Internships
Gain experience, prepare for your future
Internships help you apply what you learn in the traditional classroom to the real world.
Learn more about yourself (strengths, interests) and discover what it's like to work in a particular profession or organization.
Internships may affirm for you the career path you have chosen, or it may persuade you to take a different path.
Earn course credit for your internship
As an undergraduate or graduate student in history, you may also receive course credit for completing a semester-long internship.
To receive credit, you must:
- Obtain a permission form from the department office.
- Enroll in the following course: HST 599 Internship in Public History.
Your advisor can also help you navigate the permission and internship process.
For more information
Why do a history internship?
- Get credit – Your internship counts toward your degree requirements (BA, BS, BSEd, minor and MA).
- Experience history up close – Go behind the scenes at local attractions like Wilson's Creek Battlefield, the History Museum on the Square, Missouri State Archives and more.
- Flexibility – There are internships for students of every interest. If there's an internship you have in mind that's not already set up, we'll work with you and regional institutions to find the right fit. You can complete your internship during the school year (fall, spring) or summer.
Internship possibilities
Listed below are several possible internship opportunities with history-related organizations.
This is not an exclusive list; rather, it is based on past experiences and community partnerships. You are welcome to pursue your own internship opportunity.
For questions or more details, contact our department.
DOWNLOAD INTERNSHIPS BROCHURE (.PDF)
Greene County Archives
The Greene County Archives offer flexible, paid internship opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. You will be expected to work a flexible schedule of 20 hours a week.
History Museum on the Square
The history department sponsors unpaid internships at the History Museum on the Square in downtown Springfield.
Missouri Historical Society
The State Historical Society of Missouri, which is the premier research facility for studying Missouri’s heritage, has paid summer internships and unpaid academic internships available.
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources often has summer jobs available which could be developed into internships.
Missouri State Archives
The Missouri State Archives, which houses documents of importance to the state of Missouri, often has internships available. Check its website regularly for a listing of available opportunities.
Learn to prepare public records for permanent preservation. Clean, repair, process and index 19th century court records. Work with professional archivists learning document handling, preservation techniques, processing, record analysis, arrangement and description.
This program is offered on campus in the Meyer Library. It includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the State Archives in Jefferson City.
Student Conservation Association
The Student Conservation Association offers internships at historic sites, national parks, archives, museums and more to students and recent graduates. Internships vary from 12 weeks to 12 months.