Environmental Internships

Environmental internships give university students, recent graduates, and early-career switchers hands-on project experience in fieldwork, data analysis, and regulatory compliance, mentorship from working environmental scientists and engineers, and, at many employers, a path toward a full-time offer. Openings are concentrated across Electronics & Hardware and Consulting & Professional Services, with State of New Jersey, CDM Smith, and Reliance among the employers posting roles now.

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Overview

Open roles48
Top stateCalifornia
Top employerState of New Jersey
Top cityDavis, CA
Work type64% On-site
Top industryElectronics

Showing 5 of 48+ Environmental Internships

Wright Service Corp
Environmental Project Management Intern
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Wright Service Corp
New 10h ago
Environmental Project Management Intern
Wright Service Corp
San Luis Obispo, California
Business Analysis
Content & Communications
Program Management
Project Management
$21 - $26/hr
High school diploma or GED
201-500

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Los Alamos National Laboratory
Graduate Internship - Earth and Environmental Science
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Los Alamos National Laboratory
New 16h ago
Graduate Internship - Earth and Environmental Science
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos, New Mexico
IT Support
Project Management
Technical Program Management
On-Site
10,000+

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State of New Jersey
OEJ-2026-12i Environmental Justice Engagement Intern
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State of New Jersey
Added 1d ago
OEJ-2026-12i Environmental Justice Engagement Intern
State of New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Healthcare Administration
Patient Services & Wellbeing
Physical Therapy
$19 - $24/hr
Military encouraged
1,001-5,000

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State of New Jersey
OEJ-2026-3i Environmental Justice Research Intern
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State of New Jersey
Added 1d ago
OEJ-2026-3i Environmental Justice Research Intern
State of New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Biotech & Life Sciences
Environmental & Physical Sciences
Laboratory Research
Research & Academia
$19 - $24/hr
Military encouraged
1,001-5,000

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Kimley-Horn
Environmental Science Intern
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Kimley-Horn
Added 1d ago
Environmental Science Intern
Kimley-Horn
Indianapolis, Indiana
Compliance & Risk
Environmental Science
Health & Safety
Specialized Engineering
On-Site
5,001-10,000

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Environmental Internship Market

Who's Hiring

State of New Jersey
State of New Jersey4 open roles
CDM Smith
CDM Smith2 open roles
Reliance
Reliance2 open roles

Top Industries Hiring

  • Electronics & Hardware
  • Consulting & Professional Services

Tips for Your Environmental Internship Search

Apply months before the summer start date

Large employers, federal agencies, major environmental consulting firms, and corporate sustainability teams, open summer cohort applications the preceding fall, with many deadlines in October and November. If you wait until spring, the structured programs are already closed. Start identifying target employers by September and submit before Thanksgiving.

Build a project portfolio before you need it

Environmental intern recruiters want something concrete to assess, not just a list of classes. Document two or three projects with your methods, tools, and results visible, a GIS analysis, a field data report, a water quality study, or a regulatory memo. Host them somewhere shareable so you can drop a link in every application.

Work your campus network and apply directly at the same time

Career fairs surface structured programs tied to your university, and professors or career center staff often know which employers recruit from your school before roles post publicly. At the same time, apply directly to companies running smaller cohorts, many don't recruit on campus at all. Both channels together reach more of the market than either one alone.

Practice your technical screen out loud before applying

Environmental intern interviews often include a technical component, a data analysis or GIS exercise, a case study on remediation or regulatory compliance, or questions on field sampling methods. Practice explaining your reasoning as you work through problems, not just arriving at the right answer. Interviewers weigh how you think as much as what you conclude.

Target structured conservation and environmental programs early

Established pipelines like Student Conservation Association placements, agency pathways internships, and large consulting firm cohorts are built to train people new to environmental work. They recruit early, fill fast, and often prefer candidates who apply in the first wave. Identify the programs that match your focus area and treat their deadlines as your hard deadlines.

Set your work-type filter before you start searching

On-site roles are 64% of the environmental internships listed here. Decide what you can actually commit to, on-site fieldwork, a hybrid schedule, or fully remote data or policy work, before you start reviewing listings. Filtering by work type and location upfront means you spend your time on roles you can take, not ones you'll decline after an interview.

Environmental Internships: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get an environmental internship?

Lead with coursework, field projects, and a portfolio rather than work history, hiring teams expect limited professional experience at the intern level. For environmental candidates, the concrete artifact that gives recruiters something to assess is a documented field study, GIS map, or data analysis with your methods visible. Pair direct applications with campus career fairs, where recruiters often move faster for students they meet in person.

Can an environmental internship turn into a full-time job?

Many employers extend return offers to strong interns, but conversion is never guaranteed. What actually drives it for environmental interns is performance on real project work, whether the team has open headcount at the end of the summer, and timing your expression of interest before the return-offer window closes. Position for one by delivering consistently, but don't count on it when planning your job search.

When should I apply for environmental internships?

Earlier than most candidates expect. Large employers, federal agencies, major consulting firms, and Fortune 500 companies with sustainability teams, recruit summer interns the preceding fall, often with deadlines in October and November. Smaller companies, nonprofits, and co-op programs post closer to their start dates, so openings appear year-round and a late search still turns up real options.

Are environmental internships paid?

Most professional environmental internships in the U.S. are paid. Compensation varies by company size, industry, and location, a large engineering firm or federal agency typically pays more than a small nonprofit. Listings show compensation where the employer discloses it, so you can compare opportunities as you search rather than finding out late in the process.

What should an environmental internship resume include?

Lead with two or three complete, documented projects rather than work history, name the tools used and link to the work where possible: a published field report, a GIS map or spatial analysis, a water quality dataset with methodology, or a regulatory compliance writeup. Add relevant coursework in environmental science, ecology, or policy. Keep everything to one page.

Are there remote environmental internships?

Yes. Remote and hybrid roles make up 36% of the environmental internship listings here, with the rest on-site. Remote cohorts fill fast, so apply early once you decide what you can commit to. Use the work-type filter to see only remote or hybrid openings and avoid sorting through roles that don't fit your situation.

What is a Student Conservation Association (SCA) internship?

The Student Conservation Association runs one of the most established structured internship pipelines in environmental work, placing people new to conservation, land management, and resource protection with federal agencies and nonprofits across the country. Programs target students and recent graduates, recruit early in the cycle, and are competitive, identify the placements that match your focus and apply in the first wave of openings.

Can international students get environmental internships?

Yes. F-1 students can intern through CPT while enrolled or through OPT work authorization after finishing a degree, and the employer does not have to file anything for either, so many companies are open to international interns. Confirm your eligibility and timing with your university's international student office before accepting an offer.

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