The South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum offers unique opportunities to undergraduate students who are interested in learning more about museums and public history careers. Interns work under the supervision of museum staff in the areas of curatorial and collections work, education and programming, retail and public services, and exhibit work. Other learning opportunities may present themselves during the course of the internship. This internship gives students an overview of the types of careers available in the world of museums and public history.
Specific skills that are useful include:
- Student must be an undergraduate; can be from any department or major
- Student may be from SDSU or another university or college
- Good oral and written communication skills
- Proficiency in English language
- Organizational skills and attention to details
- Ability to interpret and follow both written and oral instructions
- Ability to lift 35 pounds
- Ability to climb stairs and ladders
- Basic computer skills using primarily Microsoft software; additional specific software use will be taught
- Ability to work with a wide variety of ages, genders, cultures, and large groups of people
- Enthusiasm and willingness to learn
- May involve some weekend work at the front desk and gift shop or evening work with museum programs
2019 Summer Internships
The Collections Internship offers students the opportunity to learn about artifact handling, documentation, and care basic collections care. A museum’s mission and its collection is the base for all other functions and activities occurring in the institution.
The Graphic Design/Marketing Internship offers students the opportunity to explore and experience a variety of marketing and graphic design projects. The museum is a unique business where we have a retail outlet with our gift shop, we are educating the public with programming and exhibits, and market as a tourist destination. The intern would be working a few hours each week at the front desk/gift shop.