Internship Program

An internship is a valuable addition to an undergraduate curriculum. The goal of the internship program is to provide students a “hands on” experience working in a public garden. This experience is gained through garden work, field trips, and projects. Students familiar with horticulture can use the internships to expand their horizons and discover new aspects in this diverse industry. Classes become more meaningful within the context of the internship experience. Employers place great emphasis on horticultural job experience when looking for employees.

To apply, please submit: 1) letter of interest including career goals; 2) a current resume; 3) three letters of references; and 4) transcript(s) to Dr. John Frett: UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS; Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware, 152 Townsend Hall, Newark DE 19716. Materials may also be emailed to jfrett@udel.edu.

Year-Long Internship

This full-time, year-long internship provides the student with diverse experiences in botanic garden management activities. The intern will assist with the annual benefit plant sale, including plant propagation and maintenance, labeling, catalog production, and plant staging for the sale. The intern will also work with staff and volunteers to perform horticultural maintenance in the outdoor garden areas. Other responsibilities may include curatorial work such as updating accession records in BG-Base, using GPS to map plants in BG-Map, collecting field data with Garden Notepad, and labeling plants. Interns may also assist with interpretation of garden areas, membership management, and website maintenance.

The intern may register for two courses per spring and fall semester. Securing housing is the intern’s responsibility, though we will provide assistance. Ample housing is available as Newark is a college town. It is recommended the intern have transportation to take advantage of the numerous horticultural institutions and activities in the area.

Summer Internship

Interns will spend the summer working in the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens with the Garden Staff learning garden maintenance skills and gaining experience in public horticulture. Students will work outside performing a wide variety of maintenance tasks, such as mowing, weed control, pruning, mulching, planting, etc. Additionally, they will gain experience in such areas as pruning, propagation, signage, design, and curatorial work, depending on the summer's projects. At least three field trips to local gardens will occur.

Students may enroll in PLSC 364 for internship credit at the rate of 1 credit hour per 120 hours of work. It is the students’ responsibility to pay tuition, enroll in PLSC 364 in the appropriate semester, and fulfill the course requirements.