Internships
The Whitney's intern program offers training and direct experience working in one of New York City’s most exciting museums. If you are a college student interested in learning more about how museums work or are considering a museum career, we encourage you to apply. The Whitney’s internship program seeks talented people of all backgrounds—we value diversity of cultures, races and ethnicities, gender expressions, and abilities.
Interns are placed in departments across the Museum where they assist professional staff, interact with the public, conduct research, provide administrative support, and learn about modern and contemporary American art. Interns also gain valuable training, skills, and work experience as well as an opportunity to build a network of professional contacts.
These opportunities are made possible by a generous grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation for summer internships and a generous endowment from Julie and Doug Ostrover for academic year internships.
Summer Internship
Hearst Summer Interns
The Whitney’s summer internship is a full-time, paid, nine-week session primarily for undergraduate students. The program includes training, direct work experience, professional development, and a weekly speaker series.
The 2025 internship will be hybrid, meaning interns will work onsite at least three days per week. The program will begin on Monday, June 2nd, and end on Friday, August 1st. Participants must be available Monday through Friday for nine consecutive weeks, five days per week, seven hours a day.
Thank you for your interest in the Summer 2025 Hearst Summer Internship. The application window has closed and hiring decisions have been finalized at this time.
Generous support for Hearst Summer Interns is provided by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
- $6,500 stipend for full participation
- Interns are assigned to a specific museum department for the duration of the internship
- Weekly speaker series featuring curators and other museum professionals
- Curator-led tours, excursions to peer institutions
- Free admission to most New York City museums, regular employee discounts at the Museum restaurants and retail store, and invitations to exhibition openings
- Rising juniors, rising seniors, and graduating seniors in accredited undergraduate programs will be considered
- Students must have completed at least two years of academic coursework by the time the internship program begins. Rising freshmen and rising sophomores are not eligible.
- Certain positions may require graduate-level training and/or professional experience, as noted in the department descriptions.
- Prior Whitney interns will be ineligible to apply for the program.
- Resume
- Essay
- One recommendation letter
- Educational or professional reference only.
- Portfolio
- Candidates applying for Exhibition Design and Graphic Design internships must submit a link to their portfolio. Graphic Design applicants must also be enrolled in a graphic design or equivalent program.
Academic Year Internship
Ostrover Family Academic Year Interns
The Whitney’s Academic Year Internship program offers a semester-long paid internship for undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled in an accredited academic program. The internship is hybrid, with some onsite work. For Fall 2025, interns commit between 16–21 hours per week over 10–12 weeks for a total of 200 hours. Interns are assigned to a specific department at the Museum for the duration of the internship.
The application window for our Fall 2025 Ostrover Family Internship is now open through August 15, 2025, 5pm EST. We will be examining applications on a rolling basis, and as such, some opportunities may close before the submission window officially closes
Generous support for Ostrover Family Academic Year Interns is provided by Julie and Doug Ostrover.
- $3,000 stipend (200-hour requirement for the semester)
- Monthly speaker series featuring museum professionals from across the Whitney
- Eligibility for course credit
- Free admission to most New York City museums, regular employee discounts at the Museum restaurants and retail store, and invitations to exhibition openings
- Undergraduates and students pursuing advanced degrees currently enrolled in accredited academic programs are eligible.
- Applicants must have completed a minimum of two years' worth of academic coursework. Undergraduate first-year and second-year students are not eligible.
- Certain positions may require graduate-level training and/or professional experience, as noted in the department descriptions.
- Previous museum experience is not required.
- Resume
- Essay
- Portfolio
- Candidates applying for Exhibition Design and Graphic Design internships must submit a link to their portfolio. Graphic Design applicants must also be enrolled in a graphic design or equivalent program.
Internships Available
Communications
Corporate Partnerships & Events; Advancement
Curatorial – Prewar Art
Digital Content
Education – Access
Education – Community Programs
Education – Family Programs
Education - Healing and Art Program
Education - Interpretation and Teaching Strategies
Education – K-12 Initiatives
Education - Public Programs and Academic Engagement
Education – Spanish Initiatives
Education – Youth Learning
Exhibition Design
Graphic Design, Communications and Content
Marketing
Research Resources – Archives Internship
Research Resources – Library
Total Rewards
FAQ
Please thoroughly review all available frequently asked questions before submitting an inquiry.
General Information
Yes. Both academic year and summer internships include stipends. Fall and spring semester interns receive a $3,000 stipend for completing two hundred hours. Summer interns receive $6,500 for a nine-week, full-time commitment.
No. All internships are paid positions.
No. We welcome candidates with diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Ideal applicants demonstrate curiosity about museum operations and nonprofit arts organizations. Some roles (e.g., Conservation, Exhibition Design, Research Resources) may require specialized training.
Interns work closely with Whitney professionals and may observe broader Museum activities for educational purposes. Both programs include a speaker series with Museum staff.
Yes, candidates are welcome to apply to multiple internship openings. Please be sure to review eligibility requirements. We recommend tailoring your application materials to your department(s) of choice.
Interns work side-by-side with experts in their field at the Museum and are often invited to observe activities outside of their daily duties for educational purposes. Both the academic year and summer programs include a speaker series with presentations by Museum professionals.
Academic year interns may earn credit through their institutions.
The Whitney uses a hybrid model, constituting in-person and remote work. All interns must be able to commute to the Museum to perform their duties.
Yes. Start dates may be extended by up to two weeks on a case-by-case basis for academic conflicts. Interns are required to commit to a total of nine weeks.
All interns must adhere to the official programming schedule. The Whitney does not offer customized or off-cycle schedules.
No. Interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation.
Eligibility
For the academic year internship, interns must be enrolled in an accredited program of study and be enrolled in classes by the time the internship term begins. Our interns must also be in good academic standing.
For the summer internship, we will consider graduating undergraduate seniors.
Students must have completed two years or equivalent (i.e. four semesters) worth of academic coursework by the internship start date for the academic year program. Summer applicants must be rising juniors or above.
Academic year internships welcome graduate students. Summer internships are geared toward undergraduate students, and as such, we generally will not consider candidates pursuing advanced degrees. Research Resources will only consider MLIS/equivalent degree candidates.
Academic year interns must be enrolled in a degree program at the time of application and for the duration of the internship. For the Hearst Summer Internship, recent graduates are eligible if they have completed their degree no more than six months before the start of the summer term and have valid U.S. work authorization.
Yes, but international students must hold valid U.S. work authorization to intern at the Museum. The Whitney cannot sponsor visas or act as a host organization for any of its internship programs, and as such, we cannot consider J-1 visa holders. Kindly contact your school’s career services for additional guidance.
Yes, you can apply to both. However, if accepted, you may only participate in one program—either the academic year internship or the summer internship, not both.
Whitney interns who participate in the academic year program can intern for no more than two semesters and will need to reapply to be considered for an extension. Participants of the summer internship can intern for that single term only. There is no crossover between the two programs, meaning that academic year interns cannot intern in the summer, and vice versa.
Application
Yes. Submit separate applications for each role.
Only Exhibition Design and Graphic Design must submit a portfolio link.
We do not enforce a strict word limit, but clarity and concision are encouraged.
No. We won’t consider any additional materials not required in the application. Any supplemental materials that are not otherwise required in the application will be disregarded.
Please ensure that your recommenders address their reference letters to the Office of People and Culture and have them email it to Internships@whitney.org.
No. One general letter suffices for all applications, and we will consider no more. Recommenders may submit their letter confidentially to Internships@whitney.org.
You will receive an email from a no-reply address confirming receipt of your application. If not, resubmit or contact us promptly. Submit early to avoid last-minute issues; we will not consider any applications submitted after the official deadline.
Yes. References may be submitted via email up to one week after the application deadline. Submissions received beyond this timeframe will not be considered, and corresponding applications will be marked incomplete.
Recruitment
A member of the hiring team will contact selected candidates for interviews. Due to the high volume of applications received, we cannot provide individual updates.
No. All interviews are conducted remotely via video conference.
Summer 2025 decisions: Finalized in early May.
Academic year decisions: Finalized at least two weeks before the start date.
Contact Information
Should you identify a topic that has not been addressed or require further clarification, kindly direct your correspondence to Internships@whitney.org.
The Whitney Museum of American Art is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Museum welcomes applicants of any age, sex, religion, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship, disability, marital status, partnership status, veteran status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, and does not discriminate based on any other factor prohibited by law. The Museum is dedicated to provide a fair and inclusive workplace and encourages all qualified candidates to apply for vacant positions at all levels. This description shall not be construed as a contract of any sort for a specific period of employment.