notebook with the benefits of internship written on it: practice, exposure, learning, and experience

Internships

Internships help program majors explore some of the ways they can apply their knowledge and training before they graduate.

Many internship students discover that they love a particular industry or type of job, helping them better define what they want to do after graduation. Just as important, some students find that the job they thought they wanted is not a good fit for them after interning in that setting. That experience helps them adjust their post-graduation plans.

The Greater Milwaukee area is big and diverse and provides an array of potential internship opportunities for students. As part of their professional development, we encourage our students to draw upon both UWM and personal resources to develop professionally or locate suitable internships, including:

Depending on the internship, the role can be paid or unpaid. However, whether paid or not, internships are a valuable way to build a resume before graduation.

  • Networking through friends and family and their connections
  • Networking through student organizations or professional organizations
  • Using job boards and other online sites where internships are posted
  • Connecting with the UWM’s Office of Student Experience and Talent for resume assistance, interviewing tips, internship and job postings and more
  • Networking with alums of your program via Panthers Connect and asking questions about their internship experiences. 
History Internships

Internships help you explore career possibilities, gain hands-on experience that you can put on your resume, and develop professional skills that complement your classroom learning. An internship can also help you see the realities of a particular job so that you can determine if that career path is right for you before you graduate!

We encourage eligible students to do internships for credit by enrolling in History 289 (freshmen and sophomores) or History 489 (juniors and seniors). It is, however, the student’s responsibility to secure an internship with an agency or organization; the Department does not place students in internships. Students should also arrange to have a supervisor oversee their work at the agency or organization.

Before securing placement in an agency or organization, interested students should begin by verifying whether or not they meet L&S requirements to enroll in an internship for credit. The prerequisites are:

  • History 289 — lower-division course in History; 2.50 GPA.
  • History 489 — junior standing; satisfaction of GER English Composition competency; 300-level or above course in History; 2.50 GPA.

The steps for enrolling in History 289 or 489 are:

  1. Ask the Chair of the Undergraduate Affairs Committee to confirm eligibility to enroll in History 289 or 489.
  2. Download the Verification of Internship Form —  doc,  pdf, which must be completed and signed by the student and the agency or organization supervisor.
  3. Submit the completed and signed Verification of Internship form to the Chair of History Undergraduate Affairs Committee.
  4. You will be assigned an academic mentor from among the UWM history faculty.
  5. Meet with your faculty academic mentor to discuss the internship program, goals, assignment, and form of assessment.
  6. Complete and sign the Internship Contract Form —  doc,  pdf with your faculty academic mentor and ADD/DROP form as appropriate.
  7. Submit the completed and signed Internship Contract and ADD/DROP forms to the History Office.
  8. Important Note: Students must enroll in History 289 or 489 by the end of the FIRST week of the semester in which the internship will take place.

Examples of Internship Sites

  • America’s Black Holocaust Museum 
  • Beckum-Stapleton Little League 
  • Byron Historical Society 
  • Discovery World 
  • Fond du Lac Historical Society 
  • Frank Lloyd Wright Trust 
  • Harley-Davidson Archives and Museum 
  • History Museum at the Castle, Appleton 
  • Jewish Museum Milwaukee 
  • Luxembourg American Cultural Society & Museum 
  • Milwaukee Art Museum 
  • Milwaukee County Historical Society 
  • Milwaukee Public Library 
  • Milwaukee Public Museum 
  • North Point Lighthouse 
  • Oak Creek Public Library 
  • Old World Wisconsin 
  • Pabst Mansion 
  • Refugees International 
  • Rock County Historical Society 
  • Sheboygan County Historical Society 
  • Smithsonian Institution 
  • SPACES Archive 
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 
  • Villa Terrace Art Museum 
  • Voces de la Frontera 
  • Washington Park Urban Ecology Center 
  • Waukesha County Historical Museum and Society 
  • Waupun Historical Society & Waupun Heritage Museum 
  • Wisconsin Black Historical Society/Museum 
  • Wisconsin Boys’ State 
  • Wisconsin Historical Museum 
  • Wisconsin Maritime Museum 
  • Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts 
  • Wisconsin Veterans Museum 
Classic Internships

The Classics Program offers internships designed to offer students supervised practical experience in which they work in a business, educational, professional, or other setting and apply skills (e.g., writing, research, communication, data organization) developed in Classics courses. Typically, an internship offers no stipend, but sometimes they can be paid.

The internship is carried out under the supervision of an employee of the institution or organization who will be the institution internship supervisor; the academic component of the internship is under the supervision of a Classics faculty member who will be the faculty internship supervisor.

Students considering an internship should discuss options with the Classics Program Coordinator and/or the desired faculty supervisor as a first step at least one semester before they plan to register for the internship.

There are currently internship opportunities possible with the following programs and departments:

To enroll in an internship, students must:

  • have a cumulative GPA of 2.25 or higher
  • have at least junior status
  • be a Classics major
  • have identified an appropriate institution/organization for the internship, an internship supervisor at the institution and a faculty internship supervisor at least one semester in advance of the start of the internship semester.

Students should initiate meetings with both the Classics Program Coordinator/Classics faculty member and a professional at the internship location to assess the potential and follow through with the paperwork in a timely manner. The Classics Program Coordinator must approve the internship before students finalize any internship plans. Any student enrolling in a Classics internship without prior program approval will be administratively dropped from the course.

Expectations for Classics 489:

1 credit = 40 hours in internship (to earn 3 credits, for example, students should expect to work 8 hours per week for 15 weeks for a total of 120 internship hours). A student may earn up to 6 credits maximum.

The student’s performance in the course will be evaluated through:

  • A bi-weekly report on their internship work submitted on Canvas to the faculty internship supervisor (students are encouraged to keep a log of the work carried out daily during the internship)
  • A Reflection Paper that relates specific duties/activities at the institution as well as the general learning experience. The paper (3-5 pages) should include specific projects undertaken, any text produced, or research carried out during the internship.
  • A formal assessment of the student’s performance written by the internship supervisor and submitted to the faculty internship supervisor.