Internships | Penn State Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science

Internships - An Overview

Students are encouraged to participate in internships as part of their meteorological education. Normally, students participate in their internships during the summer and then register for one of six internship courses listed below during the following fall semester. For three credits, students need to devote at least 135 hours during their entire internship (essentially, 45 hours per credit). The final grade for the internship course will be determined by the student's adviser and is based on weighing the evaluation from the internship supervisor and the evaluation by the adviser of the written paper that summarizes the internship experience. Although there is no minimum or maximum word count for the paper, students are required to address each of the criteria summarized in the Internship Contracts (see below) in a thoughtful and reflective way. Before signing up for an internship course and before beginning the internship experience, each student must meet with his or her adviser and reach an understanding of the paper requirements. A maximum of six credits of internship may be counted as professional electives. Meteo 395 may count as a professional elective only for students in the General Option.

Internship and REU Opportunities

List of Internship Opportunities
American Meteorological Society Internship Board
LinkedIn Internship Opportunities
REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) Opportunities
The William M. Lapenta NOAA Student Internship Program
UCAR Internship Opportunities
NASA Internship Opportunities
NWS Pathways and USA Jobs Internships (NOTE check this site often as deadlines to apply are usually very short.)

Inform the Meteo Department of Your Internship:

Meteorology Undergraduate Internship Form

Internship Contracts

The following 10 internship courses are available according to the prerequisite courses that students have completed. Note that the internship contract for the METEO 395X courses is the same as that given for the same type of METEO 495X internship. The only change in the contract is that in the written paper for METEO 395A, B, C, or D, the documented event that occurred during your internship must be linked clearly to a specific facet of one of the Meteorology courses that you have taken rather than necessarily to a 400-level Meteorology course.

METEO 395A: Internship in Meteorological Communication

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) Meteorology internship focusing on communication of weather forecasts or other atmospheric information. Prerequisite: METEO 101, or METEO 200A and METEO 200B, or METEO 201, and METEO 300.

METEO 395B: Private Sector Meteorology Internship

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) Private sector internship focusing on atmospheric problems and applications. Prerequisite: METEO 101, or METEO 200A and METEO 200B, or METEO 201, and METEO 300

METEO 395C: Internship in Meteorological Operations

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) Internship focusing on time-sensitive operational meteorological applications such as weather or climate forecasts. Prerequisite: METEO 101, or METEO 200A and METEO 200B, or METEO 201, and METEO 300

METEO 395D: International Meteorological Internship

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) An internship in an international setting that focuses on applying meteorological knowledge. Prerequisite: METEO 101, or METEO 200A and METEO 200B, or METEO 201, and METEO 300

METEO 395E: Off-Campus Meteorological Research Internship

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) Meteorological internship focusing on an off-campus research project. Prerequisite: METEO 101, or METEO 200A and METEO 200B, or METEO 201, and METEO 300

METEO 495A: Meteorology Communications Internship

(3 per semester/maximum of 6). Internship focusing on communication of weather forecasts or other meteorological information. Prerequisite: METEO 411

METEO 495B: Meteorology Private Sector Internship

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) Internship focusing on meteorological problems and applications pursued by private sector companies. Prerequisite: METEO 411

METEO 495C: Meteorological Operations Internship

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) Internship focusing on time-sensitive meteorological applications such as weather or climate forecasts that are produced. Prerequisite: METEO 411

METEO 495D: Meteorological International Internship

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) Meteorological internship in an international setting. Prerequisite: 6 credits of 400-level Meteorology coursework

METEO 495E: Meteorological Off-Campus Research Internship

(3 per semester/maximum of 6) Off-campus meteorological internship focusing on a research project. Prerequisite: 9 credits of 400-level Meteorology coursework.