A History Degree prepares students with the skills to work in a variety of organizations related to history, research institutions, and cultural heritage management more broadly. Museums, historical sites, state and national parks, arts councils, think tanks, political campaigns, archives, and many other agencies are fitting places for history students to work. Internships are one way History, History Education, and Global History Majors can gain experience and on the job training while pursuing their bachelor’s degree.
See Where History Majors Have Worked in the Past
Getting Started:
Step One: Find an internship. Students can work with the History Internship Program Coordinator to find an internship placement and for ideas on where to begin the search.
Step Two: Find a faculty supervisor. Faculty supervisors can be any professor from the History Department who can be listed as an Instructor of Record. Students will talk with a faculty member and discuss an academic project to go along with the internship. This may take the form of an essay, paper, daily or weekly documentation, or project that describes the work you did and what you learned through the internship experience. Exact details are to be worked out with the faculty supervisor.
Step Three: Decide if you are applying for course credit. If you are working at an entry-level job in an establishment or with a company that prepares you for a career as an historian, we recommend you apply to use the credits toward your degree.
If you are applying for course credit, you will need to fill out the HST 493 Course Override Form and the History Internship Program Form. Please email the History Internship Program Coordinator, Dani Willcutt, for more information and for the form at willcut2@msu.edu
Qualifications for the History Internship Program
-Junior standing
-Cumulative G.P.A. of 2.0 or higher
Other Ways to Participate
There are other ways to network and gain professional experience outside of a formal internship. Many sites are always looking for volunteers, for example. Volunteering is a low-stakes method for learning about with a high return that provides students with opportunities for networking and learning what types of work they will prefer.
Undergraduate students who want to gain more research experience can also participate in MSU’s University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF), which takes place every spring. For more information, visit: https://urca.msu.edu/uuraf