Placement resources

How do I find a field site?!

This is a common question! Think about what you're interested in and relationships you already have with people and institutions that might be able to teach you something new and/or support you in doing a special CD project. Keep your eyes peeled for postings on listservs, browse jobs databases, and approach organizations whose work you're interested in.

When you have a site in mind, approach them to discuss your goals (i.e., the field experience requirements) and whether they might be achievable at their organization. The field experience gives you considerable latitude to develop your own scope of work, so do not sit around waiting for the perfect job listing to appear in a database.

If you are uncertain or want support to think through your ideas, talk it over in office hours appointment with a full-time faculty member! If you are interested in a specific area of CD and want help identifying placement opportunities, talk to someone with expertise in that area. If you want to talk more generally, meet with the current instructor of USP 460. (As of spring 2022, Dr. McGrath is the instructor.) To figure out who to talk to and how to make an appointment, see the School of Urban Studies faculty roster (click on a name to read a profile); there is a link to office hours information at the top of the page.

Some key resources:

Some key relationships:

  • faculty - Talk to people who are experts in areas you're interested in about organizations you might be able to work with; this is the kind of thing that office hours is for! You can go to someone's office hours even if you aren't taking a class with them. If you're unsure how to schedule an appointment, contact the administrative staff in the department where they work (look for a "Contact us" link on the website). Information for the School of Urban Studies and Planning is here. Please be mindful that part-time faculty (a.k.a. "adjuncts") are not compensated for advising work and do not offer office hours during terms when they are not teaching . . . so be judicious about requesting their time.

  • campus offices - Talk to cultural centers and student groups about partner organizations or off-campus needs they know about

  • leaders in your own community(ies) - Do you volunteer somewhere, participate in a faith community, have friends you admire? Talk to those people about projects that might let you build your CD skills!

Ed Abroad and virtual internships options

We encourage you to take advantage of Education Abroad and other experiential learning while you are at PSU! If you do a study abroad with an internship or independent field research component, you may be able to count it as your field experience. If this is of interest to you, talk to the USP 460 instructor right away--since it can take a bit of planning. Know that there is often money available to subsidize the cost of Ed Abroad.

  • many School for International Training programs are a great fit for the CD major; the virtual internships work well for USP 460

  • CIEE virtual internships - NGO (non-governmental organization) or Sustainability & Environment tracks

  • IE3 Global Internships that address CD skills, for example:

      • Public Health Rotations in India | Delhi, India

      • Agricultural Education in Thailand | Mae Rim (Chiang Mai), Thailand

      • Agriculture and Horticulture in Mongolia | Gachurrt, near Ulaanbatar, Mongolia

      • Artisan Chocolate Production | San Isidro de Heredia, Costa Rica.

      • Business & Woman’s Empowerment in Ghana | Cape Coast, Ghana

      • Cape Town Human Rights | Cape Town, South Africa

      • Cape Town Human Rights (Virtual) | Cape Town, South Africa

      • Cape Town Public Health (Virtual) | Cape Town, South Africa

      • Education and Sustainability in Thailand | Bangkok, Thailand

      • Education, Environmental Science, and Outdoor Leadership in Thailand | Chiang Mai, Thailand

      • Environmental Sustainability and Outdoor Education in Singapore | Singapore, Singapore

      • Fair-Trade International Commerce in the Birthplace of Chocolate | San Isidro de Heredia, Costa Rica

      • Horticulture, Environmental Science, and Business in India | Karkolli Village, near Sirsi, India

      • Housing Access & Social Services in Scotland | Edinburgh, Scotland

      • Human Development and Family Services in Cambodia | Cambodia

      • Human Rights in Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain

      • Humans and the Rainforest | Monteverde, Costa Rica

      • Humans and The Rainforest (Virtual) | Costa Rica, Central America

      • Migrant, Refugee, and Women’s Rights non-profit in Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

      • Non-Profit Leadership in Scotland | Edinburgh, Scotland

      • Outdoor Youth Education & Empowerment in Japan | Tokyo, Japan

      • Planning and Public Policy in New Zealand | Various locations in New Zealand

      • PROMETRA: Traditional Medicine and Community Development | Kampala, Uganda

      • Public Health, Gender Studies, and Social Work in Malaysia | Selangor, Malaysia

      • Public Health, Social Work, and Crisis Support in Japan | Tokyo, Japan

      • Rainforest Eco-Tourism, Organic Farming, and Research in India | Madikeri, Karnataka, India

      • Social Work and Human Rights in Singapore | Singapore, Singapore

      • Social Work and Public Health Practicums in Ghana | Accra, Ghana

      • Sustainability and Environmental Policy in Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain

      • Sustainability and Humanitarian Issues in Japan | Tokyo, Japan

      • Udayan Care | New Delhi, India

      • Vietnam Virtual Internships | Vietnam

      • Zero Waste Field Studies | Turrialba, Costa Rica