Anthropology Internships

Alicia Rich studied primates in the forest in Kenya.

Christina Samuels worked with a non-profit organization in Ghana on women's microfinance programs. Read more about her experience in her internship blog.

Many students choose to earn part of their credits towards graduation through an internship placement.

Regardless of the curriculum track the student selects, it is possible to arrange an internship which will enhance their learning experiences by providing an opportunity to acquire new skills, develop professional contacts, and gain first-hand knowledge of potential workplaces. Recent placements have included museum laboratories (the Pennsylvania State Museum, the Smithsonian Institution), on-going research projects (e.g., archaeological field projects), and human service agencies which deal with multicultural clients (e.g., refugee services, tourism promotion, human rights advocacy).

Students who wish to undertake an internship must meet certain minimum grade point requirements and be a junior. Internships are arranged jointly by the student and the internship coordinator and require a fair amount of advance planning, so interested students should begin investigating possibilities well in advance of the preferred placement period. For further information, consult the department's brochure describing the internship program, and contact the internship coordinator.

Alicia spent six months in the forests of western Kenya studying tumbilis. That's Swahili for blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis).

About the Internship Site

The information contained in this internship website was compiled from the following sources:

"Establishing and Building the Undergraduate Anthropology Internship Program." A workshop presented for the American Anthropological Association, Washington, D.C., November 18, 1995. Written and presented by Dr. Laurence Kruckman and Dr. Miriam Chaiken, Department of Anthropology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Internship Guide for Anthropology Majors. Written by Tara Lynn Luffy, Department of Anthropology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania