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Anthropology Internship Guide

This guide is designed for Anthropology students interested in seeking internships, either for the summer, during the academic year, or after graduation.  While this list is not exhaustive and is not a job board, we hope that it will be a good jumping-off point for your internship search.  (It can also be useful for those who are job hunting, to give you an idea of what sorts of organizations are out there.)

Organizations located in the Atlanta area are denoted as (LOCAL).  We have attempted to provide some basic summary information about each opportunity below, but you should click through the links provided to access the most complete and up-to-date information.  Please note these organizations do not necessarily have any affiliation with Emory or the Anthropology department.

If you discover any inaccuracies or broken links, please contact the Undergraduate Program Coordinator, Heather Carpenter (hcarpe5@emory.edu).  This list should be checked annually for accuracy, but we all know how quickly things can change.  Please also let us know if you find another great internship opportunity or resource that is not listed so that we can share it with future students!

Internship Search Engines
  • AAA Internship Search – The default search mostly just pulls up university degree programs that include internships. You may have better luck if you select a specific "Institution Type" from the dropdown menu.
  • Internships.com/anthropology – Scroll down to browse all “anthropology” results or filter by location. 

Internship Opportunities

  • AAA Summer Internship Program – Internship with American Anthropological Association in Arlington VA / Washington DC.  Unpaid, housing and meal/travel stipend provided. Open to juniors, seniors, and first-year grad students.
  • American Museum of Natural History – Provides students with the opportunity to work on projects relating to the collections at the museum or to the ongoing research/interest of the curatorial staff. Academic credit may be awarded. Not all internships are paid, but some are. Scroll down and click “internships” or “internships and opportunities” to learn more. Open to undergraduate and graduate students. Located in New York.
  • Atlanta Regional Commission, Sustainable Connections – (LOCAL) Connects Atlanta-area students with local governments and nonprofits in need of sustainability programming assistance.  Open to third+ year undergraduates, graduate students, and PhD candidates with GPA 2.75 or higher.  Internships are for pay or course credit.
  • CARE – (LOCAL) Headquartered in Atlanta, with offices in Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. Includes opportunities to fight global poverty and reaches a presence in over 90 countries. Open to undergraduate (juniors and seniors), graduate, and post-graduate students. Opportunities are available for fall and spring semesters as well as the summer. Click “Care” logo at the top of the page to learn more about the organization.
  • Carter Center  – (LOCAL) Internships are available through a number of programs and offices within three broad areas of The Carter Center, including Peace Programs, Health Programs, and Operations. Click through each of the three areas found on the home page to learn more and find specific opportunities. Internships are available for fall, spring, and summer. Open to undergraduate, recent undergraduate, graduate, and recent undergraduate students. Located in Atlanta, Georgia. Unpaid, no housing/stipend provided.
  • CDC (Center for Disease Control) – (LOCAL) Hands-on, short-term internship programs for undergraduate students. Scroll through the list on the page to learn more about each opportunity.
  • Center for American Archeology –Women in Archaeology Internship Program; 10-weeks long. Open to women undergraduates (juniors or seniors), graduate students, and archaeologists in the early stages of their careers. Stipends and room/board will be provided. Located in Kampsville, Illinois. Interns must be 21 years or older by the start of the program.
  • Center for Strategic and International Studies – This opportunity allows students to participate in a wide variety of activities that support individual programs, including research, writing, and project development. Open to undergraduates (juniors and above) and recent graduates. Opportunities available in the fall, spring, and summer. Headquarters located in Washington DC, but operates all over the world.
  • CQ fluency - Translation services company specializing in cultural adaptation communications for healthcare and life science industries. Jobs and internships posted when available. Offices in Hackensack, NJ and New York, NY.
  • Emory University – (LOCAL) the following opportunities are at Emory University in various sectors of the institution, but mostly concentrated in healthcare.
    • Emory Summer Internship Program – 10-week program to work with various areas of Emory University, including Emory Healthcare as well as academic programs within the university. Open to rising sophomores and juniors at any university. Interns are paid 12.08 per hour. Click “students: apply for an internship” on the top half of the page then the link to “emory.jobs/interns.”  Type “college intern” in the search box to further narrow your results.
    • Emory Healthcare Summer Intern Program – 10-12 week opportunity to gain exposure to the business and administrative components of Emory Medicine’s operations in a variety of departments and sectors within Emory Healthcare. Usually paid; housing is sponsored for the interns. Open to current undergraduate or graduate students.
    • Emory Hospital/Healthcare Internships – 10-12 week opportunity to provide learning experience at an academic health system. Open to current undergraduate and graduate students. Paid, housing not provided.
  • Friends of Refugees Internship – (LOCAL) Opportunity to work with a non-profit organization in eight creative program sectors. Located in Clarkston, Georgia. Open to undergraduates as well as graduates. 2-month commitment. Unpaid. Click “About Us” to learn more about the organization and its opportunities.
  • Georgia Bureau of Investigation Internships (forensics) – (LOCAL) Valuable experience for students pursuing a criminal justice or related degree. Internship is one semester long. Open to currently enrolled undergraduate (juniors and above) and graduate students. For more application information, scroll down and open the “Internship Application Packet” attachment.
  • Global Growers – (LOCAL) This local organization works to “connect the agricultural talent of the local refugee community to opportunities in sustainable agriculture.” Internships are available in community development, development and communications, farm operations, and sales.  Positions are unpaid but come with free access to fresh seasonal produce straight from the farms, and support for transportation expenses is available for those with financial needs. Locations in Clarkston, Decatur, and Stone Mountain. 
  • International Rescue Committee – (LOCAL) Humanitarian aid and refugee support organization with many internship opportunities in the Atlanta area in a variety of fields.  Internships require at least 15 hours per week for three months (1 semester) and are unpaid.  Be sure to check the application deadline for the semester you’d like to intern.
  • MANO Project - Platform through the Hispanic Access Foundation that helps connect Latinx students and recent graduates with internship positions related to public land conservation and heritage preservation.  Includes Latino Heritage Internship Program listed below, as well as others. (flyer)
  • National Park Service – The National Park Service, with parks all across the United States, provides students with opportunities to serve with national parks in a wide range of sectors. Open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates (requirements vary across programs). A few specific options are highlighted below:
    • Latino Heritage Internship Program – A program through the Hispanic Access Foundation that works to address and correct the lack of Latinx employment opportunities in the National Park Service.  Open to US citizens or permanent residents who are current college students or recent graduates. 10 weeks. Stipend + housing + travel expenses paid.  Locations vary.
    • Mosaics in Science Internship Program – Provides youth that is underrepresented in natural resource science career fields with on-the-ground, science-based work experience with the National Park Service. Open US citizens or permanent residents who are current college students or recent graduates. 12 weeks May-August. Stipend + housing and travel expenses paid.  Locations vary. 
  • New American Pathways – (LOCAL) Non-profit organization serving refugees in the Atlanta area.  Scroll down the page to the “Internships” section. Internships and jobs are posted when available.
  • PATH – Global health-focused non-profit working to accelerate innovation in vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, devices, and systems/services to improve health.  Open to enrolled students.  Stipends may be available depending on the project. Positions are posted as they are available. Headquartered in Seattle, WA, with offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, and locations around the world.
  • PLEN Seminars – (Not an internship but an interesting educational opportunity.) Week-long women’s leadership seminars in a variety of career areas including public policy, STEM policy, global policy, law, legal advocacy, corporate and nonprofit leadership, and government. Located in Washington D.C.; open to undergraduates and recent graduates who identify as women. Scholarships are available, and academic credit may be requested.
  • Public Interest Network – National non-profit organization promoting environmental and social change.  Unpaid; types of positions and locations vary. 
  • Smithsonian Institution – Opportunities abound at the Smithsonian! Most are based in Washington D.C.  Browse “by program” or “by deadline”:
  • (A sampling of relevant possible opportunities at the Smithsonian is provided below.  Many more can be found using the two links above):
    • National Museum of African American History and Culture – Houses a variety of internships in different areas, including conservation, management, social media, digital design, and more. Located in Washington D.C. Conservation-related internship is unpaid and open to currently enrolled undergraduates or recent degree holders with a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Click and scroll through “opportunities” to learn more about internships in each area.
    • National Museum of Natural History – Generally a six-week commitment; unpaid and no housing or stipends provided. Open to graduate and undergraduate students. Scroll through the list on the home page to explore different areas and sectors of the museum that might generate your interest! Special winter break and spring break internship opportunities are also available. 
    • National Museum of the American Indian – Houses a variety of internships in different areas of the Museum, including exhibition display, development, executive planning, media production, and more. 10-week programs available during summer, fall, and spring semesters Located in Washington DC, Maryland, or New York. Open to individuals currently enrolled in an academic program with a cumulative GPA of 3.0. Stipends are provided. 
    • Office of Advancement (fundraising/development) – The Advancement Communications team functions as a “creative agency” inside the Smithsonian, helping leadership shape and disseminate the Institution’s fundraising messages by creating a wide range of high-quality fundraising materials. Generally an 8-week commitment. Located in Washington DC and open to current undergraduate or graduate students. Unpaid, but academic credit may be provided. Internship opportunities provided for the summer/winter break and fall/spring semesters.
    • Smithsonian Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) – Research opportunities at various museums and research centers, including Panama, Washington DC, Maryland, and Massachusetts, within a variety of areas including biology, ecology, paleontology, and more. Stipend support is provided. Open to currently enrolled undergraduates. Scroll the home page to find opportunities in different places as well as anthropology-related sectors!
    • Natural History Museum REU – Natural History Museum REU (10-week summer program, funded, “NHRE interns work closely with scientific mentors to complete independent research projects in Earth science, Biology, and Anthropology.” Stipend and free housing provided.
  • The Met Internships – Internships with the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in over forty different areas. Open to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as recent graduates. Internships are available for the summer, fall, and spring, and also long-term internships for recent graduates. Located in New York City, New York. No housing provided.
  • The School for Advanced Research, Indian Arts Research Center – Open to recent college graduates, current graduate students, or junior museum professionals. Great opportunity for individuals interested in museum studies. Two nine-month slots are available, one of which is open to Native students only. Includes a monthly salary, housing, book allowance, and travel to one professional conference.  Located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Additional opportunities for undergraduates may be found at the bottom of the page.
  • The Task Force for Global Health – (LOCAL) Internships available for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.  Applications accepted on a rolling basis.  Paid and unpaid opportunities.  Located in Decatur, GA.
  • The Washington Center Internship Program – Wide range of possible opportunities; their team works to help pair applicants with particular sectors. Located in Washington DC. Usually unpaid. Open to undergraduates who have finished at least their sophomore year with a 2.75 minimum GPA. Academic credit may be available. Click “Washington, D.C. Program” on the left-hand side to learn more.
  • U.S. Government Internships – Paid federal internship opportunities open to current undergraduate students and recent graduate students. This website can be a bit confusing. Your best bet may be to scroll down to the blue “Search Internship Jobs” link to go into the search feature.  Just below that is a link for “Federal Occupations by College Major”, where you can find job search codes for Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, and Social Anthropology (or any other area). You may also click “The Internship Program” to learn more about this opportunity.
  • Weber Shandwick - Global public relations firm offering a paid summer internship program with various positions across the country.  From the web link, select "See All Jobs", then sort the job type by "internship" (and/or any other desired criteria).
  • World Health Organization (WHO) - Various internship positions posted as available.  Most appear to be unpaid but offer a stipend.
  • WWOOF-USA Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms - Educational and cultural exchange program in which participants help out on a host farm in exchange for room and board, while learning about organic farming and sustainable agriculture.  All 50 states, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
  • Zoo Atlanta – (LOCAL) Internship opportunities are available in a wide range of areas including marketing, conservation, donor relations/fundraising, animal/primate husbandry, and more.  Most positions are unpaid.  Open to undergraduate students and recent graduates (within 2 years of graduation).  Click “View Available Internship and Externship Opportunities” and then click on “Internships”.