parties.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall avoid deceptive acts.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall not accept outside employment to the detriment of their regular work or interest. Before accepting any outside employment during their internship, they will notify the SNRE Career Services Staff.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall not promote their own interest at the expense of the dignity and integrity of SNRE or the University of Michigan.
  • SNRE Student Interns are encouraged to adhere to the principle of sustainability in order to protect the environment for future generations.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall not disclose, without consent, confidential information concerning the business affairs or processes of their internship organization.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall not attempt to obtain employment or advancement or professional engagements by untruthfully criticizing other SNRE Student Interns, or by using other improper or questionable methods.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall not, without consent, use equipment, supplies, laboratory, or office facilities of an employer to carry on outside private practice.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or falsely, directly or indirectly, the professional reputation, prospects, practice, or employment of other SNRE Student Interns. SNRE Student Interns who believe others are guilty of unethical or illegal practice shall present such information to SNRE Career Services Staff.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall accept personal responsibility for their professional activities.
  • SNRE Student Interns shall conform to local, state, federal and international laws.
  • SNRE Interns having knowledge of any alleged violation of this Internship Guidelines shall report thereon to SNRE Career Services Staff and, when relevant, also to public authorities, and cooperate with the proper authorities in furnishing such information or assistance as may be required.

If you have any questions about the Guidelines for SNRE Student Interns, please contact:

Kim LeClair
Student Services Specialist (Internship Coordinator)
440 Church Street
1520 Dana Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1041
734.764.1402

kleclair@umich.edu

or

Sondra Auerbach
Director of Academic Services
440 Church Street
1520a Dana Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1041
734.615.4332
sondramr@umich.edu

Suggested Topics for the Student, Faculty Advisor, and Internship Host to Discuss

  • Learning Goal

Describe what you intend to learn through the internship. Be specific. Is your primary aim gaining, applying, or testing a particular body of knowledge or acquiring or improving upon a skill (e.g., advocacy, counseling, writing, specific laboratory techniques)? Are you interested in testing a career interest and your own suitability for that career or trying to decide what you want to focus on and/or otherwise clarify the direction of your remaining college years?

  • Strategies

Describe what you will do to reach your goals. Will you undergo training? How many hours? Will you be working on a specific project? Will you ask your faculty advisor to recommend certain materials, books, or articles for you to read? Will you attend any related conferences or meetings? Do you plan to interview professionals or experts about the career they have chosen or observe others in action? Will you ask people to observe you at work and give you feedback and suggestions? Have you thought about visiting another agency to get a broader perspective? You can use more than one strategy to meet each goal. Number your goals so that number one Strategy corresponds to the number one Learning goal.

  • Evaluation Method

Describe how you will know and show others that you have achieved your learning goals or made progress toward them. Will you keep a journal? Will you summarize that journal into a final statement of what you learned through the term or organize the data collected from the internship into a research project? Will you compile records of your activities through the term (reports or other written materials you have prepared for the organization, notes on training sessions, staff meetings, conferences, others’ comments on your work, and comparisons with other agencies)? What about preparing and giving a presentation for a seminar or a class? How are you going to discuss the information you acquired with your faculty advisor? Use these suggestions or other ideas you have (perhaps a videotape, slide show, or audio recording) to show others what you have learned during your internship. It is important for you to negotiate an evaluation method that is in fact feasible given any restrictions imposed by the host organization such as: special obligations, publication restrictions, or confidentiality requirements that might affect communication about the internship experience or University evaluation of the academic value of the experience.

Special Resources for MLA Students

Internship Course Credit

SNRE does offer up to 3 hours of course credit for internships. Click here to view what is required for course credit.

Alumni Databases - Try Networking with Alumni to Find an Internship

UM inCircle is an online directory and networking community that contains all University of Michigan alumni and students. Try networking with alumni and students to find internships!

Also, try searching the the SNRE Alumni Networking Database on eRecruiter for alumni who work in your area of interest. You could set up an informational interview (contact kleclair@umich.edu for more information on informational interviewing) and see if the alum knows of organizations that are hiring interns in your interest area or maybe the company they work for is interested in sponsoring an intern.

Employers Looking to Hire SNRE Student Interns

If you are an employer looking to hire SNRE students for internships, please register on our eRecruiter system and post the internship opportunity there.

SNRE's Internship Coordinator

Are you an SNRE student and need internship help?

Kim LeClair - Student Services Specialist (Internship Coordinator)
University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment
440 Church Street (1520 Dana Building)
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1041
kleclair@umich.edu
734.764.1402

Services include:

  • Assisting students with the internship application process (general application review and funding application assistance).
  • Resume and cover letter review. After you get called for an interview, we can also help you by doing a mock interview.
  • Students should also feel free to stop by to chat about any other internship questions or concerns with SNRE’s Internship Coordinator.