Internship Program

ENVS recommends environmentally-based internships for those students who want to gain hands-on, practical experience in their area of environmental interest. Internships can be paid or unpaid, local or international; they can last just a few weeks in the summer or extend over an entire semester, but must be at least 160 hours to qualify for the ENVS Independent Study requirement.  In order to promote professionalization experiences, internships should be off the Emory campus and unrelated to Emory organizations. ENVS recognizes one exception to this requirement: students who intern with Emory’s Office of Sustainability Initiatives may qualify to use this experience towards their ENVS Independent Study Requirement.  At least half of all internship hours should be completed in person, in the organizational setting (not through virtual employment).

ENVS majors who complete an approved internship will fulfill the Independent Study Requirement for the ENVS BA or BS degree. Students who participate in a fall or spring internship will enroll in ENVS 497 (4 credits) under the supervision of the ENVS Internship Coordinator. Students will receive a letter grade in ENVS 497 during the fall or spring semester. Students who participate in a summer internship will be enrolled in INTERN 496 (zero credits). Students will receive an S or U for INTERN 496 during the summer semester. Course supervision for INTERN 496 will happen through the Emory Pathways Center. For summer interns, the ENVS Internship Administrator will coordinate with the Emory Pathways Center about summer enrollment. The summer course is free, no tuition is assessed for the INTERN 496 zero credit summer course.

Funding:
We encourage students to explore the funding opportunities available through the Emory Pathways Center. The Pathways Center internship minimum required hours to receive funding (240 hours over 8 weeks) and application deadline (April 30) differ from the ENVS requirements. Students who apply through the Pathways Center should submit a copy of their offer letter to the ENVS Internship Coordinator or ENVS Internship Administrator to confirm that the internship meets the environmental science related requirements to fulfill the Independent Study in ENVS.

Fall or spring enrollment guidelines:
Submit ENVS Internship Application signed by your internship supervisor. Once approved, you will be enrolled in ENVS 497 for four credits

Summer enrollment guidelines:
If seeking Emory Pathways Funding, follow the application requirements on their page. You will also need to submit a copy of your offer letter to the ENVS Internship Administrator by June 1^st to confirm that internship scope meets the ENVS requirements for an internship related to an experience within environmental sciences.

ENVS students NOT applying through the Pathways Center should submit the ENVS Internship Application signed by supervisor as above. The supervisor signature confirms that the internship experience will be at least 160 hours AND that the supervisor will participate in a mid-internship and final evaluation on the student.

Important Notes:
Your internship application or offer letter MUST be approved by ENVS before the internship begins.
ALL students in ENVS 497 and INTERN 496 will need to complete any required evaluations, including mid-internship and final evaluations from both the student and the internship supervisor plus any required assignments.