Internships

Internship projects are based on an 8-week program with 2-week milestones. Projects include one-on-one weekly meetings with the principal mentor and at least one informational interview with another SI or non-SI colleague related to the intern’s academic or career interests.

Projects will either be onsite in-person at a Smithsonian museum or research center, online virtually with a Smithsonian museum or research center, or a hybrid of both (locations are noted in each project description).

Project work takes place 4 days/32 hours per week, Monday through Thursday, generally 9am EST to 5pm EST. 

Cohort Learning Experiences are in-person in Washington D.C. and focus on personal and interpersonal development, including select behind-the-scenes experiences and social opportunities.

In addition to unit-level interactions, interns may have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their individual unit projects at a ShareFair to engage other Smithsonian colleagues with their internship work.

• Undergraduate college students (rising sophomores, juniors, or seniors) 
• Recent graduates from an undergraduate program 
• Must have a commitment to women's history
• Must be at least 18 years old and have a GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. International students must already have a U.S. student visa. For questions regarding eligibility and citizenship cases (for example, DACA), please email the Because of Her Story program staff at BOHSInternship@si.edu.

All interns are based in Washington, D.C. Internship projects will either be in-person at a Smithsonian museum or research center, online virtually with a Smithsonian museum or research center, or a hybrid of both (locations are noted in each project description).

Specific project descriptions will be made available when the application period is open. Examples of past projects:

• “An Irrepressible Wave: A Timeline of Women in Smithsonian Ocean Science” with the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Marine Station, and Smithsonian Libraries and Archives 
• “Star Stories: The Women Behind the Science” with the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and NASA’s Universe of Learning 
• “Digital Storytelling with Smithsonian Magazine” Smithsonian Enterprises 
• “Magnifying the Stories of American Women with the Freedmen’s Bureau Transcription Project” with the Smithsonian Transcription Center and the National Museum of African American History and Culture 
• “To Coin a Phrase: Notable Women of the American Quarters Program” with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative and the Office of Communications and External Affairs 
• “Improving Asian Pacific American Women Representation on Wikimedia through Crowdsourcing” with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative and Asian Pacific American Center

Yes, a program stipend will be provided to each intern weekly. More details will be available in the application materials provided on this page when the application period is open.

All applications must be submitted through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA). Instructions for using the system will be included in application materials.

“The BOHS Internship Program is an eight-week deep dive into museum studies and women’s history. You get to learn about the opportunities and challenges in advancing women’s history while being immersed in the museum space, surrounded by people who are passionate about education and community building.”

“The BOHS Internship Program is a wonderful opportunity for individuals who are new to or are interested in continuing to explore the different avenues within the museum field. This program offers personal, academic, and professional guidance and support that can inform the direction of your future. By working directly with a mentor from a Smithsonian unit, you get to be part of a nurturing mentor-mentee relationship that enhances the summer project experience and provides an important insight to the bureaucracy of the Smithsonian. Most importantly, you get to meet a wonderful group of individuals with different backgrounds and experiences, but who all come together to work towards the same mission of centering diverse women's history in the US.”

“Through the BOHS Cohort Internship Program, I met so many astonishingly accomplished, interesting, opinionated and strong women. I was so inspired by everyone I met and truly felt myself grow and find my voice professionally and personally this summer.”

“The internship helped expose me to professions I never knew existed and showed me how women could excel in them. I learned just as much from my peers as I did my mentors and other museum professionals.”

The Smithsonian Institution is committed to the provision of reasonable accommodation for intern applicants with disabilities unless to do so would cause undue hardship. Requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered and processed according to Smithsonian Accommodation Procedures. Please contact BOHSInternship@si.edu if you have any questions.

The Smithsonian Institution may require employees (federal and trust), volunteers, interns, fellows and research associates, and their contractors who work with us, to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 subject to such exceptions as required by law. If selected, you may be required to submit documentation of proof of vaccination during onboarding. The Smithsonian Institution will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be.