Experiential Learning

Four walls can’t contain an entire education. That’s why, at Richmond, most students extend their educations by participating in experiential learning opportunities. They’re the chance to take what you’ve learned in the classroom and apply it to the real world, either via research, an internship or studying abroad.

The Environmental Studies Program requires that all majors participate in some kind of experiential learning opportunity before graduating. To help students quantify their experiences and guarantee that they’re ready for graduate study or careers in environmental studies, the program requires at least two elective hours of experiential learning, either through taking ENVR 388 or ENVR 320.  The most standard ways to earn credit include participating in an environmental internship or doing supervised, independent research on an environmental topic.

Internships

An internship is a great way to gain experience, make contacts and increase your knowledge of the environmental career sector. Although there are certainly exceptions, it is generally easier to obtain the most desirable internships after a significant amount of college coursework has been done, usually between your junior and senior years.

Internships are most commonly done in the summer, although internships during the fall and spring are also possible. The position must relate to the environment and must involve at least 90 hours of work, which averages to five hours per week over the course of a 14-week semester. You are responsible for obtaining the internship and for getting prior approval from the program coordinator. When contacting the coordinator for approval, please include as much information as possible about the position. Paid internships generally cannot count for academic credit.

Application deadlines for summer internships are typically in late winter. After securing the internship and getting approval from the program coordinator, you must enroll in ENVR 388 for the fall semester following your internship. If you complete an internship during the academic year, take ENVR 388 during the same semester you complete the internship.

You will need to get a signed statement from your supervisor confirming the time of employment and the nature of your work. You should also talk to your co-workers as much as possible. Get details about their education and career path; ask about their career plans and how they plan to achieve them. Get advice. Eventually, in the ENVR 388 class, you will share information about your experience with fellow environmental studies majors.

To research environmental internships you might enjoy, visit the Career Development Center.

Study Abroad

With proper planning, any study abroad program should be fully compatible with a major or minor in environmental studies. If you think you would like to study abroad, it’s important to begin talking to your advisor and looking into programs early, so that you can plan your academic schedule accordingly.

There are a number of international programs that offer courses, which count toward the environmental studies major. At the Office of International Education, you can search for programs by discipline. Two programs are worth highlighting, however, as they provide particularly strong experience for environmental studies majors. Both programs are affiliated with Richmond, which means that students attend for the same price as their Richmond education, receive the same financial aid and can transfer credits with greater ease.

The School for Field Studies (SFS) offers coursework in ecology, resource management and policy, combined with a field-based research experience. SFS has five sites, in Kenya (wildlife management), Costa Rica (sustainable development), Baja Mexico (marine mammal conservation & coastal ecosystem studies), Australia (tropical rainforest management), and Turks & Caicos (marine resource management). Feedback from Richmond students who have participated in the program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Denmark's International Study (DIS) program, affiliated with the University of Copenhagen, is academically rigorous and offers a number of environmental studies courses. What makes DIS particularly noteworthy is its Marine Biology/Ecology program, which offers field experience to students who enroll in that program.

For information on studying abroad, visit the Office of International Education.