The institutions listed below have agreed to host qualified UMKC students as interns if they have a need. Students interested in an internship should look at the information below, or at the Open Internships calls the department receives. Next, follow these instructions on How to Apply. Students can also see a list of nationally competitive internship programs here.
Click here to see our internship placements.
Institutions wishing to have their information listed, or who wish to announce a call for intern applications on the blog, can contact Prof. Sandra Enríquez (enriquezs@umkc.edu).
American Truck Historical Society | 10380 N. Ambassador Dr. suite 101,Kansas City, MO 64153
The American Truck Historical Society is the recognized repository for the nation’s freighting industry. Interns will have the chance to learn every aspect of an large archive, from collections processing to digitization workflows.
Internship Contact: Courtney Cesar, Library Director | courtney@aths.org | 816-777-0924
Atkins Johnson Farm and Museum | 6607 NE Antioch Rd. Gladstone, MO 64119
A municipally owned historic site and museum, students can learn a variety of skills at this recently opened site. These include archival methods, collections management, exhibit research and design, historic preservation, archaeology, marketing and outreach, museum education, volunteer coordination and management, event planning, and program development.
Internship Contact: Erica White Layton, Director | ericaw@gladstone.mo.us | 816-423-4107
Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site | 1515 SE Monroe St. Topeka, KS 66049
The Brown v. Board Historic Site is administered by the federal government. Students would therefore have the opportunity to intern with the National Parks Service. Potential areas of internship include museum education, public programming, archival methods, collections management, oral history, and interpretation.
Internship Contact: Emini Ekong |785-354-4273 ext. 231
Black Jack Battlefield and Natural Park | 163 E. 2000 Rd., Wellsville, KS 66006
The Black Jack Battlefield and Natural Park marks the spot where John Brown’s abolitionists engaged in an open conflict with pro-slavery forces in 1856. The preserved battlefield is also a nature area. Opportunities exist for students to be involved in the interpretive process, digital history and social media, grant writing, and publishing the site’s newsletter.
Internship Contact: Kerry Altenbernd |kaltenbernd@blackjackbattlefield.org | 785-840-8029
Cass County Historical Society | 400 E. Mechanic, Suite 203, Harrisonville, MO 64701
The Cass County Historical Society, Inc. exists to advance, celebrate, preserve, and share the rich cultural heritage of Cass County, Missouri and its people by connecting current generations with their past, present, and future. Internship opportunities include collections management and archival methods.
Internship Contact: Jennifer Reed, Executive Director | cchsmo@gmail.com | 816-380-4396
Dialogue Institute of the Southwest-Kansas Branch | 9903 Pflumm Road Lenexa, KS 66215
The Kansas Branch of Dialogue Institute of the Southwest is a 501(c)(3) that aims to promote mutual understanding, respect and cooperation among people of diverse faiths and cultures in Greater Kansas City Area, Wichita and Lawrence by creating opportunities for direct communication and meaningful shared experiences. Internship opportunities include event planning, marketing and outreach, and curricular design.
Internship Contact: info@thedialoginstitute.org | 913-894-6700
Fort Leavenworth Public Affairs Office | Garrison Headquarters, 290 Grant Ave, Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027
Fort Leavenworth’s Public Affairs Office affords interns the ability to work on a number of ongoing digital history projects that focus upon outreach and marketing. As a working base of the Department of Defense, interns at Ft. Leavenworth will also receive federally recognized volunteer hours, for which you can earn recognition.
Internship Contact: George Marcec, Public Affairs Operation Officer | george.marcec@us.army.mil | (913) 684-1718
Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area | P.O. Box 526, Lawrence, KS 66044
FFNHA is a federally designated U.S. National Heritage Area located in eastern Kansas and Western Missouri. The opportunities in this internship would be to work with the area’s federal headquarters in Lawrence. Opportunities include exhibit design, museum education, historic preservation, marking, outreach, social media, and grant writing.
Internship Contact: Julie McPike | jmcpike@freedomsfrontier.org | 785-856-5283
Glore Psychiatric Museum and St. Joseph Museums, Inc. | 3406 Frederick Ave. St. Joseph, Mo. 64506
The St. Joseph Museums is an American Alliance of Museums accredited institution that includes the Glore Psychiatric Museum, Doll Museum, Black Archives Museums, Native American Galleries, and historic Wyeth-Tootle Mansion. We provide individualized internships in the areas of exhibit research and design, collections management, archives, marketing, and museum administration.
Internship Contact: Sara Wilson, Executive Director | sara@stjosephmuseum.org | 816-232-8471
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum | 500 W. US Hwy. 24. Independence MO 64050
The Harry S. Truman Library & Museum is the federally-recognized repository of the papers of the Truman presidency. Students have the opportunity to intern in nearly every department of the institutions, from the archives to public programming, from museum education to exhibit design. For more information, look into the Truman’s Internship page.
Internship Contact: David Clark | david.clark@nara.gov | 816-268-8207
Jackson County Historical Society | 112 W. Lexington, Independence, MO 64050
The Jackson County Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation and understanding of its county’s heritage and will promote the study, appreciation, and interpretation of local and regional history. Students there can learn about various aspects of how a medium sized museum functions on archives, collections management, museum education, interpretation, exhibit design, and nonprofit management.
Internship Contact: archivist@jchs.org| 816-416-1897
Johnson County Museum | 8788 Metcalf Ave, Overland Park, KS 66212
The Museum offers opportunities in the following areas: Research for temporary and long term exhibitions; writing quarterly history-based articles for the membership newsletter; assisting with marketing and outreach activities as they relate fundraising and membership; Visitor services and providing interpretation for the Museum’s two sites, the 1950s All Electric House and the Lanesfield Historic Site, and training in preparing, conducting and transcribing oral histories.
Internship Contact: Anne C. Jones, Curator of Collections | anne.jones
LaBudde Special Collections, UMKC Miller Nichols Library | 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110
LaBudde Special Collections holds both archival manuscripts and rare books, and has an active oral history project in the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America. Students interested in interning at LaBuddee can have the chance to work on all of these projects. This includes archival processing, collections management, digitization, and metadata entry.
Internship Contact: Stuart Hinds, Director | hindss@umkc.edu | (816) 235-5712
Lees Summit Historical Society | 222 SE Main St. Lee’s Summit, MO 64063
Appointed by the town of Lees Summit to preserve and share the communities’s history, the LSHS provides students the opportunity to work in nearly every aspect of a local historical society. This includes museum education, public outreach and marketing, exhibit research and design, and collections management.
Internship Contact: Kathy Smith, President | derbyshirelane@prodigy.net | 816-363-9718
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site | 1200 Kansas City Rd. Olathe, KS 66061
A municipal historic site, students can learn a number of skills involved with historic administration. These include museum education, public programming, living history museums, museum education, and outreach. Students can also curate their own exhibits on site.
Internship Contact: Katie Lange, Daily Programs Coordinator | kglange@olatheks.org| 913-971-5511
Marr Sound Archives, UMKC Miller Nichols Library | 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110
With over 300,000 original recordings of radio broadcasts and leading musical acts, the Marr Sound Archives is one of the premier archives of audio material in the country. Students there can learn about archival processing, collections management, digitization, and metadata entry.
Internship Contract: Chuck Haddix, Director | HaddixC@umkc.edu | (816) 235-2798
Midwest Center for Holocaust Education | 5801 W. 115th St. Overland Park, KS 66211
Founded by local Holocaust survivors, the MCHE teaches the history of the Holocaust, applying its lessons to counter indifference, intolerance, and genocide. The MCHE has a number of ongoing programs and projects students can intern with. Skills they can learn include oral history, digital history and web development, exhibit research, program design, educational outreach, and others.
Internship Contact: Jessica Rockhold, Associate Director and Director of Education| jessicar@mchekc.org | 913-327-8195
Missouri Humanities Council | 1800 Baltimore 1S Kansas City, MO 64108
Missouri Humanities Council provides programming that encourages family reading, highlights Missouri’s heritage, supports creative writing by veterans, and assists local museums, libraries, and other organizations promoting education—facilitating public conversations on topics that include history, religion, archaeology, anthropology, philosophy, literature, law, ethics, and languages.
Internship Contact: Ashley Beard-Fosnow, Executive Director| ashley@mohumanities.org
National Archives at Kansas City | 410 W. Pershing Rd. Kansas City, MO 64108
The National Archives at Kansas City is a research center of the National Archives and Records Administration, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. In addition to serving as a federal records repository, the National Archives also does exhibits and public programming. Interns would be able to learn about archival methods, public programming, museum education, marketing and outreach, exhibit research and design, and docent management.
Internship Contacts:
Micky Ebert, Museum Education | mickey.ebert@nara.gov | 816-268-8013
Joyce Bruner, Archives | joyce.burner@nara.gov | 816-268-8012
Dee Harris, Exhibitions |dee.harris@nara.gov | 816-268-8086
National World War I Museum | 100 W. 26th St., Kansas City, MO 64112
The WWI Museum runs its own internship program and interested students should apply there and then see me to enroll in the Internship Course. Students can intern in all aspects of the museum’s work. This includes exhibit design, marketing and outreach, registration, collections management, museum education, public programming, etc.
Internship Contact: Cherie Kelly, Learning Coordinator | education@theworldwar.org | 816-888-8113
TWA Museum | 10 Richards Rd., Kansas City, MO 64116
The TWA Museum is the primary repository for flight staff and ground crew of Trans World Airlines. The museum has numerous internship opportunities in museum education, collections management, and public outreach.
Internship Contact: Carol Emert, Archivist | carolemert@gmail.com | 785-249-8871
United Federation of Doll Clubs | 10900 N. Pomona Ave., Kansas City, MO 64153
The United Federation of Doll Clubs, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization with the goal of being the foremost in research, education, conservation and appreciation of dolls.
Internship Contact: Barbara Stone, President|barbara@ufdc.org| 816-891-7040
Wyandotte County Museum | 631 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs, KS 66012
The TWA Museum is the primary repository for flight staff and ground crew of Trans World Airlines. The museum has numerous internship opportunities in museum education, collections management, and public outreach.
Internship Contact: Amy Loch, Director |aloch@wycokck.org | 913-573-5383
Watkins Museum of History | 1047 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, KS 66044
The Watkins Museum of History is also the headquarters of the Douglas County Historical Society and exists to preserve and share the history of the Lawrence, KS region. Opportunities exist for students to gain experience in all facets of a museum’s function, from exhibit design, museum education, digital history, outreach, and collections management.
Internship Contact: Steve Nowak, Executive Director | snowak@watkinsmuseum.org | 785 841-4109