Internships are courses in where you work in a field placement and apply your classroom learning to duties assigned by the employer. These positions can be paid or unpaid depending upon the tasks you are assigned. Students in History and Anthropology work in any variety of internship sites from the more traditional to those more unexpected. Check out the following FAQ about internships in History and Anthropology:
- Why do an internship?
- Who can do an internship?
- Can graduate students do internships?
- How do I find an internship?
- How do I get class credit for interning?
- How many hours do I have to work?
- Where do History or Anthropology students usually intern?
- Do interns get paid?
Why do an internship?
Internships provide a variety of benefits. First, for undergraduates at Monmouth it’s one way to fulfill your required Experiential Education requirement (see the requirements for General Education for more information). Second, an internship does more than just beef up your resume. Internships allow you to try out a career that interests you or they give you an the opportunity to try something outside of your current path. You also build a professional and personal network which is vital to success. Even more practically, you develop skills that employers are seeking. Finally, you build personal characteristics like confidence, professional work ethics and the motivation you need to succeed. It can also be fun!
Who can do an internship?
Undergraduate and graduate students can do internships. Graduate students are not required to complete an Experiential Education requirement at Monmouth but can still use internships as part of their graduate work.
Can graduate students do internships?
Undergraduate and graduate students can do internships. Graduate students are not required to complete an Experiential Education requirement at Monmouth but can still use internships as part of their graduate work.
How do I find an internship?
There are a number of routes to finding an internship. You may have an idea for a site already. If so, directly speak with your advisor or contact the department’s Career Advising Mentor, Professor Heidi Bludau. If you don’t have a location in mind, Professor Bludau can help you get started on the search. For a broader list of internship opportunities, you may want to visit Career Development, as well.
How do I get class credit for interning?
Course credit is arranged through the department’s Career Advising Mentor, Professor Heidi Bludau. She will help you find a faculty internship supervisor and arrange course credit. In addition to working at the site, your grade will be determined on a journal kept about your experiences, a research paper inspired by the internship, and a site supervisor evaluation. Research papers will either be on a topic related to the site or on a professional experience like historical preservation or cultural resource management. Students interested in pursing work in museums or other forms of cultural resource management are encouraged to papers on the latter.
How many hours do I have to work?
Although the requirements vary from course to course, students are required to spend a minimum of 50 hours per credit earned (students have to complete a minimum of 1 credit) at an internship site over the course of the semester, keep a journal of their experiences, and write a final paper inspired by their internship experience. A student may take multiple courses for experiential education credit but only needs one credit of experiential education to fulfill university requirements.
Fall 2020: due to the current public health crisis, this semester we have different options, including virtual internships and micro-internships which have different time requirements. We are working with students during this difficult time to meet ExEd requirement.
Where do History or Anthropology students usually intern?
Students can intern any place that interests them. Naturally, we have ties to a number of historical and cultural locations in the local area such as the Monmouth and Ocean County Historical Associations, Gateway National Recreation Area-Sandy Hook Unit, Monmouth Battlefield State Park, and the InfoAge Museum. Students have also interned with the U.S. Marshal Service, the American Cancer Society, TEDx, and Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc. Talk to the department’s Career Advising Mentor, Professor Heidi Bludau for a list of more opportunities.
Do interns get paid?
Unfortunately, most of the internships available do not pay but some do. Internships that pay usually have more structure and will require a large time commitment.
Internship Opportunities
Come by the Department of History and Anthropology to take a look at our current internship opportunities or contact Prof. Bludau for local opportunities. The following links will provide opportunities in other areas.
- American Assoc of State and Local History – internship postings
- Go Eco
- US Dept of State
- Virtual Student Federal Service – U.S. students can apply to their top three VSFS projects from July 2 – 26 on USAJOBS.gov.