Internship Opportunities

Internship opportunities are everywhere! Museums, educational institutions, archives, historic sites, government organizations, non-profits, media organizations, and numerous private businesses often offer internship opportunities. Many organizations are open to working with interns, even if they don’t have a formal call for interns, so students should consider contacting local organizations and businesses to ask about potential internships. Suggestions for finding and applying for internships are available at the PC Career Center.

Highlighted Internships at the Rhode Island Historical Society.

Here are just a sampling of organizations looking for history interns. This list is intended to help students find opportunities, but it is by no means exhaustive:

Rhode Island opportunities:

AAA Northeast (Providence, RI) customer service; travel; information technology; marketing; finance; insurance; human resources; support services
Center for Justice (Providence, RI) legal
Dorcas International (Providence, RI) community outreach; refugees; immigrants; adult education
Family Service of RI (Providence, RI) community outreach; child and family wellbeing
Gamm Theatre (Warwick, RI) education; development; marketing; general administration; arts
Generation Teach (Providence,RI)
Gilbert Stuart Museum (Saunderstown, RI) museum
Historic New England (various) archives; museums; historic preservation
Linden Place (Bristol, RI) communications; museums; non-profit organizations; marketing
New England Museum Association (various) museums
Newport Historical Society (Newport, RI) – museum, history, archives
Newport Preservation Society (Newport, RI) preservation, art, history, museums, and business operations
RI Historical Society (various) – research; communications; museums
RI PBS (Providence, RI) social media; communications; public relations; marketing; media
RI Public Defender (Providence, RI) legal
RI State Police (various) criminal justice
RISD Museum (Providence, RI) arts; community outreach; museum
The Providence Preservation Society (Providence, RI) archives; historical society
The Public’s Radio (Providence, RI) communications; broadcasting; media
Tomaquag Museum (Exeter, RI) museum
Trinity Rep (Providence, RI) arts; education; marketing
United Way of RI (Providence, RI) community outreach
WaterFire Providence (Providence, RI) nonprofit public arts administration; fundraising; event planning; community outreach
WPRI Eyewitness News (East Providence, RI) communications; broadcasting; media

Massachusetts opportunities:

Armenian Museum of America (Watertown, MA) collections; archives; museum
Framingham History Center (Framingham, MA) museum; archives
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (Brookline, MA) historic site; conservation; landscape architecture
General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Boston, MA) legal; government
Historic Deerfield (Deerfield, MA) museum; collections; material culture
Historic New England (various) archives; museums; historic preservation
House of the Seven Gables (Salem, MA) museum; historic site
Jewish Heritage Center (Boston, MA) archives; collections
Martha’s Vineyard Museum (Vineyard Haven, MA) curatorial; marketing/events; advancement; education
Massachusetts Health Council (Needham, MA) public health; health policy
Minute Man National Park (Concord, MA) historic site; public history; resource management
Museum of Fine Arts Boston (Boston, MA) arts; collections; archives; marketing; research
Nantucket Historical Association (Nantucket, MA) collections; archives; oral history; education; marketing
New Bedford Whaling Museum (New Bedford, MA) museum; archives; marketing; development; education; exhibitions
New England Museum Association (various) museums
Nichols House Museum (Boston, MA) collections; archives; digital services; research; education; development; marketing
Old State House (Boston, MA) historic site
Old Sturbridge Village (Sturbridge, MA) collections; archives; research; education; development; marketing
Paul Revere House (Boston, MA) historic site; education; preservation
Plimoth Patuxet Museums (Plymouth, MA) historic site; Native American; museum education; public programs
Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library (Lexington, MA) museum; collections; research; conservation
Senator Ed Markey’s Office (Boston, MA) government; political
USS Constitution Museum (Charlestown, MA) historic site; museum; library
Worcester Historical Museum (Worcester, MA) collections; archives; research; education; development; oral history

Other New England opportunities:

American Independence Museum (Exeter, NH) museum
Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford, CT) historical society; museum; library
Mystic Seaport Museum (Mystic, CT) museum; public history; sailing
New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (various) environmental
New England Museum Association (various) museums

Washington, DC opportunities:

Congressional Hispanic Caucus (Washington, D.C.) government; civic engagement
Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington, D.C.) museum; library
Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.) library; archive; museum; preservation
Mount Vernon (Washington, D.C.) museum; historic site; historic trades (paid)
National Aeronautics & Space Administration (Washington, D.C.) social media; historical research;
National Archives (Washington, D.C.) research at the National Archives in Washington, DC and College Park, MD; developing content for the National Archives website and social media; assisting with the National Archives oral history program; and providing general support to the National Archives History Office
National Museum of American History (Washington, D.C.) collections; education; exhibition; communications; marketing; museum management
Senator Ed Markey’s Office (Washington, D.C.) government; political
Smithsonian Institute (Washington, D.C.) business; public administration; history; art; science; culture; education
Society of the Cincinnati (Washington, D.C.) preserve and interpret museum collections; exhibitions; education
Supreme Court of the United States (Washington, D.C.) legal research; public history; communications
US Office of the Historian (Washington, D.C.) historical research and analysis; data entry; social media

New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania opportunities:

American Museum of Natural History (NYC, NY) anthropology; collections management; archives; conservation
Center for Jewish History (NYC, NY) research; communications; development; library; archives
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (NYC, NY) museum; archives; education
Museum of the City of NY (NYC, NY) museum collections; digital projects; marketing; communications; public programs
NY Historical Society (NYC, NY) museum; library; women’s history; development; education
Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (various) archives; archaeology; collections; exhibition; historic preservation; research; programming; museum studies; education
Senator John Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, PA) marketing; communications; education; library; archives; museum

National opportunities:

Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program (various) environmental; conservation
Generation Citizen (various) government; civic engagement
National Park Service (various) historic sites; conservation
History News Network (virtual) history; politics; media
US Department of State (various)  foreign policy; diplomacy; government

Other opportunities:

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL)  library; museum
Atlanta History Center (Atlanta, GA) collections; archives; development; marketing; outreach
Colonial Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA) historical site; museum; research; management; interpretation; preservation
Commonwealth of Virginia (various) various
Greensboro History Museum (Greensboro, NC) collections; manuscripts; community outreach; education
Harry S. Truman Library & Museum (Independence, MO) museum; communications; library science; education; art history; journalism; marketing
Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown (Williamsburg, VA) collections; development; marketing; museum education; finance; human resources; library
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum (Atlanta, GA) collections; education; archives
National Archives (College Park, MD) archival research; social media; oral history
National World War II Museum (New Orleans, LA) interpretation; marketing; education; collections
Texas Historical Commission (various) historical site; museum

The following organizations have offered internships, but have no positions at this time – check back in for new opportunities (Last updated 6/8/22)

Cranston Police Department (Cranston, RI) criminal justice
Roger Williams Park Zoo (Providence, RI)  veterinary; animal care; education; marketing; public relations
Boston Athenaeum (Boston, MA) library; collections; education
Jewish Woman’s Archive (Brookline, MA) writing; oral history
National Archives at Boston (Boston, MA) archives; collections; digitization
Albany Institute of History and Art (Albany, NY) public relations and marketing, curatorial practices, development/fundraising, education, event planning, and the museum shop
Historical Society of PA (Philadelphia, PA) archives; arts; education; conservation
National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia, PA) academic liaison; communications; public engagement; collections; development; education; exhibitions
Providence Performing Arts Center (Providence, RI) arts; entertainment
RI Broadcasters Association (Providence, RI) communications; broadcasting; media
Museum of Russian Icons (Clinton, MA) museum; collections; archives; marketing
Peabody Essex Museum (Salem, MA) arts; collections; marketing; development