What to Expect

The Professional Master's Internship Track of the TCBES program prepares graduates to actively contribute as scientific professionals within environmental and conservation agencies, NGOs, and related organizations, with an emphasis on ethical, collaborative, and place-based approaches to conservation. Students complete a broad array of courses alongside an intensive, 600-hour, mutually beneficial internship that provides hands-on professional training in tropical conservation, environmental stewardship, and resource management.

This track offers an immersive experience within an organization engaged in resource management, often focused on developing or implementing policies and practices to enhance sustainability and environmental stewardship. Internships emphasize the co-production of knowledge, the integration of Indigenous and Western scientific approaches that support sustainability, environmental stewardship, and community-defined priorities. Students become active contributors within host organizations while recognizing and respecting community governance, cultural protocols, and data sovereignty. Internships are intensive training opportunities where students become integral members of the host organization, though they are not contractors or employees.

Prior to beginning the internship, graduate students develop a detailed proposal outlining their objectives, responsibilities, and approach to ethical engagement, including principles of reciprocity, accountability, and respect. Agency or organizational personnel serve in a supervisory and mentoring role throughout the internship, often in collaboration with community partners. This experience is designed as a reciprocal relationship that benefits the TCBES graduate student, the host organization, and the communities connected to the landscapes and resources involved.

Requirements

The Professional Master's Internship Track requirements are outlined in the UH Hilo Catalog. The degree includes:

• Core courses required for all M.S. TCBES students. CBES 600 , CBES 601 , CBES 602 , CBES 603 , CBES 645 , and CBES 677
• Professional Master's Internship courses: CBES 690 , CBES 691 , CBES 692 , CBES 695 , and CBES 696
• Elective credits: 12-credits of 600-level courses (up to 6 credits of 400-level courses may be taken with approved substitution). TCBES Courses.

More Information

For detailed information about the Professional Internship Track and the TCBES program, please review the TCBES Student Handbook. If you have any questions, please email us at uhhtcbes@hawaii.edu uhhtcbes@hawaii.edu

Timeline & Suggested Course Plan

The Professional Master's Internship Track of the TCBES program can be completed within two years. In the first year, students complete required core courses including two internship courses. During the summer, students complete their 600-hour graduate-level internship and the third internship course.

In the second year, students finish their required internship courses and electives and complete any outstanding internship responsibilities. Additionally, students must complete the internship report and deliver a public presentation to fulfill graduation requirements.

The suggested timeline below provides guidance, though students have flexibility to adjust their schedules as needed:

Internship Projects

Developing a Professional Internship Project

The specifics of each graduate-level internship are developed collaboratively between the student and the host agency through a formal project proposal. The proposal’s rigor is reviewed and approved by the Program Coordinator of the TCBES Professional Master's Internship Track.

While it is the student’s responsibility to identify a partnership agency, the Program Coordinator provides guidance and support throughout the process. The TCBES program maintains a wide network of relationships with state, federal, and private agencies across Hawaiʻi and continues to expand these connections.

After acceptance into the program, students will work with the Program Coordinator to determine a placement that best fits both their professional goals and the agency’s needs.

Past Affiliates of Our Program

Many of our affiliate faculty are employed by organizations engaged in resource management. While this list continues to evolve, below is a sampling of agencies with which our program has established connections: