Internships at the NC Museum of History

Applications for spring 2026 internships are now open!

Please see below for position descriptions and application instructions. Applications are due October 24.

Internships at the NC Museum of History

Thank you for your interest in the museum’s internship program! Museum interns provide much-needed support and assistance with projects across multiple sections, including Curation, Collections, Education, Marketing, and more! Interns allow the museum to better connect with the community while students learn valuable behind-the-scenes skills in the process.

As the museum embarks on a multiyear renovation process, staff expect that interns will play a vital role in the research and development of exhibits and educational programming for the new museum. Interns also participate in enrichment excursions to other local museums, historic sites, and cultural institutions. They also can network with museum professionals in diverse roles.

Internships are posted regularly for the fall and spring semesters, as well as each summer. Summer internships generally start mid-May and conclude in August, but position length may vary depending on the needs of both the supervisor and the intern.

Please see below for current opportunities, eligibility requirements, and application instructions.


 Only currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply for museum internship positions and interns must be currently enrolled while completing the internship.

Eligibility Requirements

Details on our program vary by semester, but please see below for some basic requirements applicable to most positions.

  • Undergraduate applicants must have at least completed their first year of college before beginning an internship.
  • Undergraduates must have a cumulative GPA of 2.8 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • Graduate students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • The number of hours the intern is expected to work vary depending on the project and the requirements of the student's academic program. Depending on the specific position, internship hours may be completed by working virtually, on-site at the museum, or a combination of both.
  • Internships at the North Carolina Museum of History are unpaid, volunteer positions.

General Application Instructions:

To be considered for an internship, please submit a completed application form, resume, cover letter, and unofficial transcripts from all colleges/universities attended to Internship Coordinator Kathleen Gleditsch at Kathleen.Gleditsch@dncr.nc.gov. Any additional materials required for an application to a specific position should also be emailed to Kathleen. Incomplete application packages will not be considered.

Marketing Section

Marketing Internship

Overview

*Please note additional application requirements for this position. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.*

The Communications and Marketing section is responsible for the promotion, branding, and public engagement efforts of the North Carolina Museum of History. Our team works to share the museum's programs, exhibits, and events with diverse audiences through strategic campaigns, digital media, and public relations initiatives.

We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Marketing Intern to assist the Communications and Marketing team. This role will support the promotion of museum programs and events, helping to ensure that our message reaches a broad and diverse audience. Interns will collaborate closely with marketing and social media specialists.

Projects

The Marketing Intern will assist with projects such as:

  • Developing content for social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Writing press releases, blog posts, and email newsletters.
  • Tracking media coverage and maintaining press and media contact lists.
  • Supporting the planning and execution of marketing campaigns.
  • Conducting market research and analyzing audience engagement trends, including building a comprehensive database of community contacts across North Carolina
  • Participating in brainstorming sessions for creative outreach strategies.

The Marketing Intern must:

  • Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
  • Be able to work collaboratively and independently in a fast-paced environment.
  • Demonstrate strong computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office.
  • Show interest in public history, museums, or cultural institutions and seek hands-on experience in marketing and communications.
  • The intern will report to a temporary office space while the museum is closed for renovation.

Time Commitment

This internship is in-person and on-site at the North Carolina Museum of History’s temporary office location. Hours are flexible on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The schedule will be determined based on the intern’s availability and agreements with museum staff.

Additional Application Requirements

Applicants must submit:

  1. Two to three samples of relevant work (social media content, blog posts, writing samples, etc.).
  2. Provide a personal statement detailing what you hope to gain from this internship experience (can be included as part of the cover letter).

*Please note: applicants for the Marketing Internship must also submit a completed application form, cover letter, resume, and unofficial transcripts from all institutions of higher education.

Digital Content Internship

Overview

*Please note additional application requirements for this position. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.*

The Communications and Marketing section is responsible for the promotion, branding, and public engagement efforts of the North Carolina Museum of History. Our team works to share the museum's programs, exhibits, and events with diverse audiences through strategic campaigns, digital media, and public relations initiatives.

We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Digital Content Intern to assist the Communications and Marketing team. This role will support the promotion of museum programs and events, helping to ensure that our message reaches a broad and diverse audience across web and social media platforms. Interns will collaborate closely with marketing and digital content specialists.

Projects

The Digital Content Intern will assist with projects such as:

  • Develop content for web and social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Capture video footage for use in b-roll, social media platforms, and web.
  • Edit video projects using a computer-based, non-linear system (Adobe Premiere).
  • Assist with writing scripts, video outlines, and social media captions.
  • Research, outline, and write blog posts focused on North Carolina history.
  • Support the planning and execution of social campaigns.
  • Assist with tracking and analyzing social media metrics.
  • Assist with potential field work to other North Carolina Museum of History temporary storage and office locations, as well as the regional museums.

The Digital Content Intern must:

  • Have excellent written and verbal communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
  • Be able to work collaboratively and independently in a fast-paced environment.
  • Be familiar with social media best practices.
  • Demonstrate strong computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office.
  • Show interest in public history, museums, or cultural institutions and seek hands-on experience in marketing and communications.
  • Basic understanding of non-linear editing software (Adobe Premiere) preferred but not required.
  • Experience with video equipment (including smart phone) preferred but not required.
  • The intern will report to a temporary office space while the museum is closed for renovation.

Time Commitment

This internship is in-person and on-site at the North Carolina Museum of History’s office. Hours are flexible on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The schedule will be determined based on the intern’s availability and agreements with museum staff.

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit:

  1. Two to three samples of relevant work (social media content or video, blog posts, writing samples, etc.).
  2. Provide a personal statement detailing what you hope to gain from this internship experience.

Collections Management Section

Print Photography Project Internship

Overview

The Collections Management section is responsible for the stewardship, safety, and care of the NC Museum of History's collection, which contains over 150,000 artifacts that tell the story of North Carolina. Interns will gain unique behind-the-scenes experience in basic collections management practices, with this internship focusing on the printed photograph materials in the collection. Ongoing projects in these areas of the collection have begun and we are seeking an interested student in museum studies, history, archives, library sciences, or another related field to continue these projects under museum staff supervision. Interns will work with the museum collection while developing relationships with the Collections Management section registrars, conservators, and artifact preparators, as well as other sections of the museum. Interns will collaborate closely with an assistant registrar and registrar on a daily basis.

Duties:

The Print Photography Intern will assist with tasks such as: 

  • Digitization of print photographs
  • Moving, handling, and rehousing of photography collections
  • Embedding metadata in photograph files
  • Attaching digitized photographs and files to the museum database
  • Assisting with other projects as needed 
     

The Print Photography Intern must: 

  • Have excellent oral and written communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail. 
  • Be able to work both collaboratively and independently. 
  • Have strong computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office. Experience with Photoshop, Adobe Bridge, and Re:discovery Proficio or other collection management databases is a plus but not a requirement.
  • Be comfortable bending and lifting (up to 15 pounds) and the use of a ladder may be necessary. 
  • Able to work with delicate or fragile materials, including manual dexterity. 
  • Have knowledge of/experience in public history, history, museum studies, anthropology, archeology, art history, or related disciplines and want to gain hands-on experience in museum-related work.

Time Commitment: 

Because the museum is currently closed, the intern will be working at the off-site workspace with Collections Staff at a location in the Research Triangle Park area. Much of this project will be expected to be in-person and on-site due to the project requirements. Some remote work may be possible depending on scheduling. The schedule will be determined based on the intern's availability and agreements with museum staff.

Archival Inventory Project Internship

Overview

Despite museum closure, the staff are still hard at work! The Collections Management Section is responsible for the stewardship, safety, and care of the NC Museum of History's collection, which contains over 150,000 artifacts that tell the story of North Carolina. Interns will gain unique behind-the-scenes experience in basic collections management practices, with this internship focusing on inventory and documentation of paper archival materials. We are seeking an interested student in museum studies, history, archives, library sciences, or another related field to start these projects under museum staff supervision. Interns will work with the museum’s collection while developing relationships with the Collections Management Section registrars, conservators, and artifact preparators, as well as other sections of the museum. Interns will collaborate closely with an assistant registrar and registrar on a daily basis.

Duties:

The Archival Inventory Project Intern will assist with tasks such as:

  • Inventory of paper archival and numismatic collections
  • Moving, handling, and potential rehousing of these collections
  • Documenting object descriptions for collections as needed
  • Digitization of paper files and/or object photography
  • Assisting with other projects as needed

The Archival Inventory Project Intern must: 

  • Have excellent oral and written communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail. 
  • Be able to work both collaboratively and independently. 
  • Have strong computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office. Experience with Re:discovery Proficio or other collection management databases is a plus, but not a requirement. 
  • Be comfortable bending and lifting (up to 15 pounds) and the use of a ladder may be necessary. 
  • Able to work with delicate or fragile materials, including manual dexterity. 
  • Have knowledge of/experience in public history, history, museum studies, anthropology, archeology, art history, or related disciplines and want to gain hands-on experience in museum-related work.

Time Commitment:

Due to the museum’s renovation, the intern will be working at the off-site workspace with Collections Staff at a location in the Research Triangle Park. Much of this project will be expected to be in-person and on-site due to the project requirements. The schedule will be determined based on the intern's availability and agreements with museum staff.

Curation

Exhibition Research and Content Development Internship

Overview

The Curation Section of the NC Museum of History is responsible primarily for the collection of artifacts, stewardship of community and artifact donor relationships, and development of exhibitions. The museum closed to the public in October 2024, and during the forthcoming months/years of the museum’s closure, museum curators are working with outside design consultants on the renovation and reinterpretation of the museum’s permanent exhibition. The largest of those projects is the redevelopment of what was in the past called the Story of North Carolina, a chronological exhibition that covers more than 16,000 years of the state’s history, from 14,000 BCE to the present. This exhibit will include stories and time periods that have not been interpreted at length in the museum’s previous permanent exhibition, including the Civil Rights Movement period and key historical moments and events of the late-20th and 21st centuries, as well as many others in preceding eras. The Curation Intern will work closely with one of the lead curators of the chronological exhibition to research stories to highlight in the exhibit and identify related potential exhibit content. Interns will gain experience learning the process of exhibition development, becoming familiar with exhibit research skills and identifying powerful exhibit content.

Projects

The Curation Intern will assist with projects such as:

  • Primary and secondary research on specific periods, events, and moments of North Carolina history
  • Identification of potential exhibit content including images, audio, video/film, data, maps, historical quotes, interviews, oral histories, and more
  • Participation in weekly exhibit team meetings 

The Curation Intern must: 

  • Have excellent written and oral communication skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail
  • Be proficient in historical research, including navigating primary and secondary sources 
  • Have demonstrated experience with navigating institutional archives
  • Have experience or familiarity with public history, museum studies, archeology, or a related field
  • Be interested in learning about museum curation and exhibition development
  • Be able to work well independently and collaborate as part of a team
  • Be proficient in computer programs like Microsoft Word and Excel

Time Commitment

This is a 10-15 hour per week, 8–10-week unpaid internship that will be a hybrid, primarily off-site position, after a period of in-person orientation at the temporary museum offices in Raleigh. Hours are flexible, although attendance at regular weekly team meetings is encouraged. Most meetings will be virtual. 

Questions?

Contact Internship Coordinator Kathy Gleditsch at kathleen.gleditsch@dncr.nc.gov.