EIU Environmental Biology

Environmental Biology Internships

The Environmental Biology degree requires a 12-credit internship as part of the degree. This experience is the cornerstone of the EVB degree and is a student’s best opportunity to customize their degree to their own interests. Past EVB students have worked as interns for state and federal agencies, zoos, water treatment plants, health departments, private consulting firms and animal rescue groups. Others have conducted research at other universities and even combined their internship with a study abroad experience. For some recent examples of internships, please check here.

The internship is simply defined as 12 weeks (480 hours) of on-the-job experience in some aspect of environmental biology. Although you are responsible for finding your own internship, the Environmental Biology coordinator can help guide you to find the experience that fits your interests. The internship is only a temporary job with a public or private environmental organization. Some environmental agencies have dedicated internship programs. Others do not and they may be confused when you write to them and apply for an internship. It is very important to define your internship as a temporary position when you contact environmental organizations. At the end of the internship, your supervisor will evaluate your performance and send this in to the EVB coordinator. You will also need to turn in a 2000 word summary of your internship that highlights what you did and what you learned.

Go to the useful links page for information that may help you find an internship.

Internship Checklist

• Prepare a resume and cover letter.
• Search for at least five to seven internships.
• Send resumes and cover letters to agencies at least three months prior to the proposed internship.
• Do NOT wait until the last minute!
• Once you make a decision to accept an internship, accept the position in writing and decline any other offers that you may have.
• Submit an internship approval form and a brief description of the internship well before the last day to add classes for the semester in which you intern. This will get you registered for the internship.
• Remind your internship supervisor to write your evaluation and complete your report no later than August 1 (summer), December 1 (fall) or May 1 (spring).