NRCS Internships
The Natural Resources Conservation Service Career Development Program and Pathways to Employment Programs
About the NRCS
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is one of 18 agencies that comprise the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The agency has a network of offices nationwide to lead efforts that help organizations and individuals conserve, maintain, and improve natural resources and the environment. Specifically, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help American farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners improve production and reduce input costs, while conserving the environment and our natural resources for the future.
The agency offers a diversity of career opportunities including the fields of soil conservation, soil science, range management, agronomy, natural resource management, agricultural, civil and environmental engineering, geology, hydrology, agricultural economics, and environmental conservation.
The NRCS Career Development Program Internship
The NRCS operates an active internship program the objective of which is to build and diversify its workforce, creating a pathway from internship to full-time employment.
The program provides a two-month paid summer internship experience in one of its national field offices, which includes travel and housing subsidies.
The program is targeted at students majoring in degree programs that align with NRCS careers:
- Environmental Biology
- Plant Science
- AG Science
- Agribusiness Management
- Civil Engineering
- Urban & Regional Planning
You must be a U.S. citizen and pass a background check to participate.
The NRCS Internship Experience
Prior to the start of the internship, you will have to complete various assigned training related to the internship and a background check.
- NRCS will assign you to an NRCS site office in the western United States. The internship will be 40 hours per week for eight weeks during June and July. It is a paid internship and, in addition, the NRCS provides generous travel and housing subsidies. You will need to arrange your own travel and accommodation, but the local NRCS office will provide some help with the latter.
During the internship you may have opportunity to participate in a conference or NRCS regional meeting. The internship program will also cover expenses for this activity.
Pathways to Employment Programs
Pathways Internships
Students who have completed the NRCS Career Development Program internship can apply to the Pathways Internship program. In October each year NRCS posts job announcements for over 500 Pathways Internships opportunities.
- This is a nationwide program targeting students majoring in agriculture, natural resources, environmental science, and other related degrees.
- Additionally, there are just under 100 Pathways internship opportunities for civil, agriculture, biosystems, and environmental engineering majors.
The Pathways Internship Program provides paid work experiences for current degree-seeking, undergraduate and graduate students. Interns may work during the summer, fall, spring or year-round and are eligible for non-competitive employment conversion upon program completion.
Pathways Recent Graduates Program
Even if you have not participated in the NRCS Internship Program, if you are a graduate of one of the majors listed above, you can be eligible to apply for the NRCS Recent Graduates Program.
This program affords a career development experience to those who have recently graduated from qualifying educational institutions and programs.
To be eligible, applicants must apply within two years of degree completion (except for veterans precluded from doing so due to their military service obligation, who have up to six years after degree completion to apply).
Successful applicants are placed in a dynamic, developmental program with the potential to lead to a career in the NRCS. The program lasts for one year (unless the training requirements of the position warrant a longer and more structured training program). It includes mentorship throughout the program, creation of an individual professional development plan at least 40 hours of formal, interactive training each year, and opportunities to take up formal career positions on completion.
Annually in October, the NRCS posts approximately 250 Pathways Recent Graduate positions throughout the United States.
- These are full-time, entry-level jobs targeting seniors graduating in December or those who graduated in the past two years.
- These opportunities will also focus on students graduating in agriculture, natural resources, environmental science, related sciences, and engineering.
- There will also be approximately 10 recent graduate opportunities for business majors with a focus on public affairs and management analysts.
All job postings will be on www.usajobs.gov and all applicants must apply on www.usajobs.gov. There are several ways to search USAJOBs, but a straightforward search is Natural Resources Conservation Service with a secondary search by typing “Pathways” in the search box. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply on or soon after the job posting date(s).