Bard Graduate Center’s internship program is designed with career development in mind. It is a chance to gain practical, real-world experience in a professional setting related to your academic interests and career goals. As an extension of Bard Graduate Center’s object-centered curriculum, students can fulfill the requirement in a variety of settings—from the costume department of the Metropolitan Opera to the decorative arts wing of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The program is guided by our Director of Masters Studies, and students have completed internships in more than 250 cultural institutions in New York City and across the country. The program has also developed internationally, with students spending recent summers at the Ashmolean Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Benaki Museum, the Musée du Louvre, and the Musée Carnavalet. Each year, Bard Graduate Center offers competitive funding for students to help offset travel and accommodation costs for internship opportunities.

Internships are typically completed during the summer between the first and second year of study, though they may also be done at other points during the academic year. They are usually six to eight weeks in length, and must be a minimum of 100 hours (students often complete more). Internships are approved by the Director of Masters Studies and all students are evaluated by their host sites. The internship is graded Pass/Fail.