Introduction
Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge of the aquatic world for present and future generations. The internship program supports this mission by providing an opportunity to complete a project under the guidance of an intern supervisor while gaining career experience.
Acceptance Requirements
The student must be enrolled in or recently graduated from college in order to participate. Internships are open to both undergraduate and graduate students. If the student’s college offers credit for internships, it is the student’s responsibility to arrange for the credit.
Duration/Time Commitment
All college internships are unpaid. Husbandry and Research internships are full-semester commitments with a minimum of 38.75 hours per week. Internships in departments that do not deal directly with animal care may vary in length but require a minimum of 16 hours per week. Interns should expect to devote time beyond on-site work hours to research and completion of the internship project. The total number of hours worked may be dictated by credit requirements.
Projects
Independent projects are developed by the student in conjunction with his/her supervisor. Topics are frequently determined by current research or programs provided by the department. Once the topic of the project is defined, the student will be responsible for appropriate development of the project (including collection of data and data analysis for research projects), writing a project report and a brief oral presentation of the project to Aquarium staff. All materials and data remain the property of Sea Research Foundation and must be placed on file in both hard-copy form and on computer disc.
Dates
Most internships follow the college year (Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters). Dates of the program may be adjusted to fit other school calendars or programs. All application materials must be received by the following dates. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.
Semester Application Deadline Date
Spring (Jan – May) October 31
Summer (Jun – Aug) February 28
Fall (Sep – Dec) June 30
If you are interested in participating in one of our internships, we urge you to contact us at (860) 572-5955 ext. 108, as enrollment is limited.
To learn more about the various areas in which internships may be available, click here.