Internships for NAS Students

One of the requirements for a Minor in Native American Studies is 4 credits of NAS 404, Cooperative Education/Internship. The goal behind this requirement is to place NAS students in community or government organizations in which they will both apply theory to practical problems and gain important practical experience in Native issues. In addition to this, internships are a wonderful way of making contacts ("networking") in the community and laying the groundwork for career plans.

Getting Started:

Identify your interests. Think about the courses you have taken and the work - both paid and volunteer - that you have done. What subject areas - for example, Indian law, health policy, social services, education - have you found most compelling? Do you know any individuals who have interesting jobs pertaining to Native issues with whom you could conduct an "information interview"?
Identify possible organizations. Your faculty advisor can help you come up with a target list, but it will be largely up to you to research what possibilities are out there (take a look at our "Links" page). Consider tribal governments and their departments, private Indian-related organizations, and federal and state agencies.
Make contact. Your faculty advisor can help facilitate your initial contact with an organization, but it is critical that you thoroughly research the organization before you seek to discuss the possibility of an internship with a member of that organization.
Arrange the details and complete your paperwork. In general, 8-10 hours of work per week for your organization partner over the course of the term is required for 4 credits of NAS 404. You will need to arrange with your faculty advisor and your field supervisor from your selected organization precisely what work you will do and how you will be evaluated for a course grade. You can print out copies of the necessary forms that follow.

NAS Forms

Internship Application
Internship Research Report Guidelines
Student Intern Evaluation