The History Department Internship Program
The internship program offers History Majors, California Studies Minors, and History Graduate Students the opportunity to earn course credit (3 units) while gaining practical work experience in a wide variety of history-related fields. The program has placed hundreds of students in professional internships across Southern California, including in museums, historical societies, archives, public policy institutions, high schools and colleges, and nonprofit organizations.
Program Objectives
- Enhance student understanding of professional opportunities for trained historians.
- Provide students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge of the past in pre-professional positions.
- Create opportunities to establish professional networks and recommendations related to student career objectives.
- Allow students to develop and complete a specific project under professional direction.
- Strengthen ties of service and communication between the university and the community.
Requirements and Mechanics
- Upper division or graduate standing with at least a 3.0 average.
- Demonstration of writing and analytical skills.
- Work at least 120 hours at the host institution during the semester.
- Submit a paper at the conclusion of the internship.
- Meet the expectations of both the host institution and the History Department internship coordinator.
Getting Started
If you are interested in pursuing an internship, please contact Prof. Jessica Kim, Internship Coordinator, at or (818) 677-4330.
Internship Placements
The following is a list of some of the partner organizations that have hosted History Department interns in the past. Additional opportunities are available and the Internship Coordinator can assist students in establishing an internship with a new partner organization. To pursue an internship, contact Prof. Kim and she will assist you in the application process. Please do not contact these organizations directly; this list is only to give a sense of internship possibilities.
Archives
CSUN Institute for Arts and Media
CSUN Oviatt Library Special Collections and Archives
Los Angeles Public Library Historic Photo Collection
https://tessa.lapl.org/photocol
NBC-Universal Archive
https://www.gettyimages.com:443/footage/nbcnewsarchives
Reagan Presidential Library
Thousand Oaks Library—Special Collections
http://www.tol.lib.ca.us/Specoll/index.html
Education
Glendale College Learning Center
https://www.glendale.edu/index.aspx?page=154
Moorpark College Writing Center
http://writingcentermoorparkcollege.blogspot.com/
Santa Monica College Tutoring Center
https://www.smc.edu/AcademicPrograms/Tutoring/Pages/default.aspx
Museums
A+D Museum
Antelope Valley Indian Museum
Autry National Center
Chinese American Museum
El Pueblo de Los Angeles
https://elpueblo.lacity.gov/index.htm
Getty Foundation Multicultural Internships
http://www.getty.edu/foundation/initiatives/current/mui/
Museum of Tolerance
https://www.museumoftolerance.com/
Pasadena Museum of History
Petersen Automotive Museum
Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site
https://www.rancholoscerritos.org/
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
Santa Monica History Museum
https://santamonicahistory.org/
Skirball Cultural Center
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
https://americanhistory.si.edu/
Nonprofit Organizations
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality
Policy and Urban Planning
City of Glendale Community Development Department
http://www.ci.glendale.ca.us/planning/cpddefault.asp
Preservation
Los Angeles Conservancy
https://www.laconservancy.org/
Research and Publishing
California History
https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/publications/
Southern California Quarterly
https://online.ucpress.edu/scq
Silversword Media Corporation