Florida State University’s Department of Urban & Regional Planning (DURP) provides students with real-world experience through its Cooperative Internships Program, which allows master’s students to work in professional planning positions for both private and public sectors.
The program provides its students with a stipend and tuition waiver and is sponsored by a variety of public agencies and private firms, including Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, the State of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, and several others.
Michael Duncan, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, praises the program for its innovative education and strong mentorship.
“Partnerships like this give our graduate students real advantages, with hands-on experience and mentorship that actually prepares them for their careers,” Dr. Duncan said. “It also sends a clear message to prospective students that we take their professional development seriously.”
Internships are funded by contracts and grants independently pursued by department leadership to provide financial aid opportunities for students, leading to full-time jobs after graduation in some cases.
Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency
The Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency (Blueprint), an interlocal agency of the City of Tallahassee and Leon County, has partnered with DURP for more than two decades to offer cooperative internships to graduate students. Students are given the opportunity to gain supervised professional planning experience and are assigned a variety of tasks, including newsletters, project snapshots, and grant applications.
Second-year master’s student Sarah Gibson discussed the impact this internship has had on her education as a planner.
“Working as a planning intern at Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency has been the defining experience of my master’s program,” Gibson said. “I gained hands-on exposure to everything from grant writing and GIS to construction site visits and local politics. This experience deepened my connection to Tallahassee and strengthened my skills as a planner.”
First-year master’s student Sidney Peters is also an intern with Blueprint and shared her own insights on the role.
“My cooperative internship with the Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency has been an incredibly rewarding experience that has allowed me to bridge the gap between my academic coursework and real-world planning practice,” Peters said. “Through my involvement, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to initiatives that directly impact the Tallahassee–Leon County community. I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to gain this experience while receiving the funding that supports my pursuit of higher education.”
Peters and Gibson worked under three-time FSU alumna Megan Doherty, AICP, CPM, who earned her MSP with DURP in 2009.
“For 20 years, Blueprint has benefited from stellar student interns through our partnership with the FSU Department of Urban and Regional Planning,” Doherty said. “DURP students make our community better through their work to support local projects that improve Leon County.”
StarMetro
StarMetro is the City of Tallahassee’s public transit system and provides interns with the knowledge and experience required to improve public transportation for local citizens.
Calla Curry, a first-year master’s student, worked as a StarMetro Transit Fellow this year.
“The Transit Fellowship has been illuminating in understanding how a transit agency functions, as well as the challenges associated with providing transit in a city like Tallahassee,” Curry said. “It’s certainly also honed my skills in writing, data analysis, mapping, and interfacing with the public, which are all important to working in the planning field.”
First-year master’s student Rachel Faulmann also worked as a Transit Fellow and shared that this experience gave her invaluable insights into the field.
“This experience has really shown me the technical and operational aspects of transportation planning. Planning, especially in transit, relies heavily on data, analysis, and technical knowledge to make decisions and innovations,” Faulmann said. “Understanding the small tasks that feed into larger projects has given me a better grasp on what my future career will entail. I feel that getting familiar with using transit planning computer programs and creating spreadsheets has helped my practical skills, along with the theoretical concepts that I learn in the DURP program.”
U.S. Forest Service
Since 2012, DURP has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to offer a cooperative internship, giving students practical experience through project-based work on the Florida National Scenic Trail.
Catherine Selin, a second-year master’s student, most recently worked as a U.S. Forest Service intern through the Cooperative Internships program.
“Through this experience, I’ve developed a much deeper appreciation for the natural places that are often overlooked, and I’ve seen firsthand that conserving land not only benefits the environment but also strengthens communities and enhances people’s connection to place,” Selin said. “I’m proud to have contributed to such a meaningful resource, and I’m confident that future interns from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning will continue to build on this work and support the trail’s continued growth and preservation.”
Jenna Taylor, deputy administrator for the Florida National Scenic Trail, shared her thoughts on the program.
“Hosting an FSU graduate intern expands capacity for the Florida National Scenic Trail team and partners at the Florida Trail Association,” Taylor said, “The intern support ensures that the Florida Trail remains a premier hiking trail in Florida that allows the public to experience the state’s most outstanding natural resources. We remain grateful for this ongoing partnership.”
Apalachee Regional Planning Council
The Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC) consists of multiple departments, including Economic Development, Emergency Planning, Environmental Planning, Housing, Transportation, and Quality of Life. It began its Cooperative Internship program in 2022 and provides opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in grant writing, meeting facilitation, public speaking, and community engagement.
Gianna Brooks, a second-year master’s student, was assigned to the Housing team, which oversaw the administration of Florida’s State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP).
“My experience as an intern with Apalachee Regional Planning Council has been very rewarding. I have grown as a professional, gained hands-on experience in housing, and have learned so much from my colleagues,” Brooks said. “The cooperative internships that DURP provides to students are invaluable for professional development and growing experience as a young professional.”
Kwentin Eastberg, deputy director at the ARPC, offered his insights into the program.
“Born out of a need for increased bandwidth to supplement the work staff were already engaged in, the Cooperative Internship provided ARPC the opportunity to ‘give back’ to the program that gave us so much, while at the same time investing in the Planners of the future,” Eastberg said.
Through partnerships with public and private agencies, DURP’s Cooperative Internships Program gives graduate students hands-on professional experience while building the skills and knowledge needed for careers in planning.
For more information on the Department of Urban & Regional Planning, visit cosspp.fsu.edu/durp.
For more information on Cooperative Internships, visit cosspp.fsu.edu/durp/financial-aid.