Information for Host Organizations

The Environment, Sustainability and Society (ESS) internship (SUST 3002) within the College of Sustainability is intended to allow students to gain hands-on experience with a sponsoring organization, while addressing personal and academic interests relevant to the field of sustainability and adding value to the host organization.

The ESS internship course is open to students above second year who have declared ESS as one of their subjects in an undergraduate degree and who have maintained a 3.0 GPA average. ESS students are typically enrolled in a double major course of studies with second subjects as diverse as biology, environmental science, political science, international development studies, history or economics.

For the ESS internship, students work as voluntary interns for 10-12 weeks (for approximately 6-8 hours each week) on a specific project at the host organization. The internship is coordinated by the College of Sustainability Internship Coordinator (Debra Ross, Manager, Outreach and Partnerships); guided and evaluated by our designated academic supervisor (Peter Mushkat Professor of Environmental Law and Regulation in the Environmental Science Program and the College of Sustainability) and a mentor/supervisor at the sponsoring agency.

After initial contact from our Internship Coordinator, we require that the student approach the potential placement host to determine if there is a willing mentor or supervisor and a suitable internship project. If there is a fit, the student will discuss the details of the internship with the mentor/supervisor and have them sign an Internship Agreement describing the duties to be performed, expected outcomes, and the hours required. The Faculty Advisor and/or Internship coordinator will review the proposal, approve it if it meets the program requirements, and contact you to inform you that the proposal has been accepted.

We appreciate the opportunity to partner with your organization and hope that this arrangement will be mutually beneficial. Please contact either of us if you have any questions about the ESS internship.