Internships & jobs

Students are encouraged to gain pre-professional experience by working as interns with resource management agencies or conservation organizations over the summer or during the school year. To get started, see our list of organizations that offer internships in natural resources management and conservation.

CALES Career Center

As a student in the College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences, you have exclusive access to unlimited professional development support. The CALES Career Center offers:

  • Jobs and internship search support
  • Interview practice
  • Cover letter and resume writing

Internship Support Career Development

Student Engagement & Career Development

The Student Engagement and Career Development (SECD) has a resume and cover letter drop box to upload your docs to for feedback. SECD also offers interview practice. For additional support, LifeLab can help you get started.

How to receive internship credit

Internship credit can be earned working with faculty on or off campus or with an outside organization.  You can earn credit for Internships for paid or unpaid internships. If you would like to sign up to receive academic credit to count as a technical elective (RNR 293, 393, or 493), you must complete an internship work plan form with your site supervisor and faculty mentor. Once the paperwork is completed and signed, send it to your academic advisor and they will add you to the course. You also need to follow internship report guidelines.

SNRE internship syllabus 

SNRE internship policies

Pre-professional opportunities on campus

If you are unable to find a paid internship, research experience, or part-time natural resources job right away, don’t give up. You can get additional experience on campus. Get to know faculty, graduate students, and staff. Go to office hours. Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to be interested and enthusiastic. If you’re intimidated by face-to-face contact with a total stranger, give them a call or send them an email first. Scan through faculty websites and talk to teaching assistants and advisors to find out who is doing the kind of work that interests you. Then talk to those professors or graduate students to find out if they could use a volunteer on their research project. Again, it gets your foot in the door and is valuable experience.

Sometimes you just want to do in independent project or research paper on a subject that interests you.  In that case you can take independent study (RNR 299, 399 and 499) or directed research (RNR 292, 392, or 492) units by working with a faculty member, identifying a project, and filling out the independent study/directed research proposal form with your project advisor. Once the paperwork is completed and signed, send it to your academic advisor and they will add you to the course.

Undergraduate Biology Research Program: This program provides paid opportunities for students to participate in self-directed biological related research in a lab with a faculty mentor. Student projects involve inquiry, design, investigation, research, scholarship, discovery, and the presentation of experimental results. Program benefits include research training and acquiring the tools needed to be successful in post-graduate studies in biology through:

  • A full-time summer research apprenticeship, with the option to continue in the project part-time during the academic year
  • Weekly professional development sessions
  • Presentation of experimental results at the annual research program conference
  • Optional field trips, community service opportunities, and social events

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium: The Graduate College sponsors a consortium of eight summer undergraduate research opportunities that are collectively known as Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC). The application for UROC can be accessed here and the deadline is Feb. 1. The website offers brief descriptions of each program and eligibility criteria vary, so please read carefully. Program benefits include excellent research training and graduate school preparation through:

  • An intensive 10-week research experience under the guidance of a faculty mentor
  • Professional development and graduate admission workshops
  • A free professional GRE workshop and encouragement to take the GRE during UROC
  • Social opportunities and a support network of like-minded peers
  • Poster session, oral presentation, and abstract writing.
  • Financial support includes 6 units of research credit for summer research and a $4000 stipend.

More internship & job opportunities

Entry level with a federal agency for applicants with a BS degree is generally at the GS 5 level, but education and experience can be combined to elevate your qualifications. Some agencies such as APHIS will hire applicants with a BS degree at the GS 7 level.

UA Undergraduate Research Inquiry Collaborative  and specifically Undergraduate Research Programs for UA Students  and External Opportunities .

Ask our faculty!  You can view their research interests > here.