Environmental Internship Program
The Environmental Internship Program offers students opportunities to work with government agencies, private firms, and nonprofit organizations involved in environmental affairs. As excursions into professional life, internships provide "hands-on" experience in applying the principles presented in courses.
Beyond the highly specialized training associated with on-the-job activities, students can gain insights into their aptitudes, aspirations and work habits that enable them to clarify their academic and career objectives. Professional acquaintances established during internships can continue to serve as important contacts for students after the internship is completed.
Although most internships are part-time (12-15 hours per week) positions in the Riverside area, organizations that host student interns are located throughout the United States and in Washington, D.C.
Students working as interns may receive stipends, hourly wages, or serve as volunteers, depending upon the specific appointment. Up to 16 units of credit toward the bachelor’s degree may be earned by developing an academic component of the internship in consultation with a faculty supervisor and enrolling in ENSC 198-I.
Undergraduate Research
Students interested in enhancing the status of knowledge about environmental processes or seeking new solutions to environmental problems may gain training and experience as part-time employees in the department’s research laboratories and other research facilities, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil and Water Research Service, located on campus.
Those wishing to conduct their own research under faculty supervision may earn academic credit by enrolling in ENSC 197. Expenses for both laboratory and field experiments are eligible for funding by the campus mini-grant program which supports undergraduate research and creative activity.