Bring History To Life. Get Involved.

The Utah Historical Society (UHS) offers a variety of internship and career shadowing opportunities for individuals interested in the public history sector. Whether you are looking for a one-year commitment, a career shadowing opportunity, or a stand-alone internship, UHS is committed to removing barriers of access and creating an equitable platform for everyone to learn about our organization, the work we do, and Utah History.

History Ambassador Program | The History Ambassador program is designed to be a cohort experience geared towards current university and college students, or those transitioning careers. The Ambassador program is a year-long program for accepted applicants to become more familiar with the Utah Historical Society while working on a program-specific project. Projects will vary year-to-year depending on staff availability to be a mentor to an Ambassador and provide a specific project that can be completed within the year’s time. 

The goal of the Ambassador program is to provide paid, in-depth experience for accepted applicants on both the project and organizational levels. This provides an opportunity for participants to get to know our organization deeply and explore potential interests over the course of a year.

• A one year commitment
• Paid, hourly opportunity ($15/hour)
• Weekly hours dependent on, and flexible with, participants’ schedule (no more than 12 hours per week)
• Requirements from Ambassador include: quarterly blog post, end-of-year project presentation, and more depending on project scope 

(Applications are currently closed for 2023. Information will be made available on our website, newsletter and social media channels as opportunities become available in the future. Sign up for our newsletter HERE).

Stand Alone Internships (Outside of Ambassador Program) | The Utah Historical Society recognizes the need for internship opportunities that are shorter in length and, sometimes, require fewer hours. When this happens, individual UHS programs will be responsible for the creation of job descriptions for a potential intern, as well as the recruitment process.

• Paid, hourly opportunity ($15/hour)
• No formal timeline; recruitment can happen at any point in the year 

Currently unavailable. When a short term internship is available, it will be posted here on the website and sent out via our newsletter and social media channels. Sign up to receive our newsletter HERE. 

Career Shadowing | Not sure which path is right for you? Our Career Shadowing opportunity is designed for those individuals who are not in a place to commit to a longer term opportunity, or who are simply wanting to get a better understanding of the public history sector. Spend a few hours with a team member at the Utah Historical Society (UHS)!

Career Shadowing at UHS gives students and those transitioning careers an opportunity to connect with staff and stakeholders. From public history, to editing, archives, and everything in between, take a deep dive into what “doing history” in Utah looks like. Career Shadowing helps remove barriers of access to learning more about our organization by creating a platform to access UHS for anyone to use. This is a great opportunity for those who want to ask specific questions about a public history career and to get a better understanding of history work outside of the classroom.

• This is a bi-annual, unpaid opportunity (Winter & Summer)
• Interested applicants can fill out this form and mark which program(s) - listed below - they would like to shadow
• Responses are then collated around the bi-annual dates and requests for shadowing are reviewed by the admin team and respective programs 
• Programs will follow-up with Career Shadow requesters directly 

National History Day | Join the NHD team at a fall teacher workshop or spring competition to learn how teachers and students use the National History Day program to enhance learning. 

Peoples of Utah Revisited | This community driven initiative will have you connecting, partnering, and collaborating with a diverse network of people throughout Utah, including community organizations, educators, scholars, and many other Utahns.

Women's History Initiative |  The Women’s History Initiative seeks to deepen our collective understanding and appreciation of the many roles women play in Utah’s history. Career shadowing with the Initiative will give you a glimpse into community outreach, program development, and content creation.

Utah Historical Quarterly |  Published since 1928, the Utah Historical Quarterly is the state’s official history journal. With career shadowing, you get a glimpse of the day-to-day work involved in publishing a journal that's both scholarly and public facing.

Library & Collections | We have more than 32,000 artifacts, 30,000 books, 8,500 manuscript collections, 1,000,000+ photographs and 15,000 maps. In addition to preserving the state’s historic collections, our team runs the Engagement Room, an outlet for researchers and the public to engage with our collections in-person.

Museum of Utah | Find out what happens behind the scenes of one of the nation's last state history museums (as it's being constructed). A primer on exhibit and program design, operations, outreach and education, this is an opportunity to explore the basics of how museums serve their community.

Marketing & Communications | Get a behind the scenes look at day-to-day marketing and communications efforts at a state agency. Learn about collaboration, copy editing, creative storytelling, strategy and more to help share Utah's history.

For more information on internships and career shadowing opportunities, please contact Kevin Fayles at kfayles@utah.gov.