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Undergraduate Internships

An internship is a great way to develop skills and experience that will transfer to the workplace after college. You can typically earn upper-division history course credit for internships through HIST 4990.


Finding an Internship

The first step is contacting a relevant institution, locally or nationally, that either already has available internships listed on its website, or that might be open to hosting a student who wants to work for course credit. A list of potential sites is posted at the bottom of this page. 

 

Requirements 

  • The student must identify a suitable internship location, in consultation with a relevant academic supervisor.
  • Fifty hours of work per credit hour, to be completed over the course of a semester, for a maximum of six credit hours. Except in exceptional cases approved by academic and site supervisors, the student is expected to work some hours each week of the semester.
  • Contract, signed by student, academic and site supervisor, specifying the nature and responsibilities of the internship
  • Daily journal specifying tasks of the day, as well as reflections on how it helps prepare for a career, or how it utilizes existing historical or other academic skills (in other words, how did your education prepare you for this?). The student will turn in the daily journal to the academic supervisor at least twice per term: once at the time of the midterm evaluation and again at the end of the term.
  • Student must turn in a midterm evaluation form and two to three pages (double-spaced) reflection on how this experience prepares you for a job, how it ties in with the study of history and what you hope to accomplish the rest of the semester. It can summarize some of the points made in the journal. The site supervisor must also complete midterm and final evaluations, including a form and a written statement as to how the student is performing.
  • Final essay, six to seven pages for three credit hours, or nine to ten pages for six credit hours, due at exam time, including an extended reflection, similar to the midterm reflection paper on how the internship prepares you for a career, how it relates to history, how your education prepared you for success in performing your tasks, strengths and weaknesses of the placement, recommendations for future students doing the internship, list of work accomplished during the internship. Academic advisors may modify the requirements of the essay.

 

Objectives/Evaluation

Students will be evaluated based on their ability to:

  • Demonstrate the ability to apply training to a work setting through the use of relevant skills.
  • Demonstrate professional standards, including punctuality, attention to detail, ability to work independently, courtesy and collegiality, timely compliance with requirements of the internship (above), etc.
  • Demonstrate an awareness of career options that the internship provides.
  • Demonstrate an application of the skills to the field of history.

 

Responsibilities of the Academic Supervisor

  • Consult with the student about internship opportunities.
  • Provide deadlines, explain requirements and ensure the receipt of appropriate signatures.
  • Contact the site supervisor before the contract is signed and at least once during the internship.
  • Assign a grade.
  • Ensure that relevant information gets posted on the website.

 

Potential Sites

Local:

Sheerar Museum of Stillwater History 

National Wrestling Hall of Fame

Archives/Special Collections

Oklahoma Oral History Research Program 

OSU Museum of Art

State:

Oklahoma History Center

List of 30 State Museums and Historic Sites 

Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum 

Oklahoma Museums Association 

National:

Smithsonian

National History Day

National Museum of American History

National Archives

National History Center

The Breakthrough Institute

The Student Conservation Association 

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