Internships are a valuable component of many students' education and one way that students can fulfill the Applied History component of their major in History. Internships can be undertaken in Fall, Spring, or Summer semesters.
A number of interns have gone on to hold professional positions in historical organizations, archives, and museums. Any student of good academic standing (including non-history majors) may pursue an internship through the History department; typically, juniors and seniors are accepted as interns.
Work Hours & Credit
Interns earn 1 hour of academic credit for every 40 hours of work time. Students are also required to submit a log of hours worked, as well as an essay summarizing and evaluating their internship experience. Typical internships are for 3 credit hours, though more intensive placements earning 6 credit hours or more can be arranged.
Finances
The department does not provide funds to pay interns; however, some agencies do provide a stipend or hourly pay.
Placements
The department maintains standing agreements with a number of institutions that provide students with a range of experiences, including work in:
- historic preservation
- museum exhibit research and display
- archive management and research
- historical archaeology
- oral history projects
- historical consulting
In addition to the department's prearranged agreements, students can work with the coordinator to establish an agreement with almost any appropriate organization, either locally or nationally.
In recent years, students have interned with a variety of organizations, including:
- African American Museum of Philadelphia
- Butler County Historical Society
- Corbis Film Preservation Facility
- Fort Ligonier Museum
- Fort Pitt Museum
- Lawrence County Historical Society
- MainStreet Butler
- Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Museum of Rural Life
- Mercer County Historical Society
- The Old Stone House
- The Stone House Center for Public Humanities
- York County Heritage Trust
In addition, SRU's History Department and the Harmony Museum have established the David Dixon Internship, an ongoing placement which honors the late Dr. David Dixon, a long-time SRU professor and scholar of Western Pennsylvania history. The internship includes a $500 stipend.
A typed Internship Registration Form needs to be completed and approved prior to start of internship.
Faculty Contact
To learn more about internship requirements and opportunities, contact the department's internship coordinator.
Dr. Aaron Cowan
303C Spotts World Culture Building
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
724.738.2409
aaron.cowan@sru.edu
