Spatial sciences internships provide a valuable applied learning opportunity for students to explore future career paths and gain valuable work experience.
Our undergraduate students have landed internships at companies and organizations including:
- Esri
- NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- The Los Angeles Mayor’s DataLA Summer Academy
- USC Sea Grant
- the Southern California Association of Governments
- Marin Municipal Water District
- OnSite Engineering
- the Huntington Library and Gardens
- Southern California Environmental Health Science Center
- BCRA Architects, among others.
The importance of internships
In the Forbes article “The Importance of Internships and the Invaluable Relationships They Bring,” eleven members of the Forbes Human Resources Council point out how internships are valuable opportunities to form mentorship relationships, to develop your skills to the professional environment to bolster your profile before applying for jobs and to identify your real passions.
My internship at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) has been crucial in developing my understanding of data visualization and interactive spatial media.
Current Opportunities
The Spatial Sciences Institute partners with companies, organizations and agencies to offer internships each semester. These internships may be undertaken for credit by undergraduates by registering for SSCI 397: Spatial Sciences Internship or by masters students by registering for SSCI 596: Internship in Spatial Sciences.
The specific start and end dates, weekly schedule, and milestones will be determined by project leads with the students selected for the internships. Generally, interns should expect to commit an average of 10 hours per week throughout the semester.
These internships are open to USC students of any major, but require a background in GIS, either through coursework or by experience.
Students who have been selected for an SSI-funded faculty research project are not eligible for one of these internships.
The Spatial Sciences Institute distributes announcements of available internships to SSI students via email and other platforms.
Find your next opportunity
The Spatial Sciences Institute collaborates with the USC Career Center to help students turn classroom skills into real career momentum. Undergraduate and graduate student internships, fellowships, grants, and employment openings are available through ConnectSC.
Getting started is easy. Simply log in to ConnectSC with your USC NetID to browse current openings, including opportunities in locations across the country.
New listings are added continuously, so check back often. The right opportunity might be one login away.
Employers: Partner with us
Looking to connect with talented USC students? Start by creating a profile with the USC Career Center to reach candidates across the university.
Want to connect directly with Spatial Sciences students? Send your opportunity details to Dr. Katherine A. Lester at lesterk@usc.edu for direct posting to our internal message boards and social media channels. Be sure to include:
