The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. Based in Washington D.C., it has 17 museums as well as a zoo. It offers internships and fellowships across a range of disciplines, and students from a range of majors are encouraged to apply.
Many of the internships are based in one of the museums, which include Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Center for Asian Pacific American Center, The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, National Air and Space Museum and many others. Internships include curatorial, design, cataloguing and collections management opportunities but also extend to operational roles, such as research & analysis and finance. Beyond the museums, students can apply to internships at the Zoo. These opportunities would be particularly relevant to students studying life sciences.
The Smithsonian Institution also offers fellowships intended for graduate students, predoctoral students, and postdoctoral researchers. Fellowships require individuals to design and develop proposals to conduct independent research. Like internships, fellowships are offered across a range of offices.
The majority of opportunities at the Smithsonian are based in Washington D.C., so applicants should be prepared to live in Washington D.C. for the duration of the program. The Smithsonian Institution website offers a resource on living in D.C., which can be found here: Living in DC, MD, and VA.
If you’re interested in applying to internships at the Smithsonian Institution, start with the Office of Academic Appointments and Internships. Information about applying to fellowships can be found on their Fellowship Programs website. As always, the Career Center staff are happy to support you with your application. You can attend the Career Lab drop-in hours, held 12-2 Monday-Friday in the Career Center Dowling Hall office, or schedule an appointment with a staff member through Handshake.
