Geography 196 Landscape image

Internship opportunities get students into the field, developing new skills and learning how to connect academics to potential careers.  The Department of Geography offers the opportunity to undertake internships off-campus in a variety of fields to prepare students for exciting career opportunities in social services, resource conservation, mapping and more.

To undertake an internship, students, often in consultation with a faculty mentor*, identify a sponsoring organization and supervisor within that organization.  The student, supervisor, and faculty mentor agree to a program of work and complete the department’s internship agreement form (Word).  Students are expected to complete 40 hours of work over the semester for each academic credit earned (typical 3-credit internships are 120 hours over the 15 week semester or summer period).  Internships completed during the academic year can earn credit as Geog 191: Internship. The College of Arts & Sciences also offers the option to complete summer internships and earn credit as AS 190B.  Considering one of these internship options? Speak to your advisor and check out the excellent internship resources for all students in the College of Arts & Sciences.

Previous Geography students have interned at Northern Cartographic, Population Media Center, US Senate offices, Burlington Housing Authority, Vermont Public Radio, The Nature Conservancy, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, and National Weather Service, to name a few.

Current Opportunities

 

Intern Spotlights

  • Mapping at the Smithsonian

    Junior Eric Weigt in front of the Washington Monument

    At his internship, junior Eric Weigt found himself applying his Geospatial Technology skills learned through the Geography Department in unlikely ways. Weigt was accepted as an intern in the Geospatial Department at the esteemed Smithsonian Museum, where his main project was creating a map of all the fire hydrants, 24-hour doors, and other relevant features for the fire department’s use. For Weigt, it opened his eyes to all the practical uses of Geospatial Technologies that he hadn’t previously considered. “This internship showed me a lot of the everyday things that a geographer would do and allowed me to work with other geographers, architects and other fields related to Geography and GIS.”

    Weigt stresses that students looking for new opportunities should aim high - “I would say don't be afraid to apply to internships even if you think you won't get in. Many institutions don't get a ton of applicants so it is important to put yourself out there.”

 

 

Glass Internship Program

This merit-based scholarship offers geography majors the opportunity to subsidize an unpaid internship experience. These scholarships are awarded each spring semester to students who have identified a sponsoring organization supervisor and faculty mentor. To apply, please visit the Career Center Internship Scholarship webpage to begin the application process. Additional eligibility details for Geography funding (PDF) are available under “Award Details.” In addition, the student should request that a letter of support from one Geography faculty member, who will serve as their faculty mentor for the internship, be submitted to geography@uvm.edu after the initial application.

*Funding for internships in AY20-21 also provided by a generous donation by Will Kies through the Oaklawn Foundation