Internship in Museums and Cultural Institutions

Catalog description

S ED 495E A ED 495E Internship in Museums and Cultural Institutions (15) The internship at a museum or other cultural institution completes the requirements for the Museums and Cultural Institutions option for the BS in Art Education. It is generally scheduled full-time for a period of 12 consecutive weeks during a double summer session, although it may also be taken during the fall or spring semester. The internship enables interns to meet their own educational objectives through participation in a supervised experience that moves them out of the classroom into the workplace. Prospective interns are encouraged to select internship sites that offer educational experiences relevant to their professional goals and desired careers.The internship incorporates guidelines consistent with theStandards and Guidelines for Museum Internshipsprepared by the New England Museum Association and published by the American Association of Museums (1993, 2000). A formal written internship agreement signed by the intern supervisor at the sponsoring museum or cultural institution, and by the prospective intern and university supervisor outlines the objectives of the internship, the intern's duties and responsibilities, the responsibilities of the museum and university supervisors, and the means by which the intern's work will be evaluated. Interns are integrated into the ongoing work and education programs of the museum and treated as staff members. They assume professional responsibilities and are expected to complete a project or some discrete portion of a major project that is being undertaken by the education department of the museum. Interns become acquainted with functions, programs and departments of the museum in addition to those to which they have been assigned in order to understand the relationship of their educational work to that of the museum, to the community, and to the museum field in general. Interns may participate in any workshops, lectures, professional courses, and staff training seminars that may occur at the museum during period of internship. They are also encouraged to seek professional employment after completion of the internship, and reasonable accommodation is made to allow them time to look for positions, prepare application materials, and attend interviews.Interns submit a weekly journal of activities and reflections to the university supervisor, as well as a summary report at the end. The museum supervisor submits an evaluation documenting the intern's actual working/learning experiences and critically assessing these experiences. The final evaluation is based on this assessment, on the intern's weekly journal and final report, and on the university supervisors's onsite observations and interviews.