Internships are offered during fall and spring semesters, as well as in summer. Availability is dependent upon departmental requests. Interns are assigned to the museum departments that best suit their educational backgrounds, experience, and interests. Interns participate in the ongoing work of the department to which they are assigned and are expected to complete a project or some portion of a major project. Specific responsibilities are determined by the educational background and work experience of the intern, as well as the needs of the department.

Internships

The IMA offers two categories of internship programs:

The IMA Scholar Program

The IMA Scholar Program is offered each year to a small number of graduate internship applicants. This internship is generally granted to candidates who are in active pursuit of future careers in the curatorial research, historic preservation, or conservation fields. Applicants pursuing careers in other aspects of art museum practice may be considered for the IMA Scholar Program dependent on the strength of their qualifications and the availability of projects related to current IMA initiatives.

The IMA Intern Program

The IMA Intern Program is open to juniors, seniors, recent graduates, or graduate students who work on projects with their assigned mentor and department staff. Typically, more students participate in summer than in the fall and spring terms. Summer interns participate in regularly scheduled programming designed to provide a broader understanding of museum operations and practices.

IMA Internships are offered in the following departments with availability depending on departmental requests:

Audience Engagement
Conservation
Conservation Science
Curatorial
Design
Development
Historic Preservation
Installation
Legal Affairs
Libraries & Archives
Marketing
Photography
Public Programs
Public Relations
Publishing & Media
Registration
Technology

For more information on the departments listed above, please read our department descriptions.

Applying to the IMA Internship Programs

Fall 2012
(August 27-December 7, 2012)
Applications due: April 6, 2012
Notifications sent: May 11, 2012

Spring 2013
(January 7-April 26, 2013)
Applications due: September 20, 2012
Notifications sent: October 25, 2012

Summer 2013
(June 4-August 9, 2013)
Applications due: January 4, 2013
Notifications sent: February 8, 2013

Application materials must include:

• Completed application form IMA Internship Application
• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Recommendation Letter (academic is preferred; however a professional recommendation will be accepted)
• Writing Sample (3-5 pages or an excerpt from a longer paper)
• Copy of transcript

Internship application material should be submitted electronically, and may be emailed to the Internship Program.

Internship Details

Frequently Asked Questions

More Internship Details