Sustainability (SUS) Minor Internships
Internships are available on campus, locally, and nationally. Standard internship requirements:
- 3 credits
- 120 hours of internship work study
- a focus on projects linked to sustainability
See the Internship Agreement and Syllabus for all assignments & requirements.
Internships provide students with opportunities to gain hands-on experience in applying concepts and practices of sustainability to projects on campus and in the community. Internships also allow students a chance to network and gain meaningful skills to add to their resume to promote job-market readiness. Some internships may be paid (through work study or other); others will be volunteer based.
Many internships are available through the Twardowski Career Center via Handshake, the online platform for internship and job opportunities.
To apply:
- Meet with Sustainability Minor Director
- Research possible internships
- Secure internship with organization/company
- Complete required paperwork, IDS450 Internship Agreement, before the start of the semester
- Register in your assigned section of IDS450
Recent Sustainability Minor off-campus internships
- Berks County Conservation District – education & outreach for county government
- Brandywine Red Clay Alliance – camp counselor, water health for local land conservation organization
- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary – water testing
- Silkie’s Alpaca Farm – business support, animal care, grant writing for small farm
- Sycamore International – business/marketing for electronics recycler
WCU Campus Sustainability Internships
Subject to time and availability of the given organization (available through Handshake)
- Office of Sustainability
Current ongoing paid internships - Sustainability Peer Educators – connect with other students to develop and promote sustainability projects. Chosen in spring for following fall semester. Appointment is for one academic year.
- Garden – plant and tend our campus gardens. Chosen in January to start in February and then commit through the summer. Some summer-only positions available.
- Gordon Natural Area (GNA) – help tend our preserved natural area. Chosen throughout the year.
- WCU Resource Pantry
Local West Chester Community Off-Campus Sustainability Internships
- Goose Creek Alliance
- Brandywine Red Creek Alliance
- Paradise Farm Camps
- West Chester Borough – Sustainability Advisory Committee. Discuss with Minor Program Director. Projects may include developing community outreach documents and social media (such as recycling instruction) or compiling information to help build a road salt monitoring and benchmarking plan.
- Peirce Middle School (West Chester) – Discuss with Minor Program Director. Aid teacher in sustainable development student projects.
A Sample of Past Off-Campus National Internships (available through Handshake; many will be currently unavailable)
Paid Internships
- Air Enforcement Intern (Camden, NY) & Geoscience Intern (Trenton, NJ) - NJ Department of Environmental Protection
- Circular Economy Intern (Malvern, PA) - Saint-Gobain
- Cleantech Internship Program (Berwyn, PA) - Independence LED
- Corporate ESG (Philadelphia, PA) - Comcast NBCUniversal
- Environmental, Health & Safety (Minneapolis MN) - Dupont
- Innovation intern (Trenton, NJ) - NJ Economic Development Authority
- Progressive Politics (Remote) – Progressive Pipeline
- Responsible Procurement Intern (Wilmington, DE) & Environmental Specialist Intern (Newark, DE) - The Chemours Company
- ROOTS Intern, Community Health and Safety (Pittsburgh, PA) – City of Pittsburgh
- Sustainability Advocate (Providence, RI) - Clean Water Action
- Sustainability Advocate (Minneapolis, MN) – Clean Water Action
- Violence Prevention and Response (Remote) - The Advocacy Academy, based in Philadelphia, PA
Volunteer (unpaid) Internships
- Brandywine Zoo Conservation Education Apprentice Intern (Wilmington, DE) - Delaware State Parks
- Climate Action & Advocacy (Remote) – Seaside Sustainability, based in Gloucester, MA
- Grant Writing (Remote) – Educate.Radiate.Elevate, based in Chicago, IL
- Grant Writer – Homelessness (Remote) – Power Changes Lives, based in New Jersey
Internship Process
Best source for internships – WCU Career Center's Handshake app
Make an account (if the questionnarires at the beginning get too annoying, you can bypass them by clicking “Don’t know” and Continue. Once your account is built, you can change your profile so that the AI feeds you more relevant items.)
Navigate it yourself, meet with Dr. Wanko, or make an appointment with knowledgeable Career Center staff via Handshake (or call 610-436-2501) to use the site.
Check out the many services our Career Center offers students and alumni.
This video from our Career Center specialists will help you get an overview of internships and jobs in sustainability, as well as provide you with techniques for searching.