Public History Internships
Public History Internship Program
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A history degree can be a first step toward many career paths, and a historically oriented internship is a great way to practice history outside the classroom. The best way to learn about the diverse work that historians do is to spend a semester working alongside professionals in these fields.
Recent alumni who have pursued career opportunities in business, cultural institutions, journalism, NGOs, and elsewhere tell us that their internships gave them an important edge in their successful job searches and graduate school applications.
Our Public History Internship Program places students in internships that prepare them for their academic and career aspirations in historical, academic, and cultural institutions. Students work in curatorial, archival, conservation education, fundraising, finance, and other departments, depending on their interests and skills. We are also developing internships with local businesses and non-profit agencies that allow students to use their historical knowledge and analytical skills in business and social service settings. Interns work with a Creighton faculty member, who assigns reading and writing assignments that assist students in drawing connections between the history they learn in the classroom and the way history "lives" within the public realm. Students may earn between one and six course credits, depending upon the hours that they work at the internship site.
- Boys Town Hall of History: Archives Intern, Research Assistant
- Creighton University Archives: Archives Intern
- The Durham Museum: Collections Intern
- The Father Flanagan House: Interpreter, Educational Materials Writer
- Heart Ministries: Grant Writer
- Project Interfaith: Communications Intern
- Sarpy County Historical Society: Curatorial Assistant
- The Union Pacific Railroad Museum: Collections Intern
Interns are eligible to receive credit if they perform satisfactorily at the internship site, complete required readings, and submit a five-page essay that demonstrates what they learned at the internship site. Work hours translate to credit hours as follows:
10 hours/week = 3 credits
8 hours/week = 2 credits
6 hours/week = 1 credit
If interested in pursuing an internship at a different institution, the Public History Internship Program is always developing new partnerships and internship opportunities. Long-distance summer-session internships are available with advance planning.
History majors and minors with junior or senior standing are eligible to apply for HIS 585.
If you want to work in a field outside of history when you graduate it is very important to have internships that can expose you to business, government, or whatever field you are interested in. I graduated in May of 2014 and I now work in Marketing at a medical device company. When I was hired my interviewers said my internships, letters of recommendation, and enthusiasm are what got me the job.
— Emily Wise, BA '14
Contact Information
Department Office
216 Dowling Hall
Humanities Center
Phone: 402.280.2884
Fax: 402.280.1454
Mailing Address
Department of History
2500 California Plaza
Omaha NE 68178
