Frequently Asked Questions
HOW DO I GET AN INTERNSHIP?
https://envs.ucsc.edu/internships/available-internships/index.html
Enrollment application for an internship:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemG1719XmCmn5LSEm9IMyOaJnNfzcQwVS1jLJDW4Sxz59j6g/viewform
Steps to an internship
Your first step is to find an agency you would like to work with. You can find an extensive list of opportunities at Available Internships. Think about your upcoming schedule and consider whether a 2 or 5 unit internship will be more suitable for you given your other academic responsibilities. We recommend all first time interns pursue a 2 unit internship to ensure they enjoy a particular field of work and working with a particular organization before committing to a 5 unit internship. After emailing the contact person (who will become your agency sponsor) you will chose a member of the ENVS faculty to serve as your faculty sponsor. After attaining both an agency and faculty sponsor fill out the Student Internship Enrollment Form, and send the Agency Sponsor Form and Faculty Sponsor Form to your agency and faculty sponsors. These forms must be completed through sponsors and students personal email accounts. All forms are electronic and no paper submission is required for any of the forms above. Have your faculty and agency sponsor email you when these forms are complete. Once all forms have been completed either come by the internship office to enroll, or the internship office can email you a course number to register for the internship. Feel free to contact Chris Krohn (ckrohn@ucsc.edu) at any time during the process if you have questions.
ENVS 083 – lower division 5 unit internship
ENVS 084 – lower division 2 unit internship
ENVS 183 – upper division 5 unit internship
ENVS 183A – first quarter of senior exit, upper division credit
ENVS 183B – second quarter of senior exit, completes senior exit.
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HOW MANY HOURS DO I HAVE TO COMPLETE FOR MY INTERNSHIP?
A 2-unit intern must complete 60 hours by the end of the quarter (about 6 hours a week). A 5-unit intern must complete 120 hours by the end of the quarter (about 12 hours a week).
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WHAT IS REQUIRED OF A 2-unit Internship?
The generalized difference between 084 2-unit interns and all 5-unit interns is the hour requirement. The ENVS 084 interns are required to complete 60 hours of field work by the end of the quarter and 5-unit interns are expected to complete 120 hours. However, each internship has specific requirements in terms of academic work, see below:
084 lower division 2 unit interns must complete 60 hours of fieldwork, keep a journal and time record, complete a midterm report, and write an analytical- reflective paper with a minimum of 1250-word count, double-spaced and indented paragraphs.
What is required of a 5-UNIT INTERNSHIP?
083 lower division 5-unit interns must complete 120 hours of fieldwork, keep a journal, complete a midterm report, and write an analytical-reflective paper with a minimum of 2500-word count, containing double-spaced and indented paragraphs.
183 upper division 5-unit internship. The student intern must complete 120 hours of fieldwork, keep a journal, complete a midterm report,write an analytical-reflective paper with a minimum of 2500-word count, double-spaced and indented paragraphs, and complete a project of some substance commensurate with upper division work that is approved by your faculty sponsor.
183A upper division 5-unit internship (Part 1 of Senior Exit). The student intern must complete 120 hours of fieldwork, keep a journal, complete a midterm report, write an analytical-reflective paper with a minimum of 1250-word count, double-spaced and indented paragraphs, and complete a progress report for their project that includes a summary of the work completed to date and a detailed outline of the senior project.
183B upper division 5-unit internship (Part 2 of Senior Exit). The student intern must complete 120 hours of fieldwork, keep a journal, complete a midterm report, and revise the 1250-word page draft analytical-reflective paper into a final paper with a minimum of 2500-word count, with double-spaced with indented paragraphs. In addition, the senior intern is to complete a final project for the agency.
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All first-time interns are required to attend an orientation seminar.
This session covers the basics of the internship process, work hours required, written work requirements, roles of intern, agency supervisor, and faculty sponsor. This is a good time to become grounded in the intern world.
DO I HAVE TO GO TO THE ORIENTATION SEMINAR IF I HAVE ATTENDED AN ORIENTATION SEMINAR DURING A PREVIOUS QUARTER?
No, if you have completed an Internship through the ENVS Internship Program and attended an Orientation Seminar previously, you are not required to attend an Orientation Seminar. If, however, this is your first internship, you MUST attend an orientation seminar at the start of the quarter.
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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN AGENCY AND FACULTY SPONSOR?
An agency sponsor is the mentor who you work with at your Internship site. Agency sponsors are the listed contacts on internship postings and who you will contact to work out logistics of the internship. Each faculty sponsor has a unique way of sponsoring undergraduate internships because of a long-established culture of academic freedom. They not only grade your internship course work, they are a great source to bounce ideas off and can offer distinct perspectives on the connections that field work has with academia and research. The mentor relationship is even more important for the intern matriculating through their senior internship. Having worked with you throughout the quarter, this faculty mentor can potentially write a letter of recommendation for future work or grad school.
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DO I HAVE TO TAKE AN INTERNSHIP FOR CREDIT?
No. If you do not need, or wish to earn academic credit for your work, then you can volunteer with an agency.
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CAN I DO AN INTERNSHIP FOR UPPER DIVISION CREDIT? ARE THERE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS?
Yes, ENVS 183 is a 5-unit upper division internship course and can count as an upper division elective for SINGLE ENVS majors. Only one upper division internship course can be used to fulfill ENVS upper division course requirements for completeion of the major. If you complete an internship as your ENVS senior exit requirement, ENVS 183A can fulfill an upper division elective requirement and 183B can fulfill the senior exit requirement. Upper division internships require you to complete a substantial project. This is something to be discussed with your agency and faculty sponsor during the first weeks of the 183A quarter. Be sure to visit the ENVS Advising Office to ensure that a senior internship fits in your academic plan. 100/L is a prior or concurrent requirement for enrolling in a senior internship.
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CAN I DO AN INTERNSHIP FOR MY SENIOR EXIT? HOW?
Through careful planning and a 2 quarter commitment, YES. If you do an internship as your senior exit, 183A will be an upper division elective during the first quarter and 183B will be the completion of your project and documentation for senior exit credit. Be sure to visit the Academic Advising Office to ensure that a senior internship fits in your academic plan.
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DO LOWER DIVISION INTERNSHIPS COUNT TOWARDS MY GE?
Yes, ENVS 083 and ENVS 084 count towards your PR general education requirement.
