Internships
NRES Internship or Research Project
All NRES majors are required to complete a pre-professional experiential learning requirement to give students exposure to real world natural resource work. This can be satisfied through an independent study research project experience (NRE 395) or an internship (NRE 399). Most NRES majors complete an internship.
| Please follow the steps below to get your internship form signed. |
| 1. Have your internship advisor (this can be your regular advisor or any other advisor) work with you to fill out the learning contract. Directions on how to do this are in the NRES Internship Guide |
| 2. Once completed have your internship advisor sign the form. |
| 3. You sign the form. |
| 4. Bring your completed form to the NRES Internship Advisor (not the Department Chair), Dr. Jack Schieffer, 405 Barnhart Building. |
| 5. Copy your completed form. |
| 6 Bring your completed form to N-6 Ag Science North for Dr. Larry Grabau’s signature. You will be dropping off the form and done at this point. |
| 7. Your completed form will then be forwarded to the Stuckert Career Center. |
| Click here for these instructions with visual directions. |
Current Internship Opportunities
--> Click here for a list of current internship and research opportunities! <--
| Internship Guide | Internship Forms |
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| Click here for the Internship Guide (Updated 4/23/13) - This guide was created to help you through the Internship and Research Project process. | Action Planning Sheet | |
| Learning Contract (NRE 399) | ||
| 2011 Internship Award Recipients | Research Project Contract (NRE 395) | |
| 2011 Internship Examples | Site Supervisor Evaluation | |
| 2010 Internship Examples | Student Evaluation of Internship Site | |
| 2009 Internship Examples | Student Experiential Learning Checklist |
NRE 395
To complete an independent study project, normally a student will arrange to work on a natural resource or environmental research project being conducted by a UK faculty member or a researcher in some other setting. Ideally, this research work will be related to the student’s Environmental Systems Emphasis area. A memo should be prepared which will explain in general terms the nature of the research, the work to be completed by the student, the work product expected (e.g., article, paper, poster), and the time period for completion of the work. This memo must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies before registering for NRE 395 in order for this to satisfy the NRES Major Requirement.
NRE 399
An internship should be approached as a pre-professional work experience completed in an off-campus setting. Ideally, the internship will be related to the student’s Environmental Systems Emphasis area. In recent years, internships have taken on a more important role in career development. According to a survey done by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 70% of college students who had internships in 2007-2008 received a job offer from their host organizations.
Students can identify internship opportunities by talking to NRES majors who have already completed internships, attending the NRES Internship Forum in October to see what current students did to complete internships in the previous year, or searching the web for opportunities. One of the best sources of internships is the Student Conservation Association (www.thesca.org), which offers dozens of 3-to-12 month expense-paid internship opportunities to work with resource professionals. Amazingly, SCA internships are available in every state, every climate, and every ecosystem in the U.S.
Before registering for NRE 399, students must complete a Learning Contract from the Stuckert Career Center. Guidelines for completing a Learning Contract and a blank contract are available at: http://www.uky.edu/careercenter/students/internships (click on the Internship tab). Before completing a Learning Contract, students need to identify a faculty advisor for the internship. This can be your academic advisor, or another faculty member whose interests may correspond to the content of the planned internship. Consult with your advisor about completing the Learning Contract before seeking approval signatures. Students must work at least 200 hours for three hours of academic credit under NRE 399. All students completing an internship are expected to prepare a digital poster to present information on their experience at the NRES Internship Forum in October.