Academic Internships in Public History 

The History Department sponsors academic internships in Public History. History majors and minors who have completed HST 224, “Introduction to Public History” will be eligible to apply for an internship at one of a number of pre-approved area public history sites or may choose a site on their own.  Public History internships offer students the opportunity to bring academic skills and knowledge to career settings such as museums, historic societies, and battlefields.  

Public History internships can be scheduled during any term or over a break, at the students’ convenience. Students can earn one course credit for an academic internship providing the internship meets the criteria established by the college. These criteria, outlined below, concern both the nature of the work itself and the accompanying academic component: 

  • The internship must be relevant to the academic growth and intellectual development of the student.
  • The internship work must be substantial in nature, with the active involvement of the student in the profession. Clerical and other types of routine work are not appropriate. 
  • The internship must be unpaid.
  • The internship should involve a minimum of 100 hours of work experience. Additional credit will not be granted for work over the minimum 100 hours.
  • The student must have a faculty sponsor who will oversee the internship
  • A substantial paper or other project must be turned in following the completion of the internship. 

Pre-approved Public History sites in the Capital Region include the New York State Museum, the Schenectady Historical Society, the Underground Railroad History Project, the Albany Institute of History and Art, and the New Netherlands Institute. In the past, students at Union have also interned outside the Capital Region at such sites as the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake and Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.   

Students interested in applying for a Public History Internship should contact Prof. Melinda Lawson at lawsonm@union.edu or X8041.