Overview
Quite possibly the best part about being a Public History student is the internship. An internship allows students to be immersed in real public history work, receive guidance from a host site supervisor and professor, and receive academic credit along the way.
Students who have declared the Public History Concentration and taken HIST 240: Introduction to Public History and HIST 368: Public History Careers and Internship Preparation, can embark on their Public History internship adventure through HIST 369. Students can enroll in a 3-, 6-, 9-, or 12-credit hour internship over the course of one, two, or three semesters. A total of 9 credits must be earned for the concentration.
Benefits
Internship programs represent an ideal partnership between the academic and professional public history communities. This partnership gives students an education that is both theoretical and practical while enabling them to gain hands-on experience through serving the needs of history agencies and organizations.
- Gets their "foot in the door"
- Allows them to try out a profession
- Builds a professional network
- Provides opportunity to learn essential job skills
- Earns academic credit
- Builds a robust resume
- Access to fresh ideas including the latest technological trends
- Infuses energy and enthusiasm into the workplace
- Enhances awareness of state-of-the-art curriculum content
- Provides an opportunity to develop working relationships with university faculty
- Access to Ball State resources
- Fosters proven job candidates with on-site training and work experience to consider for employment
Examples of Internships
Public History majors have served as interns throughout Indiana, the Midwest, and the United States.
- Academy of Model Aeronautics National Model Aviation Museum Collections (Muncie, Indiana)
- Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
- Blue Jacket Outdoor Drama (Xenia, Ohio)
- Bracken Library Archives and Special Collections (Ball State University)
- Children's Museum of Indianapolis (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Cincinnati Museum of Art (Cincinnati, Ohio)
- College Football Hall of Fame (South Bend, Indiana)
- Conner Prairie (Fishers, Indiana)
- Delaware County Historical Alliance/Moore-Youse Home Museum (Muncie, Indiana)
- Denali National Park and Preserve (Talkeetna, Alaska)
- Fogler Library Archives and Special Collections Department at the University of Maine (Orono, Maine)
- Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation (Oak Park, Illinois)
- Historic New Harmony, Inc. (New Harmony, Indiana)
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources – Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Indiana State Museum (Indianapolis, Indiana)
- LaPorte County Historical Society Museum (LaPorte, Indiana)
- Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (Lincoln City, Indiana)
- Minnetrista Cultural Center (Muncie, Indiana)
- Muncie Children's Museum (Muncie, Indiana)
- New River Gorge National River – Canyon Rim Visitor Center (Lansing, West Virginia)
- Northern Indiana Historical Society (South Bend, Indiana)
- Porter County Museum of History (Valparaiso, Indiana)
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum (Cleveland, Ohio)
- Sagamore Institute of the Adirondacks Inc. (Racquette Lake, New York)
What Are Some Past Interns Doing Now?
Public History Internships have led our students down diverse career paths.
Kristi Palmer
Associate Dean
University Library – Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis
Kristi Palmer went on the earn a master’s degree in library science from Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, where she is now Associate Dean of University Library.
Andrew Luce
Donor Relations Officer
Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
Andrew Luce is the Donor Relations Officer at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.
Courtney Jarrett
Associate Director in Administrations
Disability Services Office – Ball State University
Courtney Jarrett is the Associate Director in Administrations of Ball State’s Disability Services Office. She has also earned an EdD in Adult, Higher and Community Education from her undergraduate alma mater.
Michelle Haas
Michelle is a National Park Service Ranger and Chief of Operations at the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site and Acting Curator at Charles Pinckney and the Fort Sumter National Monument.