Internship Main Page

Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History
Interns & Internships

With 126 million natural history specimens and a professional community of over 500, here at Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History we have a project, place and purpose awaiting you.

Our internships offer student-mentor relationships and career-enhancing experiences for undergraduate, graduate and sometimes even high school students. Whether working directly with the public, contributing to the administration and operation of the facilities, or actively engaged in our scientific pursuits, interns gain valuable job skills, unique insight into our operations, and enliven our community!

Like all internships at the Smithsonian Institution, an internship at Natural History is a prearranged, structured learning experience scheduled within a specific time frame.

The experience must be relevant to the student's academic and professional goals and to the mission of the Museum. An internship is not an independent academic endeavor, but performed under the direct supervision of a Smithsonian sponsor. Most internships provide no financial assistance, housing, or travel award.

Although special week-long opportunities are sometimes available, internship appointments are generally at least six weeks in duration and require a minimum commitment of 16 hour per week.

Qualifications vary for each program and project. Some positions may require college or graduate training and/or professional experience. Most require English proficiency in written and oral communication.

Not only does Natural History offer our own variety of internship programs and specialized projects, we also host interns placed through other Smithsonian programs (e.g. Minority Internship Program, Native American Internship Program, James E. Webb Internship, Smithsonian Affiliations Intern Partnership Program).

There are more than 50 different internship programs at the Smithsonian, plus a general referral. Each program is administered separately, with different processes and deadlines. Some programs have separate application and review processes, a few even have dedicated funding allocated to award stipends.

Each of Natural History's programs, and even projects, have different application processes. Students should carefully review the processes for each before applying. Some programs have formal application requirements and deadlines while other internships can be arranged in an hour through a simple e-mail or phone call.

The best way to secure an internship through the Natural History Internship Program (our overall general program) is to contact the project sponsor directly using the contact information (phone and e-mail) provided to discuss details and potential placement.

While we appreciate and applaud your enthusiasm and interest in serving an internship with us, please refrain from contacting us to check on the status of your application. Keep in mind that for most programs and projects, only those applicants selected will receive notification. But, if you haven't heard and need answers, give us a call and we'll do our best to find out what's up.

AMENITIES - What you get

At Natural History there is an abundance of special programs and seminars - something new every day. Students may also explore the sights of DC and join special activities arranged just for students participating in Smithsonian academic appointments.

During the summer, a Smithsonian-wide Museum Careers Seminar Series is featured including topics such as career planning, choosing a graduate school, and filling out a government job application. The summer highlight is always the annual Intern's Ice Cream Social.

And there's more. Registered interns receive 20% discount at the Smithsonian's gift shops and one free IMAX ticket each week. You also receive discounts at the National Gallery gift shops and eateries and in the winter get a discount on skating and equipment rental at the National Gallery Sculpture Garden Ice Skating Rink, located next to the Natural History Building. In addition, interns are also welcome to attend department lectures and talks.

PLANNING YOUR INTERNSHIP - What to do before you arrive, and once you get here

Each year over 1,000 students are awarded a Smithsonian internship appointment, including more than 500 at Natural History. Many, many more students apply for a position. Keeping up with status inquiries and tracking incoming and outgoing interns can be a challenge. We have prepared several web pages with extensive information detailing everything we could think of. If you don't find what you're looking for, let us know.

All internship positions at the Smithsonian are now characterized as Non-Critical Sensitive. Internship placements require successful adjudication of a pre-appointment background check. If local to the DC area and reporting for fingerprinting in-person to the Smithsonian Office of Protective Services, we anticipate the background check process to take approximately 10 - 14 days. If non-local, please allow at least 4 weeks for this process to complete BEFORE your planned arrival. All individuals, U.S. citizens and Internationals, nominated for an internship position must undergo a pre-appointment background investigation before an appointment can be confirmed if:

Nominees are required to complete an OF 306 Declaration for Federal Employment, a standard form issued by the Office of Personnel Management. The OF 306 is available at the OPM web site as an on-line fill-in form at: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf.

Nominees are also required to complete an SF 87 Fingerprint Chart (fingerprint card). The SF 87 will be mailed directly by the Smithsonian to individuals nominated for an internship. The SF 87 is not available electronically and cannot be sent via e-mail.

Non-local (to DC/NY) nominees must take the SF 87 to their local law enforcement agency or courthouse to obtain fingerprints. A minimal fee is usually involved. The nominee must then mail the completed OF 306 and SF 87 to the Office of Protection Services.

We recommend that, minimally, you select First Class mail for timely delivery. To help ensure quicker service we suggest USPS Priority Mail and advise that you request Delivery Confirmation to track and confirm delivery of your response.

EXPRESS MAIL: Should you wish to use a delivery service (FedEx, UPS, etc.), address your response to:

If the nominee is within commuting distance to Washington, DC, they may hand-deliver the completed OF 306 and be fingerprinted on-site at no cost. In addition, nominees having difficulty obtaining the proper fingerprints at their home location may request a deferment to be fingerprinted at the Smithsonian upon their arrival to DC.

The Smithsonian Office of Protection Services is located at 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 4036. Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you have questions regarding the process, or the status of your submitted documents, please contact: ops.pso@si.edu.

The Smithsonian Office of Protection Services (OPS) contracts the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to conduct all investigations. Based upon the investigation results, OPS determines the nominee's suitability for a position at the Smithsonian. The turnaround time for investigation results is about 10 days from the time information is received by OPS from the nominee.

OPS will notify the NMNH Head of Acaedmic Services when an investigation is closed. They will then contact the nominee to extend a formal internship offer, and provide further detail.