History

College of Arts & Sciences

Internship Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is an Internship?

An internship, by definition, must include a specific learning objective. In other words, the student deliberately sets out to gain knowledge, skill, and/or further understanding of history. Unlike classroom learning, the student gains this knowledge not from lectures, reading, and exams, but rather from on-the-job experience. For this reason, internships are often referred to as "experiential learning.” In general, there are three aspects necessary for an internship to constitute a learning experience:

1.     The internship is within the student's area of study; and they bring to the internship the knowledge they've acquired through their academic education.
2.     The internship supervisor provides guidance, evaluation, and feedback to facilitate the learning process.
3.     The student engages in ongoing contemplation of learning objectives throughout the course of the internship

 

Is an Internship required for a History BA?

No. The internship is not required to complete an undergraduate degree in History. If students are interested in participating in an optional internship, they can receive a maximum of 12 credit hours of upper-division elective History course credit for doing so.

Click here for more information about the History Undergraduate Degree Requirements.

 

What are the goals of the Internship?

The objective is to provide students in their junior or senior year with practical work experiences in the application of principles learned in History courses. Through an internship, students often explore careers that they are considering for post-graduation.

 

What types of placements are available?

History internships are highly dependent upon student interest. For example, students with an interest in working with museums have worked at Warren ICBM & Heritage Museum, the UW Art Museum, Sheridan County Museum and the Fort Morgan Museum. While most of our interns have worked in different counties throughout the state of Wyoming, students have completed internships elsewhere in the nation, such as Colorado and Virginia. We are thrilled to work with students who have ideas about innovative placements! 

Click here to see some of the internship options available to UW History students.

 

Who coordinates and supervises interns?

Dr. Barbara Logan oversees internships for the History Department. She is available to answer questions about internships and to help qualified students set one up. Students will also have a supervisor at the internship site.

 

How long are internships?

Students work a minimum of 100 hours during the course of the semester to complete internship requirements. Internships may take place during any semester. In consultation with the Internship Director, internship students may enroll in 3 units of History 4400 (for undergraduates) or History 5400 (for graduate students). 

 

What is required of interns? 

Before a student is placed with an institution, the student and the internship coordinator will typically meet to discuss the requirements for internship credit. The student will then set-up an internship with a specific institution on their own and get their future site supervisor to fill out and submit a memorandum of understanding to the internship coordinator.

• Interns are expected to keep a weekly log of work hours performed. This log will be turned-in to the internship coordinator one week before the end of the semester.  
• The site supervisor also needs to submit a mid-term and final intern assessment to the internship coordinator. 
• Interns are responsible for reminding their supervisors to submit this paperwork. 
• Two final papers are also due one week before the end of the semester. The first paper has a 15 page minimum requirement and will discuss the details of the internship, such as tasks undertaken and accomplished during the internship. The second paper should be 5-8 pages long, evaluating the individual intern’s experience and the internship in general. 
• Interns also need to submit copies of any written documentation they produced during their internship. 
• All materials should be submitted one week before the end of the semester. Any missing components of these requirements will result in an incomplete or failing grade.

 

Who decides the final grade for the internship?

The internship coordinator will decide the final grade with input from the site supervisor.  

 

How many credits are earned through the History Internship?

Students earn three credit hours.

 

What are the prerequisites for receiving History course credit?

Students should have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in History courses and meet one of the following criteria:

1. have completed HIST 1211, 1221, 1251 and 4050
2. advanced standing (Junior or Senior) as a history major
3. consent of internship coordinator

 

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Internship Forms

Below you will find links to the forms required for the History Internship. These forms include the application, checklist, hours log, and supervisor assessment forms. These forms are available as Word documents or fillable PDFs.

 

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 What do the interns have to say?

 Below you will find short videos of former UW History students that completed different internships.

 

 

 

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