A History degree prepares students with the skills to work in a variety of organizations and settings. One of the best ways for students to explore possible career paths is to do an internship. This can help students build a resume, develop professional connections and networks, and hone their interests while gaining important work experience. For many students, internships are important preparatory steps for rewarding careers after graduation.
The History Department is committed to helping students explore careers and secure fulfilling employment while they complete their degrees, and we are glad to help coordinate internships for students both for professional experience and for course credit.
In recent years, History Students have done internships with the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum, On the Banks of the Red Cedar, the Beal Botanical Garden, Meridian Historical Village, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. The Department maintains a network of internship partners in a variety of sectors, and there are opportunities for both in-person and virtual experiences.
In the History Department, students can explore internships not only for professional experience but for course credit. The department offers HST 493, a variable-credit course offering students an experiential learning opportunity. For students who take the three-credit version of the course, this can count toward one of the required 400-level seminars in your course plan. For students who do fewer credits, or who just want to do an internship for the experience, these still can be recorded in your Spartan Experience Record. Students completing HST 493 for three credits will be required to plan an academic assignment that draws on and interprets the practical experiences of their internship. The form of the assignment is flexible and unique to each student. Upon completion, these assignments may become components of the student’s job portfolio or cited in graduate school applications. HST 493 may be taken during the regular academic year or during the summer.
Getting Started:
If you are a History major with a 2.0 or better GPA, you’re eligible to do an internship, and we’re glad to help you find one!
Step One: Find an internship. Students are encouraged to work with Undergraduate Advisor Brett Binkowski to find an internship placement and for ideas on where to begin the search.
Step Two: As you search for and secure your internship, you’ll need to decide if you would like to apply for course credit for your internship. If you decide to do that, you will need to fill out the HST 493 Internship Agreement and Enrollment Form.