Internship Overview

Sustainability Office Educational Internships

McMaster’s Sustainability Internship Program was created in 2009 by McMaster’s Office of Sustainability in collaboration with a group of highly engaged Faculty Members and their students. The program was developed with the purpose of enabling students who have a passion for sustainability to facilitate application of their formal education from sustainability theory to practical application. McMaster’s Sustainability Internship Program has been expanded each year for the past four years and has supported more than 170 students in experiential learning at McMaster.

The objectives of the program are as follows:

  • Provide internship opportunities for McMaster students to practically apply their educational learning to campus sustainability initiatives
  • Highlight the achievements of students who have successfully completed their internship
  • Provide an avenue for collaboration and information sharing

Benefit to McMaster Undergraduate Students

One of the key benefits to student sustainability interns is that by engaging in the facilitation and implementation of initiatives that require collaboration with a variety of internal and/or external stakeholders, the ability to network with individuals in a variety of fields is enhanced. As well, the internship program presents the opportunity to participate in career exploration. Many students see this as an opportunity to enhance the value of their degree and to gain experience as it applies to future career prospects.

In addition, there is an intrinsic aspect to all parties involved, resulting from the feeling of accomplishment in the positive advancement towards sustainability either on campus or within the community that transcends the student’s time at McMaster.

How the Program Works

A student interested in taking part in an internship placement is expected to find both an academic and non-academic supervisor to support and guide their experiential learning process. The Manager of McMaster’s Office of Sustainability, with assistance from the Senior Manager, acting as the student’s non-academic supervisor, works together with the academic supervisor, other campus departments, community partners and interested students to establish a sustainability initiative which the student will work on for the duration of the internship. The academic supervisor designates discipline concepts, readings and evaluation techniques related to the specific course for which academic credit will be given. The Senior Manager of University Sustainability also provides a list of deliverables upon which the successful completion is dependent. It is expected that the student will lead the process in defining the specific initiatives of interest; this not only ensures sustained enthusiasm throughout the program but also that the program satisfies the goals and expectations of the student. Upon successful completion of the stated requirements by both supervisors a grade is awarded to the student, and in cases where full-course credit is awarded, the process is completed by the student’s Faculty.

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Updated February 24, 2012