Summer Internships for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

The Met offers paid and unpaid opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates, to explore museum careers and gain professional experience during the summer.

The Met strongly encourages applications from students who are members of groups underrepresented in careers related to museums and the visual arts.

The Museum Seminar (MuSe) Internship Program

The Museum Seminar (MuSe) Internship Program awards ten-week, nine-month, or twelve-month internships to students interested in a career in the arts and fields related to The Met's many departments, at both The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. In addition to developing skills through projects within Museum departments, interns participate in a weekly seminar series and interact directly with the Museum's visitors by leading public tours in the galleries.

Long term nine-month and twelve-month internships are also available. These long-term interns fully participate in the MuSe program during the summer.

The MuSe Internship Program begins on the first Monday in June. All interns must start on this date; there are no exceptions. Ten-week internships end the second week of August, when the summer MuSe program concludes. Long-term interns remain and work with their supervisors for the remainder of their internship periods.

Departmental Placement

Each intern is placed in one of the Museum's departments under the supervision of a full-time staff member. The Met has over forty department areas that host interns from a wide variety of academic backgrounds with an interest in art and museums. For example, students majoring in computer science can apply to intern in our Digital Department or Information Systems & Technology. Art history and other humanities students gain valuable experience not only in our curatorial departments, but also in areas like Editorial, Education, External Affairs, or Development. Studio art, design, or photography majors have thrived in areas like Digital, Graphic or Exhibition Design, Imaging, or as part of our Creative Practice team in Education. Our Department of Scientific Research often welcomes students with a strong background in science.

Interns may also be placed at The Met Cloisters to work on education, library, or curatorial projects. The departmental placement will be onsite at The Met Cloisters, but these interns will participate fully in orientation and all other intern activities and programs. If you have a specific interest in The Met Cloisters, be sure to select this museum area on your application. Please note that there are no intern placements at The Met Breuer.

Learn about the possible internship placement areas at The Met.

Departmental placements for the ten-week and nine-month internships change annually and depend upon available projects. Each intern is placed in a department relevant to his or her interests and career goals.

The Museum Seminar (MuSe) Series

During the internship, one day per week is devoted to the Museum Seminar Series. The goal of the series is to give interns an understanding of the many different kinds of work that occur at The Met, and how Museum professionals collaborate to plan and support the daily operations of one of the world's largest museums. Through these weekly seminars interns are connected to a community of Met staff, fellows, and other interns. Programs include conversations with the Director and other staff members, talks and workshops in The Met's galleries, conservation lab tours, brown-bag lunches with staff, field trips to other cultural institutions, and intern-led discussion sessions.

Public Tours

All MuSe interns interact with visitors by designing and leading public tours in the Museum's galleries and helping visitors at the Information Desk. At the beginning of the summer, interns participate in an intensive two-week training period about gallery teaching. They learn how to talk with the public about original works of art in the galleries in a way that is relevant, engaging, and accessible. Interns then develop tours that incorporate their own interests and offer visitors an insider perspective on The Met and its collection.

Dates and Compensation

June 4–August 10, 2018

Full time: five days, thirty-five hours per week

Compensation: Approximately $4550 (less applicable taxes and deductions)

The number of ten-week internships granted varies from year to year because it is subject to the number of available internship projects and resources.

Eligibility

Open to current undergraduate juniors and seniors, recent undergraduate graduates from a bachelor's or associate's program, and master's-level graduate students. Individuals must have completed their undergraduate or graduate degrees no more than one year prior to the application deadline. Current freshmen and sophomores are not eligible to apply for this internship, but may apply for an unpaid internship.

PhD students may be eligible to apply within the first twelve months of their program, provided that they have not yet achieved candidacy. PhD candidates are not eligible for internships. If you are unsure about your PhD student eligibility, contact us.

Current and former Met interns: If you have been a high school intern at The Met, you are eligible to apply without any restrictions. If you have been an undergraduate or graduate intern at The Met, you are eligible to apply for a ten-week internship provided you have not already completed twelve months or three semesters as an intern. Students who have completed a one-semester internship are still eligible to apply for The Met's long-term internships. Preference will be given to applicants who have not already had an undergraduate or graduate internship experience at The Met.

All current or former interns who wish to be considered for another internship at The Met must reapply. MuSe internships may not be renewed or extended past the ten-week term, nor can former MuSe interns apply for an unpaid internship within the same department.

International Applicants

Undergraduate and graduate internships at the Museum are open to international applicants. Interns are responsible for ensuring that they have valid legal status under applicable U.S. visa regulations while participating in the Museum's program. Although the Museum will act as your host institution, the Museum does not sponsor visas for interns. If you require a visa, you may be eligible to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program (J-1 visa program), by going through an outside agency that has been authorized by the State Department to sponsor a J-1 trainee visa. These sponsors are responsible for supporting and monitoring foreign nationals during their exchange programs in the United States.

We recommend that you consult with the U.S. embassy in your home country to determine which visa will allow you to participate in this internship. Please be aware that obtaining a visa is usually a lengthy process and can cost upwards of US$1,500; it must be completed well in advance of the internship start date. If you are offered an internship but do not have your visa before the start date of the program, your internship will be canceled.

How to Apply

Apply using the online application. It will ask you to select which internships interest you: ten-week, nine-month, and/or twelve-month. You may apply for any and all of these internships with the same application. If you would like to be considered for a long-term internship as well as a ten-week summer internship, simply select both of those options on the application.

You'll be asked to select Museum and project areas that interest you, as well as your academic interests and skills. You will write a short essay explaining your interest in this internship and the Museum areas you've selected. You will also need to upload an unofficial transcript and a résumé describing your experience. Students applying for an internship in the Design Department will be asked to upload a portfolio.

You will also have to ask two people who know you well to write letters of recommendation for you. One of these letters must be from someone who knows you in an academic context (either a professor or instructor).

We recommend that you edit your application carefully before submitting, and perhaps ask one of your instructors or professors to look over your essay and/or résumé as well. If you are unsure about how to write a résumé, we suggest you contact the career services center at your college or university for guidance.

Apply online.

Interviews

Interviews are not required, but most internship supervisors ask to interview finalists by phone or video conference before making a decision. You will not need to travel to The Met for an interview. We will contact you directly about an interview if needed.

Due to the high volume of requests, staff are not able to conduct informational interviews. Do not contact individual staff members about internships in their departments. Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions if you have general questions about the program.

There is no fee to apply to any of the internships.

DEADLINE: January 28, 2018, at 11:59 pm (ET). Please note: your recommendation letters must be submitted by this application deadline. We will not accept any applications, application materials, or recommendations after the deadline.