Internships and Fellowship Opportunities
Museum internships and independent research complement coursework in art history. We very much encourage students to pursue research and internship opportunities outside of academic coursework, because these will give you a broader and deeper understanding of art and its institutions. Below is a preliminary list of internship and fellowship opportunities for which you can apply during and after your college studies. These opportunities are valuable in and of themselves, and will also help strengthen any applications that you might make to graduate or professional schools. Beyond this list of formal programs, students should feel comfortable contacting cultural institutions in their home towns to inquire about informal internships that can provide very valuable experiences.
Museum Internships for Art History Undergraduates:
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art- Summer Internships application deadline: January 14, 2026, 5 pm (ET)
- Internship period: June 2–August 7, 2026
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Gardens
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston- Summer 2026 Internships application period: February 6–March 12, 2026 (rolling basis)
- Internship period: June 15–August 21, 2026
- Applications will open on January 26, 2026
- Application deadline: February 8, 2026
- Internship period: June 1–July 30, 2026
The Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC- 2026 Hearst Summer Internship applications deadline: January 15, 2026
Funding for Summer Foreign Language Studies:
DAAD University Summer Courses offered in Germany for Foreign Students and Graduates
Wesleyan:
James E. Lieber Art History Internship FundFund provides grant support to Art History majors or minors for summer work experience as rising juniors and seniors through unpaid or underpaid internships with non-profit visual arts-related institutions in the United States or abroad, such as museums, cultural foundations, collections, publications, and visual arts education programs.
John T. Paoletti Travel Research Fellowships in Art History
Funds are available to support student research and travel in the summer following the junior year that will result in a senior thesis project. Only current juniors who are working with art history faculty and who will complete a senior thesis are eligible.
Curatorial Internship with the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery
- Two positions available for spring 2026
- Applications due: Friday, December 12, 2025
The focus of the Zilkha Curatorial Internship will be the curation of the Group Thesis Exhibition in May each year, a comprehensive compilation of Art Studio honors projects in the Zilkha Gallery. Interns will be introduced to curatorial thinking and strategies and will develop the research and practical skills that shape this practice. This opportunity is perfect for those who are curious about the curatorial process and those who are interested in being involved with the visual arts as a profession. The opportunity is open to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Art History Majors and Minors will receive priority.
Post-BA fellowships to apply for:
American Rhodes Scholarships
The Rhodes Trust, a British charity established to honor the will and bequest of Cecil J. Rhodes, provides full financial support for Rhodes Scholars to pursue a degree or degrees at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
The Beinecke Scholarship Program
The Beinecke Scholarship program aims to encourage and enable highly motivated students to pursue graduate opportunities in the arts, humanities and social sciences.
- Applications deadline: December 30, 2025
The Blakemore Kingfisher Art History Language Fellowship is awarded for nine to twelve months of full-time, intensive language study of Chinese or Korean in East Asia. These grants are open to students who have demonstrated intent to pursue an academic career in Chinese or Korean art history prior to the 20th century.
DAAD Study Scholarships for MA programs
Fulbright: International Education Exchange Program
The Fulbright Program offers grants to study, teach and conduct research for U.S. citizens to go abroad and non-U.S. citizens to come to the United States.
- To be considered by the selection committee for the Mortimer Hays–Brandeis Traveling Fellowship, candidates must be nominated by the institution from which they received their undergraduate degree.
- Wesleyan internal application deadline: Monday, February 16, 2026 (12 noon)
The Mortimer Hays-Brandeis Traveling Fellowship provides support to students in the visual and fine arts, including art history, conservation, studio art and photography, for travel and living expenses outside the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii in accordance with a program of study or other activities approved by the fellowship selection committee. AY26-27 external deadline: March 16, 2026.
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship
A one year grant for independent study and travel outside the United States awarded to graduating college seniors nominated by participating institutions.