Geography and Sustainability Internships

Internship Opportunities

The department strongly encourages each student to pursue an internship. Internships provide valuable employment experience related to your course of study and can be either paid or unpaid. Many interns receive full-time job offers upon graduation from their internship employers. The ideal time to undertake an internship is during the summer between your junior and senior years or during your senior year. Faculty members maintain connections with businesses, organizations, and government agencies that offer internships and employment opportunities.

Internship roles vary based on your experience, skills, completed courses, and interests. Our students have gained skills and experience in diverse areas such as:

• Marketing and social media
• Tourism development
• Travel itinerary development
• Research assistantships
• Economic data analysis
• GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
• Affordable housing planning and analysis
• Library and archival research
• Special event planning
• Community gardening
• Urban tree analysis
• Educational programming
• And much more...

Examples of Recent Internship Placements:

• Essex County Greenbelt
• Massachusetts Department of Conservation
• Salem Alliance for the Environment
• City of Salem Planning Department
• Walt Disney World
• Mohegan Sun Casino
• Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
• NH State Parks

Finding an Internship

Start your search early, preferably in the semester before your intended internship, as some industries and programs have early deadlines. Here are some steps to help you find an internship:

1. Identify your career interests and goals. Discuss them with your advisor or department chair.
2. Seek out organizations that offer internships related to your career goals and interests.
   • Contact employers about internship opportunities. Introduce yourself, highlight your skills, and explain how you can contribute to their organization.
   • Check Career Services at Salem State.
   • Search the internet for internship programs.
   • Network with friends, alumni, faculty, and others.

Provide the geography and sustainability department chairperson, Lorri Krebs, with a description and documentation of your internship (including the venue, responsibilities, etc.). The chairperson can assist in matching you with faculty to ensure appropriate learning opportunities and oversee the relevance of the internship to your degree.