Information on Grenfell’s Master of Arts in Environmental Policy (MAEP) internship requirements.

Students enrolled in both Grenfell’s 1-year Course-Based master’s program and 2-year Thesis-Based MAEP stream are required to complete a 12-week (at full time business hours) internship.

MAEP internships allow the host organization to benefit from the considerable policy research, report writing, and critical thinking capacity of a graduate student while providing interns with invaluable experience in a real-world work environment.

Placements can be completed remotely or on-site with the host organization and usually take place over the summer (beginning in late April or early May) but in rare instances, can occur at other times during the year.

Over the past number of years Grenfell’s students have completed placements in a wide variety of areas. Many of these internships take the form of policy analysis/comparison while others involve students conducting research in new areas of inquiry of interest to their host organization. All internship placements must have an Environmental Policy-related component. In some case we can help the host organization to articulate this environmental policy connection.

Grenfell’s students have completed internships with a variety of host organizations locally, nationally, and internationally. Past host organizations include Kruger/Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, Pennecon Construction, local NGOs, and municipal, provincial, and federal government departments (including Parks Canada, DFO, CFS, and NRCAN), and many others. The foci of these internships are also quite diverse and have covered topics such as moose management, environmental impact assessment, the ISO 14K system, mineral exploration, forest planning, corporate social responsibility, land reclamation, waste management, and Aboriginal engagement policy.

Some examples of recently completed internships include a placement with the Provincial Department of Fisheries and Land Resources. In this case the intern was tasked with identifying, reviewing, and evaluating the merits of big game hunting license allocation strategies in jurisdictions across Canada (a cross jurisdictional policy scan). This scan was used by the department in their review of NL’s license allocation process as it provided information on both the process and merits of other license allocation strategies used in other areas. Another one of Grenfell’s students worked with the Shorefast Foundation of Fogo Island. In this case the student conducted a review of the Foundation’s New Ocean Ethic and identified connections with relevant federal fisheries policies and how such polices might influence the implementation of the set of initiatives set out in the Ethic. More recently, one of Grenfell’s interns helped establish a more effective recycling and composting program for a local municipality while another student evaluated opportunities for, and the efficacy of, Indigenous engagement by a department of the Federal government.

It is important to note that in most cases the internships are fully or partially funded by the host organization. A fully funded 12-week internship at the regular graduate student rate of pay costs approximately $8,000. Grenfell’s Environmental Policy Institute can sometimes contribute some funds (in the past this funding has come in at about $1,200/student) to the internship to help offset some of the cost borne by the host organization. In some cases, we find a really good fit between a student’s interests and a host’s needs where pay is less relevant for the student – in this case the internship host often provides at least partial funding or in-kind support (e.g. accommodations or office space).

The Internship evaluation consists of two components: 1. on-site performance, which will be assessed by the Internship Officer using information gathered during the internship and input from the host organization at the end of the internship (in the form of a post-placement evaluation form completed by the host) and 2. an internship report which is to be completed by the student at the end of the internship.

For More Information

If you are interested in discussing internship placement opportunities with your office, please contact:

Stephen Decker, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Program Chair, Environment and Sustainability
Grenfell Campus, Memorial University
20 University Drive, Corner Brook, NL
CANADA A2H 5G4

Research Associate
UBC Centre for Environmental Assessment Research \ CEAR
The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus
Kelowna, BC

Email: sdecker@grenfell.mun.ca
Office: Forest Centre (FC) 2022
Tel: +1 709 639 6578