The Geography Department Internship Program

Internship Program Syllabus for
GEO 4380, 5380, 5680 & NHT 4302

Not sure what you are going to do after graduation? An Internship may be just what you need! Get on-the –job training and experience. Add to your resume. Focus your career goals. Make contacts and network with professionals in your field of interest! The Texas State Geography Department Internship Program provides students with supervised, real-world, work experiences directly related to their academic studies and career goals. Interns provide assistance to public agencies, organizations and private companies with their skills and knowledge. Geography students typically perform internships during their senior year and are therefore prepared to work independently on assigned tasks, especially in problem-solving situations. The Internship Program requires students to: 1) work a minimum of 150 hour; 2) maintain a daily work-log and 3) complete an internship assessment report - including samples of work products created during the internship - in order to receive college credit for their efforts. Internship sponsors: 1) assist interns with a required job description; 2) provide guidance to students during their internship and; 3) complete an Internship Performance Evaluation at the end of the internship period. Take a positive step towards achieving your career goals by participating in the Texas State Geography Internship Program. Log into Blackboard as “guest” via www.txstate.edu, search for course: “Geography Internship” for additional information, application form and links to potential internship positions.

Texas State Geography Internship coordinator:
Mr. Mark Carter - Office 136
Evans Liberal Arts Building
Phone (512) 245-8587 / E-mail: mc12@txstate.edu

Catalog Description: On-the-job training in a public or private-sector agency. Students must apply to the department internship director at least six weeks prior to registering for the internship position.

Application Process:
1) Pick – up: Internship Guideline and Application Form packet from the Director's office or from the Blackboard Web Site (Log in as guest).
2) Read: Internship Program guidelines and complete application form with special attention to: “Briefly describe your career / advancement goals at the time.”
3) Return: 1) completed application form to the Internship Coordinator with 2) a copy of your current college transcript (CATS Web /Student Services/Academic Records / Grades or https://www1.swt.edu/app/student_grades/), and
3) a signed Internship Release/Indemnity Waiver form.
4) Arrange: to meet with the Internship coordinator.

Suggested textbook. What Color is Your Parachute? A practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers. Bolle, Richard Nelson (2001). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. (ISBN 1-58005-242-4). Best selling job-hunting book in the world.

General tips for getting the most out of your Internship. 1) Don’t be afraid to talk with people; 2) Ask for things to do; 3) Learn all you can about the agency/industry; 4) Read everything you can get your hands on; 5) Don’t gripe about the grunt work; 6) Milk the fact that you are a student; 7) Hitch your wagon to a star; 8) Get in the information loop; 9) Ask to attend meetings and events; 10) Become indispensable!!!

Grading. Your final grade calculation is based on the following:

Final grades for undergraduate students will be determined by an assessment of: (1) 35% for the evaluation given on you Intern Performance Evaluation Report, including any direct communication with your Intern Supervisor; (2) 15% for the quality of Work Products submitted; (3) 5% for the number of hours you worked; (4) 25% for your evaluation of the internship; and (5) 20% for any other considerations which the Internship Director regards as pertinent (e.g., quality of written work, including organization and proper use of the language, timeliness in the submission of requirements).

Final grades for graduate students will be determined by an assessment of (1) 35% for the evaluation given on you Intern Performance Evaluation Report, including any direct communication with your Intern Supervisor, (2) 10% for the quality of Work Products submitted, (3) 5% for the number of hours you worked, (4) 10% for your evaluation of the internship, and (5) 20% for the project report; and (6) 20% for any other considerations which the Internship Director regards as pertinent (e.g., quality of written work, including organization and proper use of the language, timeliness in the submission of requirements).

Some Examples of Internship Sponsors
Advantage Builders, Aquarena Center, Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, Balcones Canyon-land Preserve, Balcones Recycling, Barton Springs-Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, BFI Recycling, Bickerstaff LLP, Capital Area Metro Planning Organization, Cartographic-Remote Sensing Consultants, City of Wimberley, City of Austin, City of San Antonio, City of San Marcos, City of Victoria, Closed Landfill Inventory, Conclusive Strategies, Cook-Hurlbert, Inc., Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council, Deep Freddy Dive Shop, ENSR International, EnviroMedia, Hays County Commissioner Carter, Hydro Consultants, Institute of Texas Cultures, LCRA, Murphy's World, NAI / CIP, National Park Service, National Weather Service, Nu Stats, Prewitt and Associates Archaeology, Quest, Reliant Entex, Southwestern Bell, Texas Parks & Wildlife, TNRCC, Travis County, TXDOT, TXU Dallas, Universe Technologies, Inc., USGS, Visa Services, Xenco Laboratories.

Incomplete policy. Please note that you are strongly encouraged to complete all internship requirements on time. While it is possible to request and receive an I (incomplete) because you are not able to complete the requirements in the allotted time, your final course grade may suffer. All requests for an I (incomplete) are to be submitted to the Internship Director, in writing, and you are also to have a conference with the Director to discuss the reasons for your request and any final grade-related consequences.

Special needs. Students having special needs/disabilities which require accommodations for the successful completion of this course should notify the Office of Disability Services no later than the end of the first week of classes. Failure to do so in a timely manner could result in accommodations not being made as necessary.

Academic Honesty Statement: Learning and teaching take place best in an atmosphere of intellectual fair-minded openness. All members of the academic community are responsible for supporting freedom and openness through rigorous personal standards of honesty and fairness. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty undermine the very purpose of the university and diminish the value of an education. Specific sanctions for academic dishonesty are outlined in the Texas State Student Handbook, http://www.txstate.edu/effective/upps/upps-07-10-01.html.