Internships and Fellowships
UNDERGRADUATE INTERNSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Internships provide History students the opportunity to acquire practical experience in history-related fields and to learn about the kinds of careers for which the History major offers excellent preparation. The department's internships facilitate a range of pre-professional experiences beyond classroom work.
Internships for Academic Credit
The History Department offers two types of internships for credit: HIST464 - Internship in History, and MSST464 - Museum Studies Internship. Both allow students to earn academic credit for internship placements at a 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. Funding is available from the department and the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) to ensure that financial need is not a barrier to holding an internship, even if the sponsoring organization cannot offer payment.
HIST 464 Internship in History
For the Internship in History (HIST464), the student works with a faculty mentor to identify potential sites and define the project that will emerge from their experience in the field. This may include a site-based public history exhibit, an experiential reflection, or a research paper. Students can seek assistance from the department’s internship coordinator in approaching appropriate sites and identifying potential faculty sponsors. Students interested in completing HIST 464 should contact Dr. Eve Buckley, the History Department's Undergraduate Studies director.
MSST 464 Museum Studies Internship
The Museums Studies internship (MSST464) develops essential skills for professionals in cultural organizations, ranging from research and public interpretation, programming, and 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 coordinator and their host institution in advance, and then complete an independent project for their host institution that develops and demonstrates the skills they have targeted. Students interested in completing an MSST464 internship must secure pre-approval of their placement from Ms. Lois Stoehr, the college’s internship coordinator for humanities departments.
The Raymond Callahan Experiential Learning Fund
In honor of retired UD History Professor Raymond Callahan, a fund has been established to promote experiential learning. The Department reviews applications each spring for activities during the summer following a student’s freshman, sophomore, or junior year that connect the study of history 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 (a 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 $4,500 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 historical inquiry, collaboration, creation of a meaningful final product, and connection to their work in the classroom. Recipients are also required to submit a poster about their research experience to the annual internship symposium in the fall. (A template will be provided.) This may be displayed in the History Department.
Application Requirements:
Cover letter explaining the proposed activities (including identification of a faculty mentor and an external site), experiential component, and proposed final product
CV/Resume
Letter of support from the experiential learning site or description of experiential component and target archive (if applicable)
Letter of recommendation from a faculty mentor, preferably from the UD History department. Letters should be emailed to Ms. Amy Dolbow with the subject line: Raymond Callahan Fund Letter of Recommendation.
Application Closes: May 1, 2025
Application link: 2025 Ray Callahan Experiential Learning Fund Application
Contact Dr. Eve Buckley (ebuckley@udel.edu) for more information.
Smithsonian Institution Fellowship and Internship Programs
Programs are numerous and constantly changing. For more information, visit the Smithsonian Institution Internship Programs website.
Additional Resources
Students may also seek internship opportunities through UD’s Career Services Center. Their internship fulfills the university’s DLE requirement, if completed in conjunction with UNIV 364.
For further information about internships, please consult with your History department advisor.
Looking for more public history opportunities? Subscribe to the newsletter of the university’s Museum Studies Program, MuseWeekly, which features professional opportunities such as conferences, workshops, internships, fellowships, and jobs.
