Latino Museum Studies Program Undergraduate Internship

The LMSP Undergraduate Internship is a cohort-based, 12-week, full-time (~ 40hrs per week) experience. Participants develop museum practice skills through a museum studies seminar series and a hands-on internship at a Smithsonian museum or the National Gallery of Art.

Participants become a part of a group of peers with shared interests and passions for museums, cultural heritage, and Latino art, history, and culture. Throughout the program, interns collaborate, learn, and grow together, building a supportive professional network that they nurture during and beyond the internship.  

The LMSP Museum Studies seminar series provides interns with a foundation in museum practice. The program begins with an intensive week-long introduction to key aspects of museum work. Programming continues every Friday throughout the internship, offering ongoing opportunities to deepen knowledge and skills and apply them to their internship project. The seminar series leverages expertise from Smithsonian professionals, the LMSP alumni network, DC area museums, and professionals from across the country.  Participants can expect to: 

• Interactive Walkthroughs: Explore museum spaces to understand how they function, from galleries, to collections facilities and conservation labs.  

• Skill-building Workshops: Participate in interactive workshops and learn museum practice skills and concepts like exhibition development, museum education, exhibition design, and museum interpretation.  

• Discussions that Expand Your Thinking: Engage in the questions that museum professionals grapple with, from museum ethics to accessibility to new ways to approach the visitor experience. 

• Professional Development: Gain tools to design your career in museums and the cultural heritage sector through sessions that help you set goals and become better prepared for the job market or a graduate degree.  

The seminar series ensures that interns gain a comprehensive understanding of museum practice and develop tools to contribute meaningfully to their future careers in the museum field.  

The program offers several internship projects throughout the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art. Internship projects are designed around specific learning outcomes aligned to one or more of the following museum subfields: museum education, museum interpretation, exhibition design, fabrication and production, museum conservation, collections management, archival practice, and digital culture. Participants are placed in an internship project based on their background and experience, and how well the project aligns with their future goals as outlined in their application. Participants receive coaching from their project supervisors. The hands-on internship component of the program starts after the museum studies seminar series and lasts for eleven (11) weeks Monday – Thursday.  

The National Museum of the American Latino, with generous support from the Mellon Foundation, offers the following financial support to participants: 

• Round-trip travel to Washington, D.C. from within the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) 

• Housing in Washington, D.C. for the duration of the 12-week program 

• A $550 weekly stipend to support local transportation and meals 

Undergraduate students who meet the eligibility criteria below, are interested in pursuing a non-curatorial museum career in one or more of the subfields listed above and are passionate about advancing the understanding and interpretation of Latino art, history, and culture are encouraged to apply.  

Eligibility Requirements 

• Applicants must be undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited U.S. college or university at the time of application. Students graduating in the Spring of 2025 are eligible to apply. 

• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. 

The Latino Museum Studies Program is equally open to students of all races and ethnicities, without preference or restriction based on race or ethnicity. The Museum does not use racial or ethnic classifications or preferences in selecting awardees for the Latino Museum Studies Program. 

The following dates apply to the 2025 cycle: 

• Application opens: Monday, February 24, 2025 

• Deadline to apply: Monday, March 31, 2025 

• Selection notifications will be sent out in May of 2025 

• Program dates: Monday, August 25 to Friday, November 14 

Before you begin the application process, we encourage you to do some museum career exploration using our LMSP museum career guide. It will help you understand which museum career you may be best suited for and ultimately submit a stronger application. 

After you have done some museum career exploration, read our internship project offerings and determine which two internship projects you are most interested in applying to.  

Applications must be submitted through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA).

2025 Application Materials: Please reference each of the following documents to understand the application process:

• 2025 Internship project descriptions
• 2025 Required application materials
• Reference the 2025 SOLAA application guide for tips on navigating the portal and submitting application materials.

• Museum Career Guide: Reference this guide to understand museum careers and select internship practicums that best fit your career goals.
• Evaluation Criteria
• Frequently Asked Questions

Register for an information session on March 11 at 12 pm ET.

Contact lmspinfo@si.edu with your questions. Program staff will get back to you within two business days. 

Join an information session. LMSP staff and alumni will share more information about the program and be available to answer your questions. Registration links are forthcoming. 

If you are a student from one of our partner universities and would like to address questions to a representative of your university, please contact:  

• Arizona State University, Marcos Voss Marcos.voss@asu.edu 

• City College of New York, Marit Dewhurst mdewhurst@ccny.cuny.edu 

• East Los Angeles College, Miranda Rivera riveramy@elac.edu

• New Mexico State University, Rebecca Smith sbecca@nmsu.edu 

• University of Texas – El Paso, Kerry Doyle kadoyle@utep.edu