Overview

eA GIS Internship course and experience are required for our GIS Minor, Undergraduate GIS Cert, and Graduate GIS Cert programs.  This page provides an outline of requirements, how to prepare/obtain an internship, options, and what to expect from the GIS internship requirement with UWF. Prior to enrollment, students will meet with their GIS advisor to learn more and to ensure both the University and Program requirements are met.  

Before we go into the details, here are a few key things:

• GIS Internship should be taken at the end of your GIS program (minor or cert). This is a 3sh, full-term (part of term 1) duration course.
  • The ideal pre-requisite courses are Geographic Info Systems, Computer Cartography or Remote Sensing, GIS Programming, and GIS Applications or Special Topics in GIS. 
  • Most organizations require students to have at least the applied GIS and programming skills covered in the last two courses on this list. 
• Timeframe: Start thinking about internship 2 semesters prior to planned enrollment.
  • Schedule an internship meeting with GIS staff 1 semester prior to enrollment to allow ample time for placement, required forms, and onboarding.
  • Placement and approval can take 4-6 weeks.
  • Onboarding for most positions can take 4-8 weeks.
  • The background check alone (even for volunteer positions) can take 6 weeks.
• All internships must be approved by the University (affiliation agreement) and the GIS Program (internship agreement form).
• There are two aspects of the GIS Internship requirement including
  1. the 130 hours of hands-on work experience
  2. the Canvas course site/Seminar. 
• GIS staff will assist students with internship placement. We expect students to be proactive in the search and placement process.
  • Students already working in the GIS field can use their current GIS position to meet the experience requirements or choose to complete a series of online Esri training courses.
  • If placement is not possible, alternative options may be pursued including Esri training courses or a directed study project. 
  • Regardless of the option being pursued, students will enroll in and participate in the GIS Internship course seminar assignments on the Canvas course site. Students from multiple sections will be participating on the same course site.

Requirements

Prior to enrollment:

• Schedule a meeting with Amber Bloechle at least 1 semester prior to enrollment. We will discuss your career goals, options, requirements, and placement, and ultimately gain verbal approval for the internship opportunity before continuing with the required forms.
• UWF Affiliation Agreement - if the organization does not already have an affiliation agreement with UWF, we will need to start this process which can take several weeks.
• UWF GIS Internship Agreement Form - designed to be completed by the student and their direct supervisor or someone knowledgeable in GIS if not their supervisor.

Internship experience requirements:

• UWF Affiliation and GIS Internship agreements on file
• 130 hours of hands-on GIS experience
  • Students are expected to keep track of their hours worked to easily share progress with their supervisor and instructor.
  • In a 16-week semester, 130 hours equals about 10 hours per week. 10 hours per week is the minimal time commitment. Ideally, plan for 15 hours per week to get the most out of the experience.
  • This may include fieldwork/data collection.
  • Use of any GIS software is acceptable but Esri ArcGIS Pro is preferred. Some organizations are still using ArcGIS Desktop or they may be using open-sourced GIS software like QGIS or GRASS.
  • Many internship positions will involve data editing, file management, georeferencing, etc. However, it's important to UWF GIS for your internship to be varied in tasks and involvement.
• In the Canvas course site, expect to share your experience with classmates, complete a mid-term check-in with your instructor, and conduct final evaluation forms at the end of the semester (student and supervisor evaluations required). See the course syllabus and Forms section below for more details.

GIS Portfolio requirement:

• A GIS portfolio including an updated resume and samples of work is required at the end of the GIS Internship course (again, typically the last course taken in the program).
• Students are encouraged to keep their GIS blog up to date throughout the program courses (typically a required part of lab assignments) to make the task of selecting work samples easier. Work completed at the internship organization is encouraged but not required.

For full GIS Internship information, alternative options, requirements, and course details, review the course syllabus:

• GIS4944
• GIS5945

Forms

Internship

• UWF Internship Affiliation Agreement (UWF staff will initiate on student's behalf see Internships and Field Experiences and Non-clinical student form)
• GIS Internship Agreement (word doc) - students submit a Qualtrics form and completed document in PDF format in Canvas course site
• Mid-term check-in - student submits the completed doc in Canvas
• GIS Student Evaluation of Internship Agency  - Qualtrics form, the student completes and submits comment in Canvas
• GIS Supervisor Evaluation of Intern - Qualtrics form, Internship instructor or student emails to the supervisor to be completed by supervisor, the student submits comment in Canvas

Esri Virtual Campus 

• Esri VCC Agreement (word doc)

Directed Study

• GIS Directed Study Agreement (word doc)

Placement

Schedule an appointment with a GIS Advisor to begin discussing internship placement 1-2 semesters before you plan to enroll in GIS Internship. Below are a few things we routinely share with students during our conversations.

1. Consider interests, strengths, and goals. 
2. Create or update a GIS resume.
   1. Sample GIS Resume (word document to view and download)
   2. GIS Resume Guidelines PDF  (resume assignment pulled from course site)
3. Conduct an internship search. See the opportunities below.
4. Prepare for a GIS job interview (links to external  sites)
   1. Ten Tips to Prepare for a GIS Job Interview
   2. Preparing for a GIS Job Interview
   3. Prepare to get that job: 20 Challenging GIS Interview Questions

Opportunities:

• GIS Internships in Florida and Lower Alabama
• National GIS Internship Agencies
  • USGS
  • Esri
  • Fish and Wildlife
• Popular GIS job sites
  • gisjobs.com
  • gjc.org
• Program instructors and advisors share internship and employment opportunities with GIS students as we learn about them.
• A great way to learn about internships and job opportunities is to join a professional GIS user group. Attending webinars and events helps to learn more about the industry and get to know other practitioners. GIS folks learning from each other and sharing the latest news/tech. Most groups offer volunteer opportunities worth checking out - as a resume builder and network with GIS professionals. Here are some resources: 
  • URISA (National and International) Student membership is available at a reduced rate. Benefits generally include more education and more networking options.
  • AAG - (National and International)
  • ASPRS (National) More Remote Sensing focused applications of GIS.
  • GIS User Group search - for even more options based on geography.
  • Florida
    • FLURISA (Statewide) Free to join the mailing list (attend webinars, learn about events). 
    • NWFL GIS (Destin)
    • CFGIS (Daytona Beach)
    • SFGIS (West Palm Beach)
    • SHRUG (Tallahassee)
    • FL ASPRS (Tampa, statewide)

FAQs