The EcoStudio

Finding internships can be difficult. The EcoStudio engages with organizations on and off campus who are interested in working with you! We collect information about all of the projects and help connect you with a project that you're interested in. Weekly meetings in the EcoStudio with your faculty advisor, client, and other EcoStudio students will broaden your skillsets and connect you with your peers. Come collaborate with us!

Note:

EcoStudio applications are not currently being accepted, but there may be Other Internship opportunities.

"My EcoStudio internship experience was invaluable and I am grateful to have been a part of it. I have developed as a student, intern, and as a person, and feel like I have a better grasp of what I want to do in the future and for the rest of my academic career."
- Janis Arrojado, Internship with UNC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling

"For the first time in my life, I felt empowered by my creativity. In many of my other professional experiences, I have had to separate my love for activism and art because there are not many spaces where the two come together. Being on a creative team at a company like Patagonia is unlike anything else."
- Rodrigo Bustamante, Internship with Patagonia

"This has been some of the most challenging yet rewarding work I've ever done. Cleaning out the trash trout is no easy task... Emily has been a great mentor, allowing me to listen in on calls with elected officials and other nonprofits and really educating me about all the different people involved in Haw River Assembly's work."
- Sarah Masters, Internship with Haw River Assembly

"Out of this experience, I have gotten a way to directly interact with my passion; I have gotten a job in the market I wanted to work in after graduation; I have been provided with a community to serve and a multitude of opportunities for growth. I am so thankful for this course, ENEC 393 because I feel like I have grown so much this semester."
- Aisha Booze-Hall, Internship with The Marion Cheek Jackson Center

"I would encourage other students from diverse majors to also join an Ecostudio experience to learn more about the world and learn more about where their new potential passion and interests are found."
- Brenda Palacios Rodriguez, Internship with The Town of Hillsborough

"I thoroughly enjoyed my EcoStudio experience and deeply value the lessons I learned. This was one of the most useful classes I have taken at UNC."
- Maddie Bass, Internship with The Nature Conservancy

Application Process

Step 1

Read through the projects

Our projects page lists all available projects. Read through the descriptions carefully, and find a project that matches your skillset and your interests.

View Projects

Step 2

Submit an Application

Add in your contact information and some more about your skills and relevant experiences, upload your resume, and then select the top two projects that interest you.

Apply

Step 3

Check on the Progress of Your Application

We'll send along your application to your top two favorite project mentors, facilitate the intern selection process, and guide you through the entire application cycle.

Check on Your Application

Step 4

Submit Contract

For credit: Prepare your Independent Study Learning Contract and then upload into the Online Learning Contract Manager
Not-for-credit: Please fill out the not-for-credit contract and send to ecostudio@unc.edu for review.

More Information

Check out the FAQ

We know you have questions about internships and EcoStudio and ENEC 393/493. To help you get answers, we put together a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

Journals

EcoStudio students should submit journal entries on this site using our Journals page.

What if I found my own internship?

Congratulations! We'd love for you to join us in our EcoStudio meetings, and we can help you get academic credit for your internship. You'll need to follow the steps in Step 4 above.

Weekly EcoStudio Meetings

EcoStudio students will meet weekly as a group to hear more about each other's projects and participate in professional development activities. Students will work on resumes, cover letters, improve their professional social networks, blog about their internships, and give a final presentation about their experience.

Meeting Schedule

EcoStudio will meet Mondays at 11:10 AM - 12:10 PM and 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM during the fall and spring semesters. Due to the typical summer diaspora, EcoStudio does not meet during summer sessions.

Fall 2023

11:10 AM - 12:10 PM in Venable G307 and
1:20 PM - 2:20 PM in Venable 3302

Download syllabus

Spring 2024

11:10 AM - 12:10 PM in Venable 3302 and
1:20 PM - 2:20 PM in Venable G311

Students come to one hour session - whichever session fits their schedule best

Final Presentations

Need-based Awards

Thanks to the generous support of the Institute for the Environment, EcoStudio is pleased to be able to provide need-based awards periodically for qualified students with unpaid internships. If you would like to be considered, please note so on your application, though this information is not considered during the selection process by the mentors or by EcoStudio staff. If you are selected for an internship and choose to accept the internship, EcoStudio staff may reach out to you to ask you for your financial need information. This information will not be shared outside of the Institute for the Environment. Please use the following formula. FAFSA Financial Need = Cost of attendance - Expected Family Contribution.