Student Internship Information

Once you have made the decision to pursue an internship, follow these steps:

  1. Prepare a résumé for yourself.  Be sure to discuss your education, major, relevant classes, work experience, etc.  Career Services offers assistance and resume writing tips.
  2. Think about what interests and excites you in an internship or job.
  3. Think about what sort of experience or organization you would like to add to your résumé by doing an internship.
  4. Find an internship of interest to you on the Postings page or through your own research of government, non-profit, or for-profit companies.
  5. Once you find an internship, apply for it using your résumé and whatever materials they request.
  6. In the internship interview, whether by phone or in person, talk about your interests and skills.  Ask about the sorts of projects you will be working on.
  7. Once you and the Internship Host agree on the internship, you complete the Internship Agreement Form together. 
    Some key points about internships:
    • You are permitted to be paid for an internship or aspects of it, which could be hourly wage, stipend, reimbursements, room and board, and/or transportation. These are arrangements made between you and your Internship Host, independent of ENVS and the University. 
    • The usual internship earns you 3 academic credits for 120 hours of work.
    • Internships can range from 1 to 3 credit hours.
    • You must work 40 hours for each credit hour.
    • In an internship, you must be given one or more projects that you can work on with a lot or a little supervision, for which you have some responsibility, and that have some sort of outcome.  You cannot simply be an additional office or lab help.
  8. Register for Internship Credit (through the ENVS Office).  The internship will show on your schedule as a class.
  9. There are on-campus requirements for you in order to receive academic credit:
    • The Internship class (ENVS 3930) will meet a few times during the semester; you will be notified when.
    • At the end of the internship, you will write a paper and complete an Internship Evaluation Form, as well as do a short presentation to the class about your internship.
    • Your Internship Host must do an evaluation of you (which ENVS sends to the Internship Host).
    • You will have one final meeting with the faculty sponsor Warren Cook (warren.cook@colorado.edu).