Metropolitan Museum Seminar (MuSe) Internship Program
Opportunity Description:
The Museum Seminar (MuSe) Internship Program awards ten-week, nine-month, or twelve-month internships to students interested in a career in the arts and fields related to The Met's many departments, at both The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. In addition to developing skills through projects within Museum departments, interns participate in a weekly seminar series and interact directly with the Museum's visitors by leading public tours in the galleries.
Long term nine-month and twelve-month internships are also available. These long-term interns fully participate in the MuSe program during the summer.
The MuSe Internship Program begins on the first Monday in June. All interns must start on this date; there are no exceptions. Ten-week internships end the second week of August, when the summer MuSe program concludes. Long-term interns remain and work with their supervisors for the remainder of their internship periods.
Primary Responsibilities:
Departmental Placement
Each intern is placed in one of the Museum's departments under the supervision of a full-time staff member. The Met has over forty department areas that host interns from a wide variety of academic backgrounds with an interest in art and museums. For example, students majoring in computer science can apply to intern in our Digital Department or Information Systems & Technology. Art history and other humanities students gain valuable experience not only in our curatorial departments, but also in areas like Editorial, Education, External Affairs, or Development. Studio art, design, or photography majors have thrived in areas like Digital, Graphic or Exhibition Design, Imaging, or as part of our Creative Practice team in Education. Our Department of Scientific Research often welcomes students with a strong background in science.
Interns may also be placed at The Met Cloisters to work on education, library, or curatorial projects. The departmental placement will be onsite at The Met Cloisters, but these interns will participate fully in orientation and all other intern activities and programs. If you have a specific interest in The Met Cloisters, be sure to select this museum area on your application. Please note that there are no intern placements at The Met Breuer.
Learn about the possible internship placement areas at The Met.
Departmental placements for the ten-week and nine-month internships change annually and depend upon available projects. Each intern is placed in a department relevant to his or her interests and career goals.
The Museum Seminar (MuSe) Series
During the internship, one day per week is devoted to the Museum Seminar Series. The goal of the series is to give interns an understanding of the many different kinds of work that occur at The Met, and how Museum professionals collaborate to plan and support the daily operations of one of the world's largest museums. Through these weekly seminars interns are connected to a community of Met staff, fellows, and other interns. Programs include conversations with the Director and other staff members, talks and workshops in The Met's galleries, conservation lab tours, brown-bag lunches with staff, field trips to other cultural institutions, and intern-led discussion sessions.
Public Tours
All MuSe interns interact with visitors by designing and leading public tours in the Museum's galleries and helping visitors at the Information Desk. At the beginning of the summer, interns participate in an intensive two-week training period about gallery teaching. They learn how to talk with the public about original works of art in the galleries in a way that is relevant, engaging, and accessible. Interns then develop tours that incorporate their own interests and offer visitors an insider perspective on The Met and its collection.
Minimum Qualifications and/or Eligibility Requirements:
Open to:
- Current undergraduate sophomores, juniors, and seniors
- Current graduate students
- Those who have recently graduated from an undergraduate or master’s-level graduate program within twelve months of the application deadline
- PhD students who have not yet achieved candidacy
Current and former Met interns: If you have been an undergraduate or graduate intern at The Met, you are eligible to apply for a ten-week internship provided you have not already completed twelve months or three semesters as an intern. Preference will be given to applicants who have not already had an undergraduate or graduate internship experience at The Met.
If you are unsure about your eligibility, contact us at collegeprograms@metmuseum.org.
International Applicants: Undergraduate and graduate internships at the Museum are open to international applicants. Interns are responsible for ensuring that they have valid legal status under applicable U.S. visa regulations while participating in the Museum's program. Although the Museum will act as your host institution, the Museum does not sponsor visas for interns. If you require a visa, you may be eligible to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program (J-1 visa program), by going through an outside agency that has been authorized by the State Department to sponsor a J-1 trainee visa. These sponsors are responsible for supporting and monitoring foreign nationals during their exchange programs in the United States.
Application Process:
Apply using the online application. The application deadline is January 19, 2022 at 5 PM (ET). Applicants will be notified by the end of April 2022.
If you need an access accommodation or have a question regarding available accommodations, or if you need this application in an alternative format to successfully submit your candidacy, please contact collegeprograms@metmuseum.org.
The application will ask you to select which internships interest you: a part-time internship, a MuSe Program ten-week internship, or a MuSe Program long-term internship. You may apply for any and all of these internships with the same application.
The application requires:
- Short essay responses
- An unofficial transcript
- A résumé describing any work or extracurricular experiences
- For Design Department candidates, a PDF portfolio or link to an online portfolio
- Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a professor or instructor who knows you in an academic context
Interviews are required for finalists only. If you are selected as a finalist, we will contact you directly to set up an interview by phone or video conference.
Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions if you have general questions about the program.
Please note: your recommendation letters must be submitted by the application deadline. Applications, application materials, or recommendations submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.