Resources for Job Seekers and Students

Resources for Job Seekers

There are a variety of paths that you can take to pursue a career with NOAA Fisheries. Like all federal agencies, our federal employees are hired through USAJOBS, the government’s official employment website. 

Contractors are hired through individual contracted companies. Students and recent graduates may be hired through various internship and fellowship programs.

Federal Employees

The federal hiring process is unique from the average hiring processes and has its own very specific requirements. USAJOBS is the only place to apply for federal jobs online. To apply for federal jobs, you will need to create an account through USAJOBS. You will have to submit a resume and clearly demonstrate that you meet certain criteria such as work experience and education. You may need to complete assessments designed to evaluate your mastery of skills required for the position.

A hiring timeline takes about 4 months from the close of an announcement on USAJOBS to the employee start date.

The federal hiring process can be complex. To learn more about the process and about how you can enhance your application, check out the resources below from NOAA and other federal agencies.

• USAJOBS getting started guide
• USAJOBS events 
• Video: Navigating USAJobs announcements: A hiring manager’s perspective
• 5 Tips for Communicating Your Qualifications 
• Explore Hiring Paths 
• Tips for Applying for Federal Jobs from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Contracting Opportunities

NOAA Fisheries works with contracting organizations to hire professionals to help support our mission and operations. Opportunities to work with Fisheries under a contract with the organization are typically posted on that organization’s website. The hiring process is conducted through that organization.

NOAA Fisheries has  contracts with many organizations. You can visit the careers section of their websites to search for employment opportunities supporting the agency. Learn more and find a list of organizations with NOAA Fisheries contracts.

Resources for Students and Recent Graduates

If you are a student or recent graduate, there are a number of ways that you can get involved with NOAA Fisheries. We offer opportunities for students to gain valuable work experience as interns and fellows, participate in mentorship programs, and receive funding for research. Learn more about programs that offer internships, opportunities, and funding to students through NOAA Fisheries or are affiliated with NOAA Fisheries below. You can also explore all student opportunities with NOAA.

Meet some of our former interns and learn more about their projects

Opportunities for High School Students

• Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program: This is an 8-week paid internship offered through the American Fisheries Society.
• Milford Laboratory Summer Internships (Milford, Connecticut): The Milford Laboratory in Milford, Connecticut provides opportunities in fisheries science and aquaculture for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.

Opportunities for Undergraduate Students

• Atlantic Salmon Ecosystems Research Team Internships (Maine): This paid work-study opportunity is offered through an agreement with the University of Maine’s College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture and School of Marine Science.
• Chesapeake Bay Summer Internships: The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office offers a variety of paid internships focused on marine biology, oceanography, and environmental education in the Chesapeake Bay.
• Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies Internships: The Alaska Fisheries Science Center and the Northwest Fisheries Science Center partner with the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington to offer these paid internships. Interns are matched with a research project within one of the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies nine research themes and work with a scientist at either the UW campus or one of the NOAA campuses in Seattle.
• Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship: This scholarship is open to undergraduate students majoring in disciplines related to the oceanic, environmental, biological, and atmospheric sciences. More than 120 undergraduates per year receive tuition support and paid summer internships through this program.
• Inclusive NOAA Fisheries Internship Program: This internship is a paid 10-week experience made up of a 2-week course available for credit through University of Maryland Eastern Shore and 8 weeks of project experience working with a mentor in science or management.
• José E. Serrano Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions: This program supports students from traditionally underrepresented minority communities and focuses on providing professional development in the atmospheric, oceanic, and environmental sciences.
• Milford Laboratory Summer Internships (Milford, Connecticut): The Milford Laboratory in Milford, Connecticut provides opportunities in fisheries science and aquaculture for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. 
• Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Young Scientist Opportunity (Hawaiʻi): This is a collaborative program offered in partnership with the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Interns participate in professional scientific research and formal training opportunities under the guidance of a staff member from the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center.
• Pathways Program: The Pathways Program offers clear paths to federal internships, including available internships with NOAA Fisheries, for students from high school through postgraduate school. The program also provides career opportunities for recent graduates.
• Sea Grant Undergraduate Opportunities: Sea Grant internships and fellowships allow students to partner with various STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) organizations to promote professional development and expand leadership in these fields.
• Southeast Fisheries Science Center Internships: The Southeast Fisheries Science Center offers a variety of internship and volunteer opportunities for students, such as internships with the Shark Population Assessment Group in Panama City, Florida. 
• Virtual Student Federal Service Internships: This program connects college undergraduate through Ph.D. students to federal agencies for virtual internships. Prospective students can apply to internships supporting projects in areas such as data visualization, education and outreach, and citizen science. Interns commit to about 10 hours of work per week during the school year.
• William M. Lapenta - NOAA Student Internship Program: This program offers paid summer internships targeted towards current 2nd or 3rd year undergraduate students and enrolled graduate students. Interns gain research and/or operational experience and work on projects in areas such as climate and weather forecast modeling, fish population dynamics, and social science.
• Woods Hole Partnership Education Program (Woods Hole, Massachusetts): This multi-institutional program is aimed at college juniors and seniors from underrepresented groups in the marine and ocean sciences. The program consists of a course in global climate change and a research project over the course of ten weeks.

Opportunities for Graduate Students

• Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program: This scholarship provides support for master’s or doctoral degrees in fields related to oceanography, marine biology, and maritime archaeology. Women and members of minority groups are particularly encouraged to apply. Research proposals should have an emphasis on meeting the science priorities of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
• John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program: The Knauss Fellowship provides a 1-year paid fellowship in Washington, D.C. to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources.
• Milford Laboratory Summer Internships (Milford, Connecticut): The Milford Laboratory in Milford, Connecticut provides opportunities in fisheries science and aquaculture for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. 
• NOAA Fisheries-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Program in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and Marine Resource Economics: This fellowship provides 2–3 years of support for PhD students pursuing doctoral degrees directly in or related to marine resource economics, population dynamics, and ecosystem dynamics.
• Pathways Program: The Pathways Program offers clear paths to federal internships, including available internships with NOAA Fisheries, for students from high school through postgraduate school. The program also provides career opportunities for recent graduates.
• Presidential Management Fellows Program: This program is a two-year leadership development fellowship designed to attract graduate students and recent graduates to careers in federal service.
• Sea Grant Graduate Fellowships: Sea Grant offers a number of fellowships focusing on professional development in the marine disciplines.
• Virtual Student Federal Service Internships: This program connects college undergraduate through Ph.D. students to federal agencies for virtual internships. Prospective students can apply to internships supporting projects in areas such as data visualization, education and outreach, and citizen science. Interns commit to about 10 hours of work per week during the school year. 
• William M. Lapenta - NOAA Student Internship Program: This program offers paid summer internships targeted towards current 2nd or 3rd year undergraduate students and enrolled graduate students. Interns gain research and/or operational experience and work on projects in areas such as climate and weather forecast modeling, fish population dynamics, and social science.