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Internship, Scholarship, and Research Opportunities

 

Internship and Research Opportunities  |  Current Employment Opportunities  |  Scholarships

Internship Course (GEOG 4910)  |  Credit Hours  |  Grade Options  |  Examples of the Kinds of Places that Might Need Interns

Office of Career Services

Internships are a great way to obtain real-world work experience and make personal contacts in your field of interest before you graduate.  Internships are an encouraged, but optional, part of the undergraduate curriculum in the Department of Geography.  Most internships are completed by juniors and seniors because students at that level have a solid background of geography course work.  Many undergraduate students find their own internship opportunities through internship clearing houses, such as the Student Conservation Association (SCA.org), or directly from nonprofit organizations, governmental agencies, or private businesses.  A few internship opportunities are prestigious, selective, and seek applicants annually (National Geographic Society, National Weather Service), but most aren't.  Some agencies and companies offer student interns pay, while others don't.  Whether or not an internship is paid, students have the option of earning Geog 485 (Internship) credit hours for most internship experiences.  If you would like more information than is provided here, feel free to contact your advisor or any faculty member in the Department of Geography. 

Internship and Research Opportunities

 

Current Employment Opportunities

 

Scholarships


The following scholarships are awarded annually (and are funded solely by gifts and endowments):

  • The Regina L. Bloemer Scholarship in Geography (undergraduate)
  • The Olive Emler Ross Scholarship in Geography (undergraduate)
  • The Hubert and Constance Wilhelm Geography Scholarship (undergraduate)
  • The Robe Scholarship in Geography and Geology (undergraduate; alternate years)
  • The David Keirns Award for Outstanding Public Service (undergraduate meteorology)
  • The Isaac Sindiga Memorial Scholarship (graduate)


The International Geography Honor Society of Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) offers the following five scholarships each year:

  • The Buzzard Undergraduate Scholarship ($1,000) - Awarded to a college senior for use toward graduate school expenses
  • The Maxfield Scholarship ($1,000) - Awarded to a junior or senior with either career or graduate school aspirations
  • The Richason Scholarship ($1,000) - Awarded to a junior or senior with either career or graduate school aspirations
  • The Rechlin Scholarship ($1,000) - Awarded to a junior or senior with either career or graduate school aspirations
  • The Buzzard Graduate Scholarship ($1,000) - Awarded to a continuing graduate student


Information and application materials may be found on the GTU web site. Scholarship recipients must be GTU members

Additional Scholarship Opportunities:

Internship Course (GEOG 4910): An undergraduate geography student interested in undertaking an internship for GEOG 4910 credit hours arranges to do so with an OU geography professor who agrees to be the academic supervisor for the internship.  To enroll, your professor will provide you with the course call number for his or her section of Geog 4910.  Your professor will need the contact information for your field supervisor at the internship.  

 

Credit Hours: The number of credit hours to be earned and whether the internship will receive a letter grade (A-F) or be taken for credit (CR) are determined in consultation with your professor.  Typically, each credit hour of GEOG 4910 represents three hours of internship work per week during a ten-week quarter.  Although GEOG 4910 can be taken for 1-12 credit hours, a maximum of only 5 credit hours (combined) of GEOG 4910 and GEOG 4930 will count toward a geography major (any track). In addition, the College of Arts and Sciences allows a maximum of 15 hours of course work (combined total) taken for "CR" to apply toward the 120 hours required for graduation.  

 

Grade Options: To receive a CR, rather than a letter grade in GEOG 4910, students submit to their professor a brief summary of the number of hours spent and the principal accomplishments, skills, knowledge, and/or understanding derived from the internship.  In addition to the information required for CR, a gradable product must be submitted to earn a letter grade in GEOG 4910.  The nature of the product is determined in consultation with the supervising professor at the start of the internship, and depends to some extent on the nature of the position.  It most typically is a "term-paper like" paper or report.  

 

Examples of the Kinds of Places that Might Need Interns:
OU--Voinovich Center, Office of Sustainability, possibly other OU offices
Planning agencies and offices—various cities, counties, regions
Economic development agencies and offices
Rural Action, Athens
Habitat for Humanity
Watershed groups
Ohio EPA (Logan, Columbus, etc.)
Other state agencies (ODOT, ODNR, etc.)
State and national forests, parks, monuments, etc.—SCA is a great source for many of these
U.S. Natural Resource Conservation Service offices (there are widespread, e.g., The Plains, OH)
State soil and water offices (throughout Ohio)
County engineer offices (throughout Ohio)
Various conservation organizations—Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, the Crane Foundation, The Wilds, Buckeye Wildlife Institute, etc. 
GIS, air photo, GPS, and mapping companies (several in Ohio)
TV stations, especially for meteorology students
Environmental engineering and consulting companies
Energy companies
Construction, development, architecture firms
Insurance companies
Others—be creative (!) and see what suggestions your advisor might have.

Ohio University Office of Career Services


career_services_officeThe Office of Career Services provides comprehensive career development assistance to all Ohio University students and alumni. The following link provides access to a number of very informative and helpful sources of job search information on the Internet.


www.ohio.edu/careers/students/jobSearchResources.cfm


Please remember that organizations listing these positions are not sponsored or endorsed by Career Services, but are provided for your information.





 
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