Internships
A page within Geography & Earth Science
Geography and Earth Science Internships
In today's global marketplace, it's becoming more and more important to distinguish yourself from the crowd and maximize your marketability to potential employers. College internships are an excellent way to get ahead in your field.
Students with internships….
- Obtain valuable real-world experience.
- Gain an insider's glimpse into an occupation.
- Establish networking contacts.
- Apply knowledge gained in the classroom.
- Further their education in their field of choice.
- Can receive credits toward their major or minor.
- May be offered a position upon graduation.
- May have the opportunity to travel.
- May earn an income as a student.
If you are interested in an internship, be sure to talk to your academic advisor or the department chair for more information and check out the resources on UWL's Career Services page!
Follow the steps outlined in Geography Internship (GEO 450) Application to earn elective credits toward your major or minor.
Peyton Paulson, '21
Geography with an Environmental Science Concentration
"I wanted to gain some real-world experience that was related to my field of study... The goal of this internship was to find a career that interested me and would allow me to put the skills I learned in school to use. I accomplished that goal and more."
Past Geography Student Internship Experiences
The Geography and Earth Science Department has established relationships with many local private sector and government agencies involved with research, resource management, and spatial analysis. The following is a list of some of the places our students have interned in recent years.
- USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center
- Mississippi Valley Conservancy
- J.F. Brennan Company
- City of La Crosse Planning and Development Department
- City of Onalaska Planning and Zoning Department
- Wisconsin Department of Transportation
- National Weather Service
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- WisCorps Conservation Corps
- Geoscientist-in-the-park program by National Park Services
Funding for Unpaid Internships
The Prairie Springs Fund will provide grants for unpaid internships. To be eligible for this grant, the unpaid internship must be related to environmental studies or wildlife habitat protection and conservation. Students must have already accepted the internship offer before applying for the grant. In addition to the general scholarship application, there are supplemental questions.
Supplemental Questions:
- Are you registered for academic credit for an unpaid internship?
- Through what course number are you registered to get credit for this internship?
- Is your internship unpaid?
- Internship title
- Employer name and location (city, state)
- UWL faculty intern advisor name
- Beginning and end date of your internship (ex. Oct. 1, 2020 to Dec. 23, 2020)
- How many hours per week will you work at your internship? (average per week)
- Did you transfer to UWL from another college or university?
- Describe your duties/responsibilities/projects in the internship and the skills and knowledge that you will gain.
- Describe how this internship will contribute to your career goals?
- Describe your financial need and the impact this grant could have.
- Describe how this internship is relevant to environmental studies or wildlife habitat protection and conservation.
For more information on the UWL Foundation website, please follow the link.
Students must apply through the Foundation Scholarship Application Portal (use Prairie Springs as the search filter).
Connect with Us!
Join the Geography and Earth Science Department's LinkedIn Group and Google Groups to learn more about internship and careers obtained by our majors, and to receive announcements about internship and career opportunities relevant to Geography and Earth Science majors.
To connect with UWL Geography and Earth Science students, alumni, faculty, and staff, join our LinkedIn page.
The Department of Geography and Earth Science utilizes the Majors and Minors Google Group to communicate important information about internship opportunities, scholarships, and undergraduate research experiences available to our students
To join the UWL Geography and Earth Science Majors and Minors Google Group, please email Colin Belby and request access.
UWL Geography and Earth Science utilizes the "Geography & Earth Science" Google Group to communicate information about job opportunities, conferences, and Department activities.
Alumni and friends of the Department of Geography and Earth Science are welcome to join the Google Group by visiting https://groups.google.com and logging into your Google account. Once on the Groups page, search "UWL Geography & Earth Science" and click the ask to join button
.
Email Colin Belby if you need assistance.