Have fun experiencing the outdoors in a national park
Broaden your knowledge of geology, botany, astronomy or any other science that interests you
Learn new skills
Gain an understanding of public lands management
Discover new career options
Meet new people
These are just a few of the reasons to consider participating in the opportunities offered by the National Park Service and partnering organizations. You could take steps towards a career in a variety of fields. Consider:
public relations - any of the sciences - engineering - curation - law enforcement - office administration - public lands management - environmental protection - photography/film making - interpretation - sign building - trail design - safety programs - utilities management
Student intern organizes an exhibit case for Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. One Intern's Story
As a senior in Skagway High School, Jade Cook completed an internship with Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Jade worked for 1 hour each day throughout the school year with the park's curatorial team learning to catalog natural resource collections such as the herbarium specimens and archeological artifacts. For Jade's final project, she selected, researched and installed an exhibit for the Junior Ranger Center. Jade gained valuable on the job training and experience to qualify for a summer job with the Student Conservation Association (SCA). She will pursue her interest in biology and gain experience with wildlife and invasive plant science.
The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Internship Program (HBCUI)
This cooperative partnership between the National Park Service and the Greening Youth Foundation. HBCUI is designed to link program participants to NPS sites with a focus on African-American history and culture. The program is also designed to instill in participants enhanced understanding and appreciation of the important contributions of African-Americans in the development and progress of the United States, while gaining exposure to the gamut of career opportunities in the NPS related to public land management.
Public Land Corps (ages 16-25)
Do you have a love for the outdoors? As part of a Public Land Corps, that's part of your job! Come join the Public Land Corps and have a personal role in helping to restore, protect, and rehabilitate your national parks through work projects, engage in healthy lifestyle choices through outdoor recreation opportunities, enjoy adventure, and enhanced self-awareness while learning about environmental issues and the national parks. Individuals are recruited and supervised by one of the many non-profit organizations partnering with the National Park Service.
Latino Heritage Internship Program (ages 18-35)
The Latino Heritage Internship Program is administered jointly by National Park Service, Environment for the Americas, and the Hispanic Access Foundation. Its aim is to train young Latinos in cultural and natural resource management while raising awareness and utilization of national parks and cultural resources by Latino communities.
Pathways for Students and Recent Graduates
The Pathways Program aims at providing clear paths to internships and careers in the Federal Government for students and recent graduates. This program consists of three expected-service programs, the Internship Program, the Recent Graduates Program, and a reinvigorated Presidential Management Fellows (PMF Program).
National Park Business Plan and Consulting Internship
The National Parks Business Plan Internship (BPI) is a highly selective summer program for top graduate students studying business, public policy, environmental management, and related fields. Over the course of 11 weeks, pairs of interns work in various parks and regional offices across the country, where they lead strategic projects that impact the long-term health of these vital American resources.
Historic Preservation Training Internship
The Historic Preservation Training Internship offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to gain practical experience in cultural resources management programs in the National Park Service headquarters, field offices, and parks, and in other federal agencies. During the internship, students learn about and contribute to the national historic preservation programs and the federal government's preservation and management of historic properties.
Historic Sites and Structures Documentation Internship
The Heritage Documentation Internship Program seeks applications from qualified students documenting historic sites and structures of architectural, landscape, and technological significance throughout the country. Duties may involve on-site field work and preparation of measured and interpretive drawings and written historical reports for the HABS/HAER/HALS Collections at the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.
Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship
The Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship permits graduate students in architectural history or a related field to work on a 12-week HABS history project during the summer. The Fellow will conduct research on a nationally significant U.S. building or site, and will prepare a written history to become part of the permanent HABS collection. The Fellow's research interests and goals will inform the building or site selected by HABS staff.
Maritime Documentation Internship
The Maritime Documentation Internship permits current students or recent graduates of architecture or history, interested in maritime preservation, to work as a summer intern on a HAER maritime documentation project. The selected recipient will serve as either a historian preparing researched historical reports or as an architect preparing measured drawings.
