Internships offer History students the opportunity to acquire practical experience in history-related fields and learn about the kinds of careers for which a major in History offers excellent preparation.
Internships for Acade​mic Credit
The History Department offers two types of internships for credit: HIST464 Internship in History and the MSST464 Museum Studies Internship. Both allow students to earn academic credit for internship placements at a wide range of cultural organizations, including museums, historical societies, historic sites, government agencies, and other venues that serve as bridges between the past and the present.
In recent years students have completed internships at UD's Biden School of Public Policy & Administration's Center for Historic Architecture and Design, W. L. Gore and Associates Corporate Archives, the Hagley Museum and Library, Delaware Historical Society, the Lewes Historical Society, and the African American Museum of Philadelphia. Internships need not be a financial hurdle or burden.
The Department's internships allow for a range of experiences.
HIST 464 Interns​​hip in History
For the Internship in History (HIST464), the student works with a
faculty mentor. In conjunction with that mentor,
the student identifies potential sites and defines the project that
will emerge out of their experience in the field—including projects such as a
site-based public history, experiential reflections, or a research paper.
Students may seek assistance from the department’s internship coordinator in
approaching appropriate sites and identifying potential faculty sponsors. Students interested in completing a HIST 464 internship, should contact Dr. Flaherty, the History Department's Undergraduate Studies chair.
MSST 464 Museu​m Studies Internship
The Museums Studies internship (MSST464) develops essential skills for professionals in cultural organizations, ranging from research and public interpretation, programming, or exhibition development (both in-person and digital) to community outreach, administration, fundraising, finance, and marketing. Students devise their internship in communication with the CAS internship voordinator​ and their host institution in advance, and then independently complete a project for their host institution that develops and demonstrates the skills they have targeted. Students
interested in completing a MSST464 internship must secure
pre-approval of their placement from Lois Stoehr, CAS internship coordinator.​
​The E. Lyman Stewar​t Summer ​Internships
These are competitively awarded paid internships given to rising ​sophomore, junior, or non-graduating senior History majors who are placed at local historical societies, museums, libraries, archives, or historic sites in the state of Delaware. You do need to be seeking a career in museums or public history to apply for these internships.
Applications require uploading your resume and cover letter for each position in which you are interested.
Application window for 2023 Stewart Internships will open February 20 and close March 6, 2023 at 5 p.m.
Virtual interviews will be scheduled via Sign-Up Genius and will take place March 14 - 16, 2023. Students will be notified of successful applications on March 24, 2023.
History and History Education majors can click here to see available positions and to apply.
The Raymond C​​allahan Experiential Learning Fund
In honor of retired UD History Professor Raymond Callahan, a fund has been established to promote experiential learning. The Department will review applications for activities during the summer following the freshman, sophomore, and junior year that connect the study of history (content, theory, practice) with experiences outside of the university classroom. Through these experiences, students will:
engage in historical inquiry outside of the classroom (in an archive, at a historic site, in a non-profit, at a workplace)
develop collaborative and interpersonal skills
create something meaningful and worthy of sharing with others (project, paper, series of social media posts, etc.)
draw on knowledge or skill developed in the history classroom
All History and History Education majors are eligible to apply. Successful applicants will receive up to $3,000 to support projects that engage in historical inquiry outside of the classroom and will be required to submit a report upon completion of the project explaining how the project fostered the use of historical inquiry outside of the classroom, collaboration, creation of a meaningful project, and connection to work in the classroom.
Application Requirements:
Cover letter explaining proposed activities (including identification of a faculty mentor and an external site), experiential component, and proposed final product
CV/Resume
Letter of support from experiential learning site or description of experiential component and target archive
Letter of recommendation from a UD history faculty mentor. Letters should be emailed to Amy Dolbow with the subject line: Raymond Callahan Fund Letter of Recommendation.
Application Opens: February 20, 2023 and closes 5 p.m. on April 10, 2023
Application link: 2023 Raymond Callahan Experiential Learning Fund Application
Contact Dr. Flaherty (dflaherty@udel.edu​) ​for more information.​
Smithsonian Institutio​​n Fellowship and Internship Programs
Programs are numerous and constantly changing. For more information, visit the ​Smithsonian Institution Internship Programs website.
Addition​al Resources
Students may also seek internship opportunities through the Career Services Center. If completed in conjunction with UNIV 364, the internship fulfills the DLE requirement.
For further information about internships, please contact your History advisor in the History Department Office.
Looking for more public history opportunities? Subscribe to the Museum Studies Program at the University of Delaware’s newsletter MuseWeekly which features professional opportunities such as conferences, workshops, internships, fellowships, and jobs.
Please read the UDaily Article about Exciting History​ Internships.
