|
Applied
experience for students in environmental programs.
Specific proposal and approval of undergraduate adviser and supervising
instructor required prior to enrollment. May be repeated to a maximum
of six hours. Prerequisites: junior standing. Graded S/U.
The purpose of an internship is to provide upper-level students with an opportunity to combine their academic work with actual experience in their area of study in the field. All Environmental Science and Environmental Policy & Analysis students at BGSU are required to complete an internship or independent study experience.
In the interest of helping you gain as much experience as possible, your internship will be formally assessed on pass/fail basis. Your assessment will be based upon the following:
- The quality of your weekly journal, and
- The quality of your final portfolio.
In addition, the Internship Coordinator (Megan Hughes) will request three evaluations from the Supervisor at your internship agency, organization, or company to track your progress. These evaluations will not be a formal part of your final grade but will help us to gauge the quality of your experience.
Credit Hour Requirements: For each credit hour you would like to earn, plan on working 60 hours at the intern site.
Application Process: You must complete your application and submit it to Environmental Programs prior to the beginning of your internship and by the end of the second week of the semester during which credit will be received. The internship must be approved by the Internship Coordinator before you begin the internship.
We recommend the following steps for completing an internship:
- Verify that you are eligible for completing your internship. This means that you:
- Are working toward a degree in Environmental Science or Environmental Policy & Analysis;
- Have successfully completed 60 hours of credit;
- Are in good standing (not on academic warning or probation).
- Search for internship opportunities by:
- Looking at the Jobs/Internships notebook in 345 Shatzel;
- Talking with faculty;
- Networking with agencies, organizations, or companies where you would be interested in working;
- A reminder – manual labor unrelated to your major is not an internship! Find an agency, organization, or company where you can actively use the tools you are gaining as an ENVS major.
- Once you have selected an internship (and they have selected you!), meet with your Supervisor at the agency, organization, or company to fill out the appropriate portion of your application. Your Supervisor must agree to provide you with training and appropriate guidance during your internship. Work with the Supervisor at the agency, organization, or company to create an Internship Description.
- Find a BGSU faculty member to serve as your Faculty Supervisor. Meet with your Faculty Supervisor to fill out the appropriate portion of the application. He/she will need to review your Internship Description and you will need to obtain his/her signature. Your Faculty Supervisor will evaluate your final portfolio (see below for more on the portfolio).
- Meet with the Internship Coordinator, Megan Hughes, for final approval.
- Deliver all of your materials to the Secretary of Environmental Programs, Marian Franz, 246 Shatzel Hall. She will create an individual internship section for you for the semester you requested.
Here are some frequently asked questions:
Will I get paid for my Internship?
This is between you and the agency, organization, or company. You may complete a paid or unpaid internship.
What should I write in my Internship Description?
Please include the following sections in your description:
- Overview of agency, organization, or company
- What kind of agency, organization, or company is this – government, non-profit, corporate?
- What is the mission of the agency, organization, or company?
- Why are you interested in working here?
- Overview of your internship
- What jobs/duties/projects will you be performing?
- With whom will you be working and how frequently?
- Learning Objectives Statement - use a bulleted list with phrases like “To learn…” “To become…” “To improve…” “To experience…”
- Academic Goals – how does this internship fit in with what you are learning in your courses at BGSU?
- Professional Goals – how does this internship fit in with your career goals?
- Personal Goals – how might this internship fulfill some of your personal goals?
- Civic Goals – how does this internship expand or enhance your connection to your community?
What should I include in my final portfolio?
- Table of Contents;
- Your most up-to-date resume (including your internship and skills obtained during your internship);
- Internship Description (see above);
- Internship Reflection (Use your journals to critically assess the extent to which the internship met your academic, professional, personal, and civic goals);
- Samples of any work you contributed to the agency, organization, or company (this section could also include reports, photographs, lesson plans, memos, letters, etc.).
What are my responsibilities during the internship?
- Work on professionalism in every aspect of your internship – timeliness, communication with colleagues, writing skills, etc.
- Keep a daily log or journal of each day’s activities. This log will let you see how much you have done by the end of the experience. It will also keep your BGSU faculty supervisor informed of your progress. This is an important data-collection skill as well as a measure of personal reflection and growth. Send a copy of this log to your faculty supervisor every two weeks.
- Keep a file of your completed work, if appropriate, to include in your Final Portfolio.
Whom do I contact with questions?
Megan Hughes, Internship Coordinator
249 Shatzel Hall, Center for Environmental Programs
hughmeg@bgsu.edu
Click
HERE to view and print the application for
ENVS 489
|
|
