Undergraduate Internships

Past Internships Sites

Since Fall 2016, our majors have held internships with over 140 unique organizations. For selected examples of where our students have interned, see the lists below!

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Law

  • Community Justice Initiative (Madison, WI)
  • Office of the Honorable Thomas Gilligan, Ramsay County District Court (St. Paul, MN)
  • Wisconsin Department of Justice (Madison, WI)
  • Legal Action Group (London, UK)
  • United States District Court for the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.)
  • Winnebago County District Attorney (Oshkosh, WI)

Internships Abroad

  • Visual Storyteller, Merry-Go-Strong (Kenya)
  • TSVE Bielefeld (Germany)
  • Fundación Mujeres en Igualdad/Women in Equality Foundation (Argentina)
  • London Metropolitan University Special Collections (UK)

Public History, Museums, Libraries, and Archives

  • Wisconsin Historical Society (Madison, WI)
  • Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (Evanston, IL)
  • Jewish Museum of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)
  • Advisory Council for Historic Preservation (Washington, DC)
  • Maritime Preservation Program (Madison, WI)
  • National Archives and Records Administration (Washington, DC)

Politics, Policy, Government, and International Affairs

  • Women’s Foreign Policy Group (Washington, DC)
  • New Trier Township (New Trier, IL)
  • Office of Governor Tony Evers (Madison, WI)
  • European Union Delegation to the United States (Washington, DC)
  • Wisconsin State Senate (Madison, WI)
  • Citizens Take Action (Long Beach, CA)

Social Justice, Activism, and Non-Profit

  • REAP Food Group (Madison, WI)
  • EXPO WIsconsin/Ex-Incarcerated People Organizing (Madison, WI)
  • Planned Parenthood (Madison, WI)

Environment and Agriculture

  • National Family Farm Coalition (Washington, DC)
  • Kickapoo Valley Reserve (LaFarge, WI)
  • Clean Lakes Alliance of Dane County (Madison, WI)
  • Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters (Madison, WI)

Arts and Culture

  • ArtWorking Studio (Madison, WI)
  • White Rabbit Films (London, UK)
  • Polish Cultural Institute (London, UK)
  • Barnard College Zine Library (New York City, NY)

Business, Management, and Finance

  • Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club (Milwaukee, WI)
  • ARTech Holdings, LLC (New York City, NY)

Publishing, Communications, Media, and Public Relations

  • Abernathy MacGregor (Washington, DC)
  • Brava Magazine (Madison, WI)

History Department and UW Internships

  • Nonviolence Project
  • Wisconsin 101
  • Mosse Program in History
  • Center for Campus History
  • UW Archives Student Historian in Residence
  • UW Archives Oral History Project
  • UW-Madison Center for the Humanities/Consortium for Humanities Centers and Institutes
  • MIA/RIP
  • UW Research and Sponsored Programs

Funding for Internships

Beginning in summer 2019, the Department has offered stipends of up to $2000 to undergraduate majors who wish to participate in an unpaid summer internship that is related to historical content or to the skills conferred by the History major. Internships in the most common fields of interest to History majors – such as museum work and public history, social justice advocacy, or politics policy – are often unpaid, and these stipends allow students to gain valuable pre-professional experience and to build their network without sacrificing the income they might gain from a summer job. Since the stipends were introduced, the Department has provided over $96,000 in summer internship support to our undergraduate majors; in summer 2024, we expanded eligibility to include History Certificate students as well (though majors still receive priority).

In Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, the Department expanded its support to include a limited number of stipends to History majors who are completing an unpaid internship during the fall or spring semesters.
Stipend applications are administered via WiSH and open in August for fall internships, December for spring internships, and March or April for summer internships. More information about the stipends and the application process will be available in WiSH after the applications open; students may also contact Christina Matta, History Career Advisor, at christina.matta@wisc.edu.

Students interested in international internships and/or study abroad should consider the Global Perspectives Scholarship. For more information, see WiSH.

Intern Testimonials

“Not many sophomores in college can say they’ve curated a museum exhibit, and I am so incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity.”

“This summer I got to see the inner workings of a museum and got first hand experience with what keeping a museum running takes. I have always been interested in museum studies and this internship really solidified that for me.”

“Throughout the project in Kenya, I had the opportunity to engage with a wide range of people: construction workers, librarians, women in literacy groups, professors, teachers, county government officials, and more. Every day brought new tasks, discussions, and challenges that I learned to navigate, often in a second language. These experiences broadened my understanding of the region and taught me invaluable skills that will stay with me as I pursue future historical research.”

“This internship was very supportive to my professional goals as I hope to one day become an attorney and possibly a judge. This internship allowed me to speak to and observe many different types of attorneys such as public defender and prosecutors. This was very beneficial as it allowed me to get a deeper insight into different law professions and which professions I could see myself in. This internship also allowed me to get a better understanding of court proceedings and how they are changing with our technologically advanced world. This was extremely beneficial as I feel very prepared to begin applying to law school and start the journey into a law profession.”

Academic Credit for Internships

The Department confers academic credit for internships via enrollment in History 301: History at Work Internship, a one-credit course that is offered in person each fall and spring semester. Enrollment in History 301 requires previous or concurrent enrollment in History 300: History at Work. It is against UW policy to receive credit for an internship via enrollment in an independent study course unless the faculty member submitting the grade is directly supervising the internship. Students who are unable to take History 301 may receive credit through courses elsewhere in UW, including Inter-LS 260: Internship Course, which is taught online during both the academic year and the summer session.

In the past, the Department has offered $500 tuition credits at the start of the semester to offset the cost of enrolling in History 301; interested students should contact Christina Matta, History Career Advisor, at christina.matta@wisc.edu.