Develop career skills and explore what museums, anthropology, and archaeology have to offer through a three-week internship at the Penn Museum. The Teen Summer Internship provides high schoolers with a chance to build career skills and gain professional experience with the Museum’s offices, classrooms and galleries.
About the Program
The internships run Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, for three weeks.
- Session I:
- Session II:
The sessions of each internship depend on the individual department and will be noted in their descriptions, which will appear under the Internship section below at the beginning of the new year. Attendance each day is mandatory. The Teen Summer Internship Program is only open to current high school students (rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, or will be high school graduates).
We value diversity at our museum and will provide an equal opportunity to all applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability status. Additionally, we can offer lunch and SEPTATrans Passes to interns who request financial assistance. You will be able to state your needs for assistance in the application itself.
Daily Schedule
In the mornings, you will work with your supervisor on their summer projects and tasks. You might also spend time working with other staff in your supervisor’s department or with other interns, but typically the mornings are the time for you to observe, assist, and be mentored by a staff supervisor in one of the Penn Museum’s departments. You will be able to apply for specific departments and staff that fit your interests and experience.
In the afternoons, all of the teen summer interns will come together as a group to get a broader understanding of the Penn Museum. Some afternoons you will get gallery tours to see what artifacts we have on display. Other afternoons will involve meeting with a wide variety of departments in the Museum to get a better understanding of the career paths that exist. On Wednesdays and Fridays, you will also participate in professional development workshops with the internship program coordinator.
How to Apply
Below is a list of each internship offered. Please read the descriptions of all available internships as it is likely that internship with departments you have never heard of before are excellent fits for your talents and interests. If multiple internships would be a good fit for you, you may apply to them all, but applicants will only be accepted into a single internship in a single year.
Once you have completed the application, have an adult who can speak to your strengths and accomplishments fill out the online letter of recommendation, follow link below. Application and reference forms will be available from January 15 to March 1. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Application Will Be Available [DATE]
If you have any questions please contact us at (215) 898-1018 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.