How to Apply
***APPLICATIONS FOR 2023-2024 COMING SOON!***
Because of the competitive nature of the sustainability internship, the application process is rigorous and seeks to identify students who are passionate, willing to learn, and who speak well about what they hope to learn and gain through their internship experience.
For Undergraduate Applicants:
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Review the list of job descriptions for the 2022-2023 academic year here.
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Apply for an internship on PCO, DU’s internship and job database for students. You will fill out an application form and submit a resume through PCO. Please Note: PCO requires students who have never submitted a resume through their system to go through an automatic resume review process. This can take up to three days, and you will not be able to submit your application until it is complete. Please allow for this time and get started on your application early.
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Please also note that the PCO application includes a form for you to download, complete, and upload with your application. Please let us know if you run into trouble with that process.
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Send any questions you might have to Derek Brannon at derek.brannon@du.edu
For Graduate Applicants:
For the 2022-2023 academic year, the Center for Sustainability is only actively recruiting for one position, our Graduate Marketing and Communications Fellow. If you are interested, please:
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Fill out the application on PCO, DU’s internship and job database for students, and submit a resume and cover letter in that system. Please Note: PCO requires students who have never submitted a resume through their system to go through an automatic resume review process. This can take up to three days, and you will not be able to submit your application until it is complete. Please allow for this time and get started on your application early.
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The Center for Sustainability will follow up to schedule an interview to discuss our work and your interests and expertise.
Compensation
Positions are paid at an hourly rate range of $15.87-$20/hr and may not exceed $2000 per quarter or, if applicable, a work study award is exhausted.
If preferred, students may choose to receive academic credit (4 credits) in lieu of an hourly rate. We have partnered with several departments on campus to "host" the academic credit option, with new departments being added this summer.
The max dollar earnings for the quarter is determined by position. Graduate Fellowship positions (available only to graduate students) may not exceed $2000 per quarter, Support Staff positions have may not exceed $1200 per quarter, and Lead Staff positions may not exceed $1400 per quarter (only current undergraduate students at DU will be considered for the Lead Staff and Support Staff positions).
Our office is prioritizing work-study awards and for-credit applicants and has a small allocated budget for all applicants.
What We Look for in an Intern Candidate
Passion! Our interns can learn the specifics about sustainability once they arrive — the Center seeks students with a real passion for creating a better future.
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Drive! The intern team thrives with students who are self-starters that seek out topics and issues to explore, problems to solve and solutions to create.
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Commitment! The sustainability internship is a rigorous and often challenging opportunity for our interns. Those who are willing to meet that challenge are ideal.
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Courage! Doing the work of changing your community can be challenging, but those who do not shy away from this task will make a great impact.
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Inclusive! The Center for Sustainability is welcoming and open to people from all identities, as a difference of perspective allows for the greatest growth and learning.
Application Timeline for Undergraduate Students
(ALL rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors)
May 10, 2022: Application opens for ALL students, both those returning to work at the Center for Sustainability, and those applying to work with us for the first time.
Please note: this is different than in previous years, which separated these two populations.
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May 22: Priority Deadline for application to the Sustainability Internship.
If you apply before the priority deadline, we will interview you and place top candidates into positions.
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May 23-27: 30-minute interviews with the Center for Sustainability for applicants who made the priority deadline.
These interviews will be in person, unless we have discussed otherwise.
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Week of May 30: Decisions sent out for those who made the priority deadline and interviewed with our office.
We will not hire students who missed their interview, unless we discussed and rescheduled.
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June 3: All students who are offered a position must accept by this date.
If we do not hear from you, we will put your application back into the pool for rolling applications.
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June 1-July 31: Rolling applications for positions that were not filled by applicants who made the priority deadline.
Students who missed the priority deadline may still apply if there are vacancies after the priority hiring process.
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Orientation Week: Required intensive staff training for any students not studying abroad for fall quarter.
The specific schedule for this training is TBD.
Application Timeline for Incoming First Year Students**
(Incoming freshmen and transfer students)
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Mid-Summer: DU sends financial aid package, including work study awards
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August 1: Applications are open to first-year students to apply to work at the Center for Sustainability
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August 15: Application for first year students closes.
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Rolling August 1-17: Virtual 30-minute interviews with qualified candidates.
We will schedule interviews as we receive applications from students who meet our qualifications.
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August 22: Decisions sent to students we have decided to offer positions to.
Students not offered positions will not be contacted at this time, but may be placed on a wait-list.
August 26: Students must accept their position with the Center for Sustainability
Students on the wait-list may be contacted if not all of the positions have been confirmed by this date.
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Orientation Week: Incoming first year students will be matched with a mentor at the Center for Sustainability
Mentors will be students who have been working at the Center for a year or more.
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Fall Quarter Week 1: First year students will meet the rest of the staff and go through onboarding processes.
Students will meet with their Center mentors this week and continuing through the fall quarter.
**Please note that at this time, the Center for Sustainability is only able to consider first year students who have a work study award.