Internships
Explore opportunities to change the world
College should provide students the opportunity for experiential learning. In the Environmental Studies Program, we encourage students to take advantage of the opportunity to work for one of the many companies and organizations that include environmental issues as a focus or important component of their work. Student can pursue an internship anywhere in the world during the summer, as well as receive academic credit for an internship in Boston during the fall or spring semesters.
Explore where students have interned in the past
Daniella Smith ‘20 is a 2018 UC Santa Cruz Doris Duke Conservation Scholar. This program is dedicated to the integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field of conservation. Daniella spent the summer conducting multiple rapid research studies in a range of UC Natural Reserve ecosystems and National Parks.
Internships for Environmental Studies Course Credit
For students who wish to incorporate an internship directly into their Environmental Studies major or minor, we now offer the possibility of an ENVS Internship (1 credit).
An Environmental Studies Internship is an experiential learning experience where students can apply theoretical and technical classroom information by working directly with an organization in an environmental field. Under the supervision of a faculty advisor, students are expected to spend 50 hours throughout the semester working on a defined project with an approved outside agency, which may include educational, non-profit, for-profit, and government organizations. Through journal writing, a midterm check-in with the faculty advisor, and a final paper, the Environmental Studies Internship combines work experience with reflection and critical analysis, providing students an opportunity to gain valuable insights on potential career pathways. To register and apply the 1-credit to their degree, students must submit an internship approval form with faculty sponsorship and approval from the Associate Director of Environmental Studies to the Environmental Studies Program.
How to Use This Resource
This page is intended to serve as a resource for Environmental Studies Majors and Minors who are interested in interning. It provides a curated (but NOT exhaustive) list of organizations that may be of interest Environmental Studies students, including where students have interned in the past. Environmental Studies students are encouraged to intern, and are not limited to programs in this site - this site is merely intended as a guide for students who are interested in programs with a specific emphasis on topics related to Environmental Studies. Students are encouraged to do their own research on possible organizations, as there are many organizations not included on this list that may also be of interest.
Students are encouraged to share information about internships they have participated in or discovered. This page was created and is maintained by the Environmental Studies Program office, not the Boston College Career Center.
Weekly Updates on Internship Opportunities
This page reports recurring internship opportunities that focus on environmental themes. For more up-to-date information about internship opportunities that are currently seeking applications from Environmental Studies students, join our group on LinkedIn, visit our blog, and subscribe to our weekly mailing list.
Internships by Sector
ABM Industries
Location: Seattle, WA
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Corporate sustainability (In-house) and communications
BC Center for Corporate Citizenship
Location: Chestnut Hill
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Corporate social responsibility
Ceres
Location: Boston
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Corporate sustainability, climate change, energy, and sustainable agriculture
Indigo Agriculture
Location: Charlestown, MA; Memphis, TN
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Agriculture, lab work, and agriculture systems
Progressive Asset Management
Location: Wellesley
Offered: Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Globalization and global challenges
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (Office of Climate Change, Technology & Research)
Location: Hartford, CT
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Regulations, law, energy, climate change, clean water, clean air, and conservation
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
Location: Boston, MA
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Clean energy and climate Change
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources
Location: Boston, MA
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Regulations, law, energy, and climate change
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Location: Boston & statewide
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Air & waste, water resources, regulations, and climate change
Massachusetts House Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture
Location: Boston, MA
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Legislative, law, energy, climate change, clean water, clean air, and conservation
Santa Clara Valley Water District
Location: San Jose, CA
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Urban planning, clean water, and water conservation
A Better City
Location: Boston, MA
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Urban Planning and climate change resilience
Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation
Location: Massachusetts, New Hampshire
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: No
Topics of Interest: Research, data collection, marine life, and non-Profit
Boston Harbor Now
Location: Boston, MA
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation, climate change, and clean water
Canopy
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Urban planning
Ceres
Location: Boston
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Corporate sustainability, climate change, energy, and sustainable agriculture
EarthWatch Institute
Location: Boston
Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: No
Topics of Interest: Non-profit advocacy, research, and communications & media
Environment America
Location: Boston
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation, climate change, clean water, and energy
Environment Massachusetts
Location: Boston
Offered: Spring, Fall
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: No
Topics of Interest: Advocacy, outreach, organizing, and policy
Environmental Voters Project
Location: Boston
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation, climate change, clean water, energy, and voting
Mass Audubon
Location: Massachusetts
Offered: Spring, Summer, Fall
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: No
Topics of Interest: Community outreach, education, conservation, and wildlife
The Nature Conservancy
Location: Varied
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation, government & policy, economics, law, and marketing
Save the Bay
Location: Providence, RI
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation, climate change, and clean water
Sierra Club
Location: Boston, DC, San Francisco (Local chapters in every state)
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation, climate change, energy, and transportation
World Wildlife Fund
Location: Boston
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation, climate change, clean water, energy, and voting
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
Location: Harwich, MA
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: No
Topics of Interest: Research, data collection, marine life, non-profit, community outreach, science education, and ecotourism
Cape Eleuthera Institute
Location: Eleuthera, The Bahamas
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Marine conservation and ecology
Doris Duke Conservation Scholars
Location: national
Offered: two year
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: no
Topics of Interest: Research, conservation, and diversity
Galena Creek Visitor Center
Location: Reno, NV
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation
Isle Royal Wolf-Moose Study
Location: Isle Royal National Park, MI
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Wildlife conservation and research
Lake Forest Open Lands
Location: Lake Forest, IL
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Land conservation and restoration
LAKES Undergraduate Research Experience at UW Stout
Location: Menomonie, WI
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: No
Topics of Interest: Independent research, data collection, environmental sustainability, water pollution, community outreach, and policy
Marine Dynamics Academy
Location: Gaansbai, South Africa
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: No
Topics of Interest: Marine science, research, conservation, and outreach
National Science Foundation (NSF), Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU)
Location: Participating universities and colleges
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Earth sciences, marine sciences, social sciences and more
The Nature Conservancy
Location: Varied
Offered: Summer
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Conservation, government & policy, economics, law, and marketing
Zoo New England
Location: Boston, MA
Offered: Summer, Fall, Spring
Have ENVS Students Gone Here?: Yes
Topics of Interest: Wildlife conservation, education, and research