If you are a high school student passionate about history, a history summer internship in the field can be a great next step. Rather than focusing on memorization, history-focused internships help you build skills in archival reading, primary-source evaluation, data organization, and historical writing. These programs place you within museums, libraries, archives, universities, or cultural institutions, where you can observe how historians collaborate, catalog collections, document findings, and present interpretations to public or academic audiences.
As a participant, you may also learn how to work with archival management systems, digital humanities tools, metadata standards, or transcription software, depending on the program’s focus. You will also develop skills that translate to future coursework in the humanities and social sciences. This can also be an opportunity to explore your interests in academic research, law, public policy, museum studies, or journalism.
Why should you choose a summer internship?
Summer internships typically offer sustained, full-time immersion that is difficult to replicate during the school year. Thanks to fewer academic constraints in the summer, you can spend multiple weeks working on internship deliverables. As a history intern, you can focus on a single research question, collection, or theme, exploring various sources and methodologies in absolute depth.
That said, if you are looking for year-round opportunities in history, you can check out this blog.
15 History Summer Internships for High School Students
1. Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino Young Ambassadors Program
Location: Washington, DC (one-week seminar) + practicum sites nationwide
Cost/Stipend: Free; stipend paid (for the four-week community practicum)
Cost: Free
Dates: Washington Week (1 week) + Community Practicum (4 weeks, summer)
Application deadline: April 11
Eligibility: Graduating high school seniors with a minimum 3.25 GPA who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents authorized to work in the U.S. and are enrolled to attend college full-time in the fall
The Young Ambassadors Program combines historical scholarship, museum studies, and community-based research focused on Latino history and culture. You will begin with a week-long seminar at the Smithsonian, where you will connect with curators, historians, and museum professionals while studying Latino collections, archival practices, and cultural interpretation. The program then places you in a four-week paid practicum at a museum or cultural institution, where you will apply research, documentation, and public-history skills in a real institutional setting. You will gain exposure to interdisciplinary historical work spanning cultural heritage, education, exhibitions, and public programming. The internship also emphasizes professional communication, leadership development, and applied humanities research.
2. Library of Congress High School Summer Internship Program
Location: Virtual (nationwide) with hybrid option for D.C.-area students
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: June 23 – July 17
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Current high school students or recent graduates who are 16 or older
This internship places you within the Library of Congress’s Informal Learning Office to study how historical collections are translated into public-facing educational experiences. You will work with Library staff to analyze collections, exhibitions, and youth programming, with a specific focus on providing teen-centered feedback for new learning spaces such as The Source: Creative Research Studio for Kids. The program emphasizes applied public history skills, including audience research, interpretive planning, and educational design. You may contribute through written reflections, digital content creation, or moderated discussions tied to Library events and exhibits. Meetings are primarily virtual, allowing you to participate from anywhere; optional on-site engagement for local students is also available.
3. National Archives and Records Administration Voluntary Internship Program
Location: On-site at NARA facilities nationwide; minimum 50% in-person engagement is required.
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: Late May/early June–August (10–12 weeks); fall and spring internships are also available.
Application deadline: TBA; summer applications open March 16
Eligibility: High school and college students who are at least 18 and U.S. citizens
This internship places you at the National Archives and Records Administration, where you will work directly with federal records and archival systems. You may support projects in archival processing, digitization, records management, public history, education, or reference services, depending on office placement. The program emphasizes applied archival skills, including document description, metadata standards, preservation workflows, and access protocols. As an intern, you will gain exposure to how historical records are accessioned, preserved, and made publicly accessible within a federal archival institution. Internships run 10–12 weeks and require a minimum commitment of 100 hours, with schedules set collaboratively with supervisors.
4. Student Historian Internship Program
Location: New York City (in person)
Cost/Stipend: No cost; stipend of $700 available
Dates: Summer cohort: Early July – mid August | Academic-year cohort: Late October – early June
Application deadline: Summer applications open in February; academic-year applications open in late May
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 10–12 who live in and attend school in the NYC metro area
This internship allows you to join a cohort of 25 interns and explore historical research and digital humanities while using the collections of The New York Historical. The program focuses on historical writing, source interpretation, and collaborative research workflows. As an intern, you will conduct sustained primary-source research around a central historical theme and translate your findings into public-facing digital projects. You will also gain exposure to museum operations, library collections, and digital media production through workshops with professional staff. Regular seminars focusing on historical argumentation, narrative structure, and responsible public scholarship are also part of the experience.
5. The Metropolitan Museum of Art High School Internship Program: Summer Internship
Location: New York City (in person)
Cost/Stipend: Free; $1,100 stipend upon completion
Dates: Summer (dates TBA)
Application deadline: TBA in February
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 and 11 residing in and attending school or homeschool in NY, NJ, or CT; valid working papers and SSN or ITIN required
This internship places you within a major cultural institution to examine how historical knowledge, art objects, and public interpretation intersect. You will work in small cohorts and connect one-on-one with museum professionals across departments such as curatorial, education, imaging, design, and digital media, gaining exposure to museum workflows. The program emphasizes professional skill development, including research support, audience engagement, and collaborative project work tied to museum operations. You will analyze how collections are contextualized for diverse audiences and how historical narratives are communicated through exhibitions and programming.
6. Stephen Tyrone Johns Summer Youth Leadership Program
Location: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
Cost/Stipend: Not specified
Dates: Seven-week summer program
Application deadline: Not specified; applications open in Spring
Eligibility: High school students from the Washington, D.C. area who have completed the Museum’s Bringing the Lessons Home program
This program is a museum-based educational internship focused on Holocaust history, memory, and civic responsibility. You will study primary historical narratives related to the Holocaust and apply that knowledge through public-facing roles, including leading tours of the Museum’s Permanent Exhibition and facilitating educational programming for youth audiences. The curriculum emphasizes historical interpretation, public communication, and ethical reasoning in confronting hatred and antisemitism. You will work with peers to design and host the Museum’s National Youth Leadership Seminar, gaining experience in curriculum development and group facilitation. The program treats history as a tool for civic engagement, linking historical analysis to contemporary issues in human rights and democratic values.
7. Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh Teen Internships & Youth Programs
Location: Carnegie Museum of Art, Natural History, Science, and the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; paid and unpaid roles available (amount varies by program)
Dates: Summer and academic-year opportunities (dates vary by museum and role)
Application deadline: Rolling; varies by specific internship or youth program
Eligibility: Teens and high school students; age requirements vary by program, and some internships may require prior coursework or a minimum GPA.
Carnegie Museums offer a range of teen-focused internships and experiential roles that emphasize public history, museum education, and collections engagement. Depending on placement, you may support youth programming, assist with camps, contribute to teen advisory boards, or collaborate on exhibition-related projects alongside curators, educators, and scientists. Select programs focus on designing public-facing events and interpreting cultural or scientific content for teen audiences. The work can help you build skills in audience research, program planning, communication, and institutional collaboration. Internships and volunteer roles are posted on a rolling basis and vary in scope and selectivity.
8. Spark!Lab Teen Innovators Program
Location: Lemelson Center, Washington, D.C.
Stipend: $2,300
Dates: July 1 – August 16
Application deadline: May 9
Eligibility: High school students, ages 15 – 17, in the D.C.–Maryland–Virginia (DMV) area
This internship places you in a public-facing museum education setting to explore how historical inquiry intersects with design thinking and invention. You will facilitate visitor engagement in Spark! Lab at Lemelson Center while applying educational strategies to support informal learning. You also have the chance to work on a collaborative project where you will follow the invention process to develop a prototype tied to either historical research and exhibit design or music history and beats production. The curriculum emphasizes problem decomposition, iterative design, and audience-centered interpretation rather than content memorization.
9. Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) History Lab
Location: Seattle, WA (in person at MOHAI with local field trips)
Stipend: $150
Dates: July 21 – August 1
Application deadline: May 23
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 10 – 12
History Lab is a two-week intensive that allows six high school students to explore local history, research methodology, and digital public storytelling during the summer. You will conduct primary-source research using MOHAI’s collections while examining how power, social change, and historical narratives shape the Pacific Northwest. The program emphasizes analytical questioning, contextual interpretation, and evidence-based writing rather than survey learning. You will also study models of digital public history and use accessible online tools to communicate research through multimedia storytelling. Fieldwork, gallery analysis, and collaborative critique will support iterative project development. The internship will culminate in the submission of a publishable historical, which will be uploaded on the Rainy Day History website.
10. High Museum of Art Teen Team
Location: High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
Stipend: Paid (amount not publicly specified)
Dates: Summer intensive: June 2 – July 25 + academic-year commitment
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Teen Team is a paid museum internship that focuses on public-facing history, art interpretation, and youth-centered programming. You will work closely with museum staff to analyze exhibitions and collections and translate that knowledge into accessible programming for teen and family audiences. The program focuses on collaborative planning, civic engagement, and audience-centered interpretation rather than independent research. During the summer, you will contribute to a structured project while learning about museum careers, collections management, and public programming workflows. Throughout the school year, you will assist in planning and executing Teen Nights and other events, gaining exposure to the work of cultural institutions and community engagement.
11. NMNH Summer High School Internship
Location: National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.
Stipend: $5,600 ($700/week)
Dates: June 23 – August 14
Application deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Current high school students, ages 15 – 18, who are U.S. citizens and fluent in English
This internship places you in a research-focused museum environment to study how scientific and historical knowledge is curated, preserved, and presented to the public. You will work within either the Department of Entomology or the Department of Exhibits, supporting projects such as specimen sorting and classification, collections management workflows, or exhibit development. The program helps you gain exposure to taxonomy basics, object handling protocols, documentation standards, and audience engagement strategies. Midweek project work will be paired with structured enrichment days focused on museum careers, behind-the-scenes operations, and field-based learning. You will practice communicating complex content to non-specialist audiences and collaborating within institutional teams.
12. Artslife @ Museum of Arts and Design
Location: Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), New York, NY
Stipend: $16.50/hour
Dates: Six-week summer internship; dates TBA
Application deadline: Typically late winter–spring
Eligibility: NYC public or charter high school students who are rising sophomores and juniors
MAD runs various programs that place teens within a contemporary museum to study how art, design, and historical context are interpreted for public audiences. In Artslife, you will rotate across museum departments—curatorial, education, communications, development, visitor services, and registrar—to understand institutional workflows and interpretive decision-making. You will contribute to collaborative projects, develop peer-to-peer tours, and produce public-facing media such as a podcast series, emphasizing audience research, narrative framing, and presentation skills. Across programs, the emphasis is on applied museum studies, public communication, and collaborative production.
13. Paul Revere House One-Week Internship
Location: Paul Revere House Museum, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: None
Dates: July 21 – 25
Application deadline: April 30
Eligibility: Students entering grades 10 – 12
This brief internship is designed to introduce high schoolers to the practical operations of a history museum and the interpretive choices historians make when presenting the past to the public. You will observe museum staff across curatorial, education, and visitor engagement roles and learn about contemporary debates in museum practice and public history. The program emphasizes collaborative analysis of historical artifacts, encouraging you to select objects of interest and develop interpretive content focused on them and grounded in evidence. You will work both independently and in small groups to produce public-facing historical materials tied to the museum’s collections.
14. Museum Internship Program @ The Museum of Science
Location: The Museum of Science, Boston, MA
Stipend: Varies by role
Dates: Summer, academic-year, and semester-based options (varies by internship)
Application deadline: Rolling; varies by position and term
Eligibility: High school students, ages 14 – 19 (for youth internships); opportunities for undergraduates and graduates are also available.
The Museum of Science offers structured internships designed to introduce students to professional museum environments while building transferable workplace skills. As a high school intern, you will engage in tasks aligned with the Museum’s mission to promote public engagement with science and knowledge. The program emphasizes experiential learning through clearly defined objectives, reflection, and iterative skill development, rather than observation alone. You will practice professional communication, teamwork, and time management while contributing to visitor-facing or behind-the-scenes projects. You will be guided using established learning frameworks, such as Kolb’s experiential learning cycle, to connect hands-on work with broader institutional goals.
15. American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) Teen Programs & Internships
Location: American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
Stipend: Paid internships available
Dates: Summer and academic-year options (varies by program)
Application deadline: Varies by program and cohort
Eligibility: NYC high school students; borough-specific requirements apply for some programs.
AMNH’s teen programs provide structured pathways into museum-based research, science communication, and public education within a large research institution. Depending on the program, you may engage in collections-based learning, hands-on science coursework, or paid internships that emphasize inquiry, data interpretation, and public-facing communication. The curriculum is designed to offer experiential learning experiences rather than lecture-based instruction. You will work alongside museum educators, scientists, and peers while developing skills in collaboration, scientific reasoning, and audience engagement. Programs often integrate cultural, historical, and scientific perspectives to help you examine human societies, biodiversity, and the natural world.
One more option—Horizon Academic Research Program
If you are looking for a competitive mentored research program in an area of your choice, you can consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! It is a selective virtual research program that allows you to engage in advanced research and come up with a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1,000+ high school students so far, offering 600+ research specializations to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image Source: NMNH logo