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:

Applications for Fall 2025 open on May 01, 2025 for all students. Applications close on May 31, 2025.

"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

How Does EcoStudio Work?

Step 1

Understand the Process

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 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 just need to follow the steps in Step 4.

Step 2

View Projects and Apply

Our projects page lists all available projects. Read through the descriptions and find a project that matches your skillset and your interests. Add in your contact info, your skills, relevant experiences, why you're applying, upload your resume, and then select the top two projects that interest you.

View Projects and 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, send it to ecostudio@unc.edu for review, 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.

Please Note: If you apply through EcoStudio, your application will only be considered by your top two choices. You may not be selected for an internship.

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. More information about weekly EcoStudio meetings is available to UNC students.

Final Presentations

Every semester, EcoStudio students gather at the end of the semester to share their experiences with each other and their mentors. Students are also encouraged to record a narrated version of their presentations and post them online. These are available on the Presentations page.

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.