Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals

Since 1994, the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) has offered student summer internships for Native American and other college students with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). This program provides the opportunity for students to gain hands-on skills with EPA or other governmental and tribal environmental offices.

Application Deadline: Summer 2026 Applications are Due January 31st, 2026. Apply Here.

The internship is designed to give current college students an opportunity to:

• Assist EPA/Tribal agencies with environmental issues.
• Acquire new skills in a work environment.
• Gain actual experience while contributing to a project.
• Explore future careers.
• Earn $6,400 during the eight-week experience.

Eligible students must meet the following:

• Be a US Citizen.
• Possess at valid driver’s license. (Not required for all internships)
• Be a full-time student during Spring 2025 (12 hrs undergrad, 9 hrs grad) with at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA.
• Be majoring in an environmental or related field like science, engineering, planning, policy, law, management, political science, anthropology, health, etc and have an interest in pursuing an environmental career upon graduating from college.
• Possess proficient verbal and written communication skills.
• Have a strong interest in working with Native American tribes or projects benefiting Native American tribes.

Application Process:

• Review potential host site descriptions.
• Complete application by January 31^st, 2026. Apply Here.
• Be prepared to upload the following documents to your application. Please be sure your name is in each file name.
  • A current resume (with your name as the file name)
  • Please ask two references to complete the reference at this link: ITEP Internships Recommendation. References may also email recommendation letters directly to Kim.Shaw@nau.edu.
  • Unofficial college transcript(s)
  • A one-page (do not exceed 1 page) cover letter explaining what interests you in the internship and your interest in working in tribal air quality. (Make sure the essay has your name on it.)

Selection Process:
The EEOP staff will coordinate with host sites to identify 3 to 5 applicants to interview. The intern applicants will be rated based on the following:

• Quality of the application packet;
• Interest in environmental careers as demonstrated by the essay and school transcripts, work, volunteer, and school activities;
• Interest in tribal communities and issues as demonstrated by the essay and work, volunteer, and school activities;
• Match to the skills and interests requested by the host site.

The host site staff will review the applications and conduct interviews with the potential interns. The host office will make the final selection. Everyone who applies will get regular updates on the selection and placement process.

Selected Interns:
The intern will work at the host site but will be paid by Northern Arizona University (NAU). The ITEP staff will work with the selected students to arrange travel, housing, and payroll. Payment is based on students completing an 8 week, 40 hour per week internship.

Earning Academic Credits

Northern Arizona University does not offer academic credits for the ITEP Air Quality internship, however we will cooperate with any department or college that is willing to award academic credit for the internship. Be sure to review our program with your department to make sure it meets their requirements.