National Park Service GIS Certificate

This Certificate is only available to interns who have been hired into the NPS GIS Internship program.

The purpose of the program is to provide an enriching professional development experience for current and recent graduates in the geospatial field with an interdisciplinary GIS-specific internship. The program will place interns in NPS park units throughout the nation. The interns will receive training, mentoring from GIS professionals, and will complete critical projects for national parks.

Bryce National Park

National Park Service GIS Course Work

Interns will be required to complete a NPS GIS training, participate in weekly cohort meetings, present their work for the NPS GIS community, and complete at least 640 hours of work based learning experience. Interns will be evaluated and complete a project list at the end of their internships. Internships will support GIS work in all disciplines.

Expected learning outcomes for this professional development certificate include:

  • Successful completion of at least 640 hours of GIS work
  • Presenting their internship projects to the NPS GIS community
  • Completing a project list at the end of the internship
  • Setting clear, achievable professional goals
  • Practice and develop professional communication skills
  • Creatively and critically think about GIS work supporting parks’ missions
  • Gain an understanding of public land missions, practices, and histories
  • Network with public land professionals
  • Gain hands-on experience through work-based learning