The Career Exploration Internship Program is a paid program hosted by the Career & Employment Hub. These internships allow students to directly apply their classroom learning and build on-the-job skills in a professional setting. University of Southern Maine student interns gain valuable workplace experience and make connections in their field.

Students have the opportunity to apply for internships at Maine community partners. Student interns complete a minimum of 120 hours of work (min. 10 and max. 20 hours/week) over the course of a semester and are paid $19.50/hour. To be eligible, students must: 

  • Be matriculated at USM as full-time or part-time student
  • Have at least a 2.7 overall GPA and a minimum of 30 credits prior to the internship
  • Commit to the >120 hours and 10-20 hours/week outlined above
  • Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the US (international students on F-1 visas may apply and should contact the Office of International Programs early in the application process to determine their eligibility) 

The Career Exploration Internship Program supports USM students from all backgrounds in building on their prior education, life experience, and skills through meaningful internship opportunities. All students who meet the above eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply.

Detailed information for students regarding the Career Exploration Internship Program can be found here.

For questions, please contact hubinterns@maine.edu

Program Timeline

Student application deadline
September 24
Peer Career Guide appointmentsSeptember 28 – October 14
First-round interviews with Career & Employment HubOctober 19 – November 4
Second-round interviews with host sites November 9 – 20
Internship matches announcedDecember 4
Spring internships startJanuary 25
Spring internships endMay 7
For more information, please contact hubinterns@maine.edu

Applications for this program are being accepted through 11:59pm on Thursday, September 24th, 2026.

Applicants must complete the following steps IN ORDER:

1. Decide which positions you’d like to apply for (no more than 3 per semester).

2. Fill out and submit this form to indicate your intent to apply.

3. Applicants who complete the first two steps will be invited to meet with a Peer Career Guide to:

    a) Develop/review your resume
    b) Develop/review one cover letter tailored to each position (no more than 3)

4. Then, email your resume and cover letter(s) to hubinterns@maine.edu IN PDF FORMAT.

Note: completing this application does not guarantee that you will be matched with an internship through the program.

Advanced Technologies for Forestry and Agriculture

Farm to Institution New England – Communications Intern

Green Geans LLC – Applied Science Intern

Green Geans LLC – Grant Writing & Fundraising Intern

Green Geans LLC – Marketing & Social Media Intern

Green Geans LLC – Training Intern

Healthy Acadia – Food For All Intern

Maine Food Convergence Project – Event Planning & Communication Intern

Maine Timber Research and Environmental (TREE) Foundation – Forest Ecology Community Science Intern

Maine Timber Research and Environmental (TREE) Foundation – Holt Research Forest Bird Data Intern

Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment – Agricultural PFAS Research Intern

Aquaculture and Marine Technology

Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine – STEM program Intern

Arts

240 Strings – Operations Intern

Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine – Arts & Culture Intern

Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine – Facilities & Exhibits Intern

Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine – Theatre Education Intern

Classical Uprising – Arts Marketing/Festival Intern

Documentary Songwriters (DocSong) – Arts, Communications & Programs Intern

Equal Measure Arts – Music Studio Production Intern

Indigo Arts Alliance – Communications and Marketing Admin Intern

Mill Pond Ceramics Studio – Ceramics Studio Assistant Intern

Opera Maine – Administrative Intern

Osher School of Music – Arts Event Management & Marketing Intern

Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts – Intern

Biotechnology

Abbott Laboratories – Manufacturing Process Engineering Intern

MaineHealth Vector – Borne Disease Laboratory – Public Health Surveillance & Vector-Borne Disease Intern

Marin Skincare – Biomedical Production Intern

Environmental Technology

E2Tech – Environment/Energy Fellow Intern

WindowDressers, Inc. – Volunteer Coordinator/Trainer Intern

Humanities

Bangor Savings Bank & Portland Ballet – Community Impact Intern

Hearts of Pine – Front Office Intern

USM Franco-American Collection – Intern

HistoryIT – Digital Project Specialist Intern

House of Languages – Translation & Interpreting Services Management Intern

Maine Discovery Museum – Marketing Intern

Maine Office of the Secretary of State – Central Office Intern

Maine Permanent Commission on the Status of Women – Women’s Commission Intern

Nimble Group – Hospitality Intern

Portland Police Department – Intern

Information Technology

IDEXX Laboratories – Business Analyst Intern

Martin’s Point Health Care – IT Security Intern

ScanPower – Web Development Intern

SlicPix Inc. – Digital Marketing Intern

Composite Materials Technology

Great Falls Construction – Preconstruction & Estimating Intern

Great Falls Construction – Project Management Intern

Nonprofits

Democracy Maine – Youth Engagement Development Intern

Hearts of Pine Foundation – Intern

Food For All Services – Digital Communications & Community Engagement Intern

Hardy Girls Healthy Women – Nonprofit Operations Intern

Hope Acts – Direct Service Intern

Iris Network – HR Intern

Locker Project – Food Security Program Intern

Maine Community Robotics – Robotics Team Coach & Mentor Intern

Maine GearShare – Outdoor Gear Technician Intern

MaineHealth Food Pantry Portland – Intern

MaineHealth Workforce Development – Content Creation Intern

Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute – Program Specialist Intern

Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute – Stakeholder Engagement & Alum Relations Intern

Queerly ME – Community Outreach & Media Relations Intern

Special Olympics Maine – Health & Wellness Program Intern

Special Olympics Maine – Sports Program Intern

Sweetser – Community Relations Intern

Sweetser – HR Admin Intern

Sweetser – IS for HR Intern

Sweetser – IS Support Tech Intern

Telling Room – Teaching Assistant Intern

The DREAM Program – Afterschool Enrichment Intern

The DREAM Program – Mentor Coordinator Intern

Town of Old Orchard Beach Assessing Department – Assessing Assistant Intern

Trinity Jubilee Center – Employment Access Specialist Intern

Trinity Jubilee Center – Soup Kitchen Intern

United Way of Mid Coast Maine – Fundraising Intern

World Affairs Council of Maine – Communications and Outreach Intern

Remote

Democracy Maine – Youth Engagement Development Intern

Farm to Institution New England – Communications Intern

Hardy Girls Healthy Women – Nonprofit Operations Intern

Healthy Acadia – Food For All Intern

HistoryIT – Digital Project Specialist Intern

Maine Discovery Museum – Marketing Intern

Maine Food Convergence Project – Event Planning & Communications Intern

Maine Permanent Commission on the Status of Women – Women’s Commission Intern

Maine Timber Research and Environmental (TREE) Foundation – Holt Research Forest Bird Data Intern

Queerly ME – Community Outreach & Media Relations Intern

SlicPix Inc. – Digital Marketing Intern

WindowDressers, Inc. – Volunteer Coordinator/Trainer Intern

Muskie Resiliency Internships, a Maine Climate Corps Program

These internships are designed for Muskie School of Public Service students who have completed coursework on community resilience building and sustainability planning. Interns will enhance their skills, developing adaptive management expertise while also supporting Maine’s climate efforts and local organizations’ resilience needs.

Camoin Associates – Research & Data Analytics Intern

Friends of the Presumpscot River – Membership Development & Engagement Intern

Lake Auburn Watershed Protection Commission – Municipal Engagement Intern

National Association of Wetland Managers – Data Centers and Wetlands Policy Research Intern

National Association of Wetland Managers – Local Wetland Protection Research and Outreach Intern

Resilient Roots LLC – Resilience Research & Analysis Intern

The Career Exploration Internship Program is a fully-managed internship program designed to make hosting a student as easy as possible.

To support the workforce needs of Maine, USM partners with local employers on project- and research-based internships across a range of industries. We recruit, screen, and interview candidates on your behalf, handle all payroll and paperwork, and provide ongoing support to both you and your intern throughout the semester. You focus on providing the student with mentorship and meaningful work experience; we take care of the rest.

Join the growing community of Maine employers who call CEIP one of the most impactful partnerships they have: Contact Internship Program Manager Lindsey Freeman at lindsey.w.freeman@maine.edu or at 207-228-8268.

Career Exploration Internship Guidelines for Host Site Community Partners

Some of Our Internship Partners

Support for this program comes from the Maine Economic Improvement Fund.