Internship Opportunities

Peruse our list of internship opportunities to see which positions might appeal to you. Don't see what you're looking for? In addition to the sites listed below, the Liberal Arts Career Services office provides a number of resources and programs designed to help you succeed in your internship search. Explore the Liberal Arts Career Services internship page, including the internship site reviews by students. Or, feel free to suggest your own!

For this internship, your focus should be on arts and culture organizations, or those centered on social service or social justice community needs. Once you have selected three internship sites of potential interest, make an appointment with Dr. Seriff at sseriff@austin.utexas.edu and she'll help you navigate the next steps in the application process.

Internship Requirements & Eligibility

Internship Host Eligibility: To be eligible for this course, the internship host agency must be a registered nonprofit organization, educational or arts and culture institution. Private offices and trade associations are not eligible to host interns for this course.

Internship eligibility is reviewed on a case by case basis; however, in addition to the criteria above, the internship must (1) provide direct and daily supervision and guidance; (2) provide regular access to the supervisor; (3) assign meaningful projects; and (4) provide a professional, established working environment with a strong learning component (home-office sites, shared  or co-working sites, virtual/work from home or "in the field" internships are not eligible for the course); (5) be open to all liberal arts students regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, nationality or gender.

Internship Hours: In addition to the hours spent in class, interns are required to complete a minimum of 10 hours at the internship site for a minimum of 13 weeks between the first and last class days of the semester.

Meals on Wheels Central Texas

Embark on a unique opportunity to shape the course of one of the largest and most successful independent living service programs in Texas—Meals on Wheels Central Texas. Whether your interest is in fundraising and development, volunteer services, communication and marketing, digital storytelling, nutrition services, arts and music, or education, Meals on Wheels Central Texas has a place for you! In addition to their prepared food delivery service to over 3,000 clients daily, Meals on Wheels offers over 14 programs designed to promote dignity and independent living for the homebound and elderly. Meals on Wheels Central Texas is ready to craft an internship program that fits your interests and their needs. Join the team that makes these programs sing and positively impacts the lives of so many of our home bound neighbors throughout Greater Austin.

Available Opportunity:
Meals on Wheels Central Texas Internship

Bullock Texas State History Museum

Proud of your Texas heritage? Interested in exploring a possible career path in museums? The Bullock Texas State History Museum will offer you a rare opportunity to join the “behind the scenes” team of curators, educators, designers, and registrars who are responsible for bringing world class exhibitions to life. As an intern for the semester, you and your supervisor will craft a project that fits your interests and the museum’s immediate needs—whether its creating a curriculum for K-12 year olds to accompany a new traveling exhibit, designing a visitor interactive for the exhibition floor, or researching the backstory of an object on display!

Available Opportunity:
Bullock Texas State History Museum Internship

Texas Folklife

This National Endowment for the Arts state-designated organization dedicated to preserving and presenting the diverse cultures and living heritage of Texas, is seeking interns in the areas of program assistance, marketing and PR, media coordination and distribution, membership donor management, and arts advocacy.  Texas Folklife is a non-profit organization that coordinates folk and traditional arts programs across the state, including the Big Squeeze statewide youth accordion contest, Apprenticeships in the Folk & Traditional Arts, Stories from Deep in the Heart youth and community media education program, Accordion Kings and Queens concert in Houston, house concerts, gallery exhibits, archive preservation project and more.  Join our team and help us highlight the traditional music, folk arts, foodways, customs, old time dance traditions and local stories of native Texans and the artists and communities that call Texas home. 

Available Opportunities:
Media Production & Distribution Intern
Big Squeeze Intern
Public Relations & Marketing Intern

Art From the Streets

Interns are sought to fill one of a number of vital roles within this predominantly volunteer-run non-profit organization that nurtures the creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and positive environment of people who are homeless or formerly homeless  through art classes and annual public art exhibitions and sales each year. Interns are needed to assist in grants and fundraising research, as well as marketing, communication, art curation and social media.  Students interested in a career in nonprofit work will have a chance to network with professionals who are passionate about such mission-driven community work, while developing hands-on experience in a wide range of skills involved in making such organizations successful and sustainable. 

Available Opportunity:
Grants Research Intern
Social Media Intern
Curation Intern

HAAM - Health Alliance for Austin Musicians 

Do you love Austin music? Wonder how musicians survive on a shoestring? HAAM is the place for you! Learn first hand about the many ways in which HAAM works to provide access to affordable health care for Austin’s low-income working musicians, with a focus on prevention and wellness. An internship at HAAM offers college students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a variety of nonprofit roles while making a difference in the lives of Austin musicians. Internships are filled on a rolling basis based on student interest and organizational need, but might include PR and marketing, event planning, fundraising and development, and member navigation.

Available Opportunity:
Public Relations & Marketing Intern

Migrant Clinicians Network

If you are interested in the fields of migrant health, environmental health, occupational health and safety, public health and public policy, an internship at this global health organization will provide a rare opportunity to work side by side with some of the most important thought leaders and practitioners in the field of healthcare justice for the mobile poor. Interns match their interest and skill set with organizational needs in a wide variety of special projects and organizational initiatives.

Available Opportunity:
Undergraduate Internship - Migrant Clinicians Network

People's Community Clinic

Are you interested in direct service work to improve the health and care of the underserved of Central Texas?  If so, an internship at one of the oldest independent clinics for primary care in America might be just the internship for you! In almost a half century of primary health care, the People's Community Clinic has never wavered from its mission to improve the health of medically underserved and uninsured  Central Texans by providing high quality, affordable health care with dignity and respect. Interns match their interest and skill set with organizational needs in a wide variety of special projects and organizational initiatives from health promotion to medical-legal partnerships to community centered health home needs.
Available Opportunity:
People's Community Clinic Internship

Classical Guitar Society of Austin

This internship provides a rare opportunity for students to combine their love of classical music with a passion for community service for women and children in challenging circumstances. Over the past several years, the Austin Classical Guitar Society has partnered with a number of local nonprofits to create meaningful programs including the Lullaby Project (designed to help young mothers in challenging circumstances to write personal songs for their children) and the Juvenile Justice Project (designed to create programs for  children in the child welfare  system). Interns will work closely with partner organizations in a variety of roles related to these projects including fundraising, development, event planning, calendar coordination, education, etc.

Available Opportunity:
Austin Classical Guitar Internship

Texas After Violence Project

Texas After Violence Project is a restorative justice and multimedia documentary project focused on cultivating deeper understandings of the widespread impacts of interpersonal and state violence on individuals, families, and communities.  Interns will have a unique opportunity to learn about the effects of violence and trauma on individuals, families, and communities; take a deep dive into issues of restorative justice, human rights and needs, violence and public health, and social constructionism; participate in the development of digital archives and curated projects; explore oral history as a method of research and social change; conduct historical, archival, and qualitative research; and get first hand experience with the inner workings of a small, innovative nonprofit research organization.

Available Opportunity:
Texas After Violence Project Internship

Workers Defense Project

Workers Defense Project internships offer opportunities for aspiring organizers to get hands on experience with grassroots community organizing! Workers Defense Project is a statewide membership-based organization that empowers low-income workers to achieve fair employment through education, direct services, organizing and strategic partnerships. Participants in the WDP internship program will learn a wide range of organizing skills such as worksite organizing, planning direct actions, public speaking and media relations, grassroots mobilization, lobbying, and policy research. Paid internship opportunities are available on a rolling basis in the areas of education and training, research, policy advocacy, and development.

Available Opportunity:
Community and Labor Organizing Internship

The Texas AFL-CIO

The Texas AFL-CIO is a statewide labor federation and serves as the leading voice for working families in Texas. The Texas AFL-CIO is seeking an intern to work with elected leadership, staff and affiliates to build capacity and support organizing, legislative, political, citizenship and campaign activities. This is a great opportunity if you are interested in an experience that will allow you to learn about and contribute to the labor movement and fighting for political, social and economic justice in Texas. 
Available Opportunity:
The Texas AFL-CIO Internship

Congregation Beth Israel Education Internship

Do you have a passion for Jewish youth education? An internship at Congregation Beth Israel in the Youth Education department will give you a behind-the-scenes look at everything necessary to make a congregational supplemental education program successful. As an intern for the semester, you and your supervisor will craft a project that fits your interests and the school’s immediate needs. Time will also be spent with people in other key roles, to introduce you to all aspects of youth education.

Available Opportunity:Congregation Beth Israel Education Program

Banner photo credits (from top to bottom): Meals on Wheels Central Texas; Bullock Texas State History Museum; Art From the Streets; HAAM; Texas After Violence Project; Workers Defense Project; Congregation Beth Israel