Undergraduate Internships

Students often return to campus after an internship with a much clearer understanding of their career goals and with increased motivation to excel. Internships also often provide a direct pathway to a student’s first job after graduation.

The Horticulture Internship (Hort 495) provides an opportunity for Horticulture and Landscape Contracting students to participate in a "real world" professional work experience that is relevant to the student’s academic program. Students receive academic credit and earn wages for participating in a Horticulture internship.

Students interested in applying for a Horticulture internship should contact Paige Thomas at 814-863-6087 or pmt2@psu.edu.

Comments from students who have recently participated in a Horticulture Internship include the following:

Laura Maynard
Senior majoring in Landscape Contracting
Internship at Chapel Valley in Woodbine, Maryland

My internship with Chapel Valley was one of the most educational experiences I have had during my time as a student at Penn State. I was able to rotate through six different branches of the company, experiencing time in the office and out in the field. Before my internship, I thought I wanted to do landscape design professionally, but after my summer with Chapel Valley, I realized that I am more interested in estimating/bidding and commercial installation work. Not only did my internship help me discover how I want to use my Landscape Contracting degree, it also introduced me to a wonderful group of people with whom I keep in touch. And I'm back at Chapel Valley doing a second internship there!

Matthew Van Sickel
Senior majoring in Landscape Contracting
Internship with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

My internship with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is in the Maintenance Department under the vegetation management division. My work responsibilities in the internship include taking monthly herbicide inventory and calculating the acreage of new highways and state routes that will need to be mowed. I have also worked closely with the environmental department and assisted them in preserving turtle habitats along a newly constructed road. I enjoy this internship very much and believe it is a valuable work experience that will be a major asset to me when I enter the job market after graduation.