Summer Internships at Great Lakes Naval Museum

As an official Department of the Navy Museum, the Great Lakes Naval Museum's mission is to select, collect, preserve, and interpret the history of the United States Navy with particular emphasis on the Navy's only "boot camp" at the Naval Training Station Great Lakes in Great Lakes, Illinois. The Great Lakes Naval Museum's internship program allows for interns with various interests, strengths, and goals to gain practical, hands-on museum experience at the United States Navy's newest museum. Internship opportunities are available to registered students of colleges and universities.  Prior knowledge of Naval History is not required. The Great Lakes Naval Museum currently has opportunities during the summer of 2015 for interns in curatorial/archival and education. 


Curatorial/Archival: An intern with an American Studies, history or art history background would be closely involved with the museum’s collection exhibition programs, reinforcing learned research and writing techniques, as well as providing work experience in a museum environment. Curatorial interns are supervised by Collections Staff and the Museum Director, who assigns tasks that might include historical research and development of an exhibition script, catalogs or brochures. Projects involve research in the photographic and artifact collections of the Great Lakes Naval Museum. The intern is expected to have excellent research skills, the ability to write clearly and concisely and to work independently. A prior knowledge of American naval history is not essential, but would be helpful for this internship.

Education: An Education internship is open to students with backgrounds in education, history or art history. The intern works both independently and with museum staff to conceive, develop, and implement education programs directly related to the Museum's collection. Education programs may be developed for elementary and secondary school students, special education students, senior citizens, and the "casual" visitor. School programs are geared to the curriculum. This internship provides an opportunity for a student to apply education and history skills to interpret artifacts in a museum setting and allows students to explore the museum field as a career choice. The intern should have knowledge of age-group characteristics, skill levels, and age-appropriate activities. He or she should also possess strong research skills. A background in American history or American Studies is preferable, but not required.

If interested in applying for these internships, please visit www.history.navy.mil/glnm for information on how to submit application materials.

Submissions include:

• Internship Program application form

• Academic transcripts (unofficial are acceptable)

• A resume outlining your educational, professional, and volunteer experiences

• A one-page personal statement (use this essay to tell us how an internship at the Great Lakes Naval Museum will advance your academic/career goals)

• One letter of recommendation

• A writing sample of not less than 1,000 words

Submissions can be sent to:

Great Lakes Naval Museum
Internship Program
Great Lakes Naval Museum
Building 42
610 Farragut Avenue
Great Lakes, IL 60088

Or email to: GLNM@navy.mil

For more questions or more information, please contact Erik Wright at at 847-688-3154 ext. 215 or at erik.a.wright@navy.mil.