The School of Humanities and its departments, centers and programs offer internships, practicum and other experiential learning opportunities that help to prepare students across a broad range of fields, interests, commitments and professions.
The table below shows all such opportunities offered across the School of Humanities.
Typically, internships or practica during the academic year offer academic credit while those during the summer do not. Almost all of the school's non-credit internships carry a stipend, whether standard, available by competitive application, or need-based. Students considering an unpaid, non-credit-bearing internship should contact Andrew Stefl, Lead Academic Administrator in the School of Humanities Dean's Office, or the director of undergraduate studies in the relevant department or program, to learn about possible funding.
International students, note, an internship that is off the Rice campus and inside the United States may endanger your student visa. Please be sure to contact the Office of International Students and Scholars.
- William A. Camfield Fellowship
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Department of Art History
School of HumanitiesDescription: The William A. Camfield Fellowship is one of the Department of Art History's primary fellowships intended to support outstanding student scholarship and museum internships in the field of art history. The fellowship offers undergraduate students of any major the opportunity to work as an intern for one academic year at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston under the guidance of a professional museum curator. *Fellowship areas rotate each year.
Eligibility: All continuing undergraduate students; must be enrolled for both Fall and Spring semesters following the application deadline.
Application: Required.
Other Information: Competitive opportunity. Fellows are required to enroll in HART 300 (Fall) and HART 301 (Spring) and to maintain a B average or better in HART 300 to continue the fellowship.
Amount: $10,000
Contact: Department of Art History
- Jameson Fellowship
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Department of Art History
School of HumanitiesDescription: The Jameson Fellow will spend the academic year as an intern at the Bayou Bend Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Eligibility: All continuing undergraduate students; must be enrolled for both Fall and Spring semesters following the application deadline.
Application: Required.
Other Information: Competitive opportunity. Fellows are required to enroll in HART 400 (Fall) and HART 401 (Spring) and to maintain a B average or better in HART 400 to continue the fellowship.
Amount: $13,000. Additional funds (up to $1,500) are available for a research trip during the fellowship.
Contact: Department of Art History
- John and Dominique de Menil Fellowship
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Department of Art History
School of HumanitiesDescription: The John & Dominique de Menil Fellowship offers one undergraduate art history student the opportunity to work as an intern for one academic year at The Menil Collection under the guidance of the museum's internationally respected curatorial departments. *Fellowship areas rotate each year.
Eligibility: All continuing undergraduate majors; must be enrolled [HART ???] for both Fall and Spring semesters following the application deadline.
Application: Required.
Other Information: Competitive opportunity. Fellows are required to enroll in HART 300 (Fall) and HART 301 (Spring) and to maintain a B average or better in HART 300 to continue the fellowship.
Amount: $3,000
Contact: Department of Art History
- Museum Internships
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Department of Art History
School of HumanitiesDescription: These are typically student-arranged. Internship provides select students with a practicum in museum work, in coordination with a Houston area museum. A HART faculty member will supervise the internship. Students will work directly with the museum to gain hands-on experience in curatorial practice and collection, exhibition and archive management, while also learning about the role of museums in society and significant issues in museums today.
Eligibility: undergraduate students
Application:
Other Information: Must enroll in HART 301 (1 to 6 credits, depending on time commitment of the internship). Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
Amount: None, academic credit only.
Contact: Department of Art History
- Department of English
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Department of English
School of HumanitiesMinter Summer Scholars Program
The Minter Summer Scholars Program offers competitive research and travel grants to English majors for summer research and creative writing projects. Awards typically range from $750.00 to $3,000.00. As many as four scholars may be selected annually based on the merit of proposals and the feasibility for successful completion of research or creative writing projects. Minter Scholars will present the results of their projects in the form of a ten-page paper to the sponsoring faculty in the English Department, and will be asked to write a summary of their research for the award donors in the fall semester. Applications are due March 1st and are reviewed by the Awards and Prizes Committee; awards are announced by mid-April.
Amount: Varies
- Department of History
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Department of History
School of HumanitiesContact Dr. Aysha Pollnitz, Associate Professor of History
Amount: Varies
- Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures
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Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures
School of HumanitiesDescription: Rice University’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese and Latin American Studies is offering a unique academic and professional experience with a faculty-led, six-credit hour program in Madrid, Spain. The program is 6 weeks long, and a Rice professor will be with the group for the duration of the program. Students will work 5 days a week, for six weeks in an internship, and the class on the society and culture of Spain will meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Students will be placed in their internships based on skills, interests, and professional goals. We have numerous possibilities available, ranging from finances and banking, to education, and social and health services. The internship in this program will count as a class.
Eligibility: Students should be able to communicate above Intermediate level II Spanish. Preference will be given to those registered in an upper division Spanish class during the Fall 2021 semester (above Intermediate Spanish II). If interested, students must schedule an interview with Dr. Luis Duno-Gottberg.
Application: Will be published in the future.
Amount: The program costs [will be published in the future]. Students are responsible for their own travel expenses to and from Madrid. Students commit to arrive within the required time frame.
Contact: Dr. Luis Duno-Gottberg
- Department of Transnational Asian Studies
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Department of Transnational Asian Studies
School of HumanitiesAdvanced Undergraduate Research Award (AURA)
Description: Through the generous support of the Gee Family Association, the CCAS supports Asian Studies majors and minors to pursue interdisciplinary academic research, internships or pre-professional work experience, cultural study opportunities, and community service projects. Recipients are required to submit a report or presentation at the beginning of the semester immediately following completion of the funded project.Eligibility: Only Asian Studies majors and minors, not in their final semester, are eligible to apply for the AURA. In particular, the project must be completed before the student graduates. For example, a student graduating in May cannot apply for the AURA to conduct a project in the summer. Similarly, a student graduating in December cannot apply for the AURA to conduct a project in the spring.
Application: To apply, the following should be submitted via email to asian.studies@rice.edu and swlewis@rice.edu.
Amount: Most awards range from $1,000 to $1,500.
Contact: Dr. Steven Lewis or the Department of Transnational Asian Studies
- Undergraduate Research Fellowships
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Humanities Research Center
School of Humanities
Marilyn Marrs Gillet International Travel Fellowship
The Humanities Research Center awards summer research practica to undergraduates with strong backgrounds in the humanities. This program requires 200 hours of research-based work over the course of the summer, with cutting-edge faculty on innovative humanities-based research projects. Fellows will receive stipends of $3,000.
For more information, contact Paula Platt, Program Administrator, Humanities Research Center
Undergraduate Research Fellowships
The Humanities Research Center awards Research Fellowships to undergraduate students with strong backgrounds in the humanities. The fellowships require 200 hours of work on a research project led by a faculty member in the School of Humanities. Selected fellows will receive stipends of up to $3000.
Learn more About Humanities Research Center Research Project Support >
Learn more About Humanities Research Center's Proposal Calls, Deadlines, and Applications >
- Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication
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Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication
School of HumanitiesApprenticeship course SPAN 323|324
Description: This hybrid course combines apprenticeship hours with online modules for students who are interested in using their Spanish-language skills in professional medical settings. Students are matched with a local hospital, clinic, or healthcare organization to complete forty apprenticeship hours. Tasks can include patient advocacy, health education, shadowing medical interpreters, and/or working as patient liaisons. Students also have weekly online modules to complete which include readings and videos about limited English proficiency patients, language access and discrimination, intercultural competence, ethical issues surrounding interpretation, voluntourism, and other topics related to healthcare and social justice.
Amount: None, academic credit only.
Contact: Dr. Luis Turi
- Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality
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Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality
School of Humanities
Seminar and Practicum in Engaged Research
Description: This academic year practicum experience connects undergraduates to a Houston-area non-profit organization that could benefit from a research project around women, gender, and sexuality that is collaboratively defined by the student and the organization.Eligibility: Juniors and seniors of any major are eligible to participate; prior consultation with faculty required.
Application: Registration in three courses required: Fall semester SWGS 494; Spring semester SWGS 496 and SWGS 497. Planning with Center faculty begins in the prior spring.
Funding: While no funding is guaranteed, participants are eligible to apply for the Practicum Research Fund https://cswgs.rice.edu/prizes-and-awards/practicum-research-fund
Contact: Dr. Brian Riedel, CSWGS Associate Director
Houston ARCH Summer Oral History Internship
Description: This competitive, paid summer internship supports students in collecting and archiving oral histories in Houston’s LGBTQ+ communities.Eligibility: Students who are currently enrolled in or who have successfully completed SWGS 101 or SWGS 201 are eligible to apply.
Application: The call for applications circulates in February. Application deadline is in March. Decisions announced in April.
Funding: Students receive support of $2,000 per oral history, for a maximum of $4,000.
Contact: Dr. Brian Riedel, CSWGS Associate Director
CSWGS Houston ARCH Summer Internship
Eligibility: Currently enrolled or successfully completed SWGS 101 or 201
Initiated: Application
Amount: $2,000-$4,000
Contact: Dr. Brian Riedel, CSWGS Associate Director
- Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations Program
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Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations Program
School of HumanitiesArchaeological Fieldwork
Description: Students participate in archaeological excavations over the summer at sites around the world. Specific projects are selected based on each student's academic interests, in consultation with a faculty advisor. Examples and links to up-to-date bulletins.
Eligibility: Rice undergraduates
Application: Varies based on the program selected.
Amount: Varies
Contact: Dr. Sophie Crawford-Brown, Director of the Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations Program
- Program in Jewish Studies
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Program in Jewish Studies
School of HumanitiesFellowships:
The Program in Jewish Studies offers competitive fellowships for undergraduates who are currently enrolled at Rice. These fellowships are intended to assist students who are involved with Jewish Studies and who want to pursue a special project related to Jewish Studies in the U.S. or abroad. We also offer travel scholarships for students who want to study in Israel. Students who receive special funding from the Program in Jewish Studies are expected to write a report of their activities within 3 months of their return.
The Desiree & Max Blankfeld Fellowship for Jewish Studies was created out of the idea that it was of the utmost importance to support a program that would emphasize the rich tradition of Jewish heritage, including its cultural, religious, and historical elements. Students who wish to pursue special projects or courses of study related to Jewish Studies are invited to apply for funding.
The Sosland Family Fellowship for Jewish Studies supports Rice undergraduate students who study abroad or conduct research in connection with the Program in Jewish Studies. Students who wish to pursue a study abroad program related to Jewish Studies or a research project that involves travel are invited to apply for funding.Eligibility: Enrolled Rice undergraduate students who are involved with Jewish Studies and who want to pursue a special project related to Jewish Studies in the U.S. or abroad
Application: Students must submit applications to jewishstudies@rice.edu by March 31st.
Application available >Contact: Dr. Joshua Furman or the Program in Jewish Studies
Student Internships:
Houston Jewish History Archive Student Internship
Description: The Houston Jewish History Archive at Rice University (HJHA) hires undergraduate students for paid internship positions during the academic year, and occasionally during the summer months. Interns play a key role in advancing the mission of the archive, which is to collect, preserve, and increase the accessibility of historical records and oral histories pertaining to Jewish life in Houston and South Texas.
The HJHA is a collaboration between Rice’s Program in Jewish Studies and the Woodson Research Center in Fondren Library, where the archives are housed.
Interns work on a variety of projects, from processing and digitizing archival materials, to editing oral history videos and transcripts, to writing blog posts about our collections.Eligibility/Pay: Interns are paid hourly, and are expected to work 8-10 hours per week during the semester. The internship is restricted to Rice undergraduate students.
For more on the HJHA internship >
Contact: Dr. Joshua Furman, Curator of the HJHA and Associate Director of the Program in Jewish Studies.
- Medical Humanities Program
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Medical Humanities Program
School of Humanities
MDHM 430: HEALTH, HUMANISM AND SOCIETY SCHOLARS MEDICAL HUMANITIES PRACTICUM (ONE SEMESTER)
Description: This 3-credit practicum offers students the opportunity to work with a health organization in a research area of particular interest to them. Students learn about the work of these organizations through assisting a mentor for 6-8 hours per week. In addition, students design their own research project in medical humanities, with assistance of the instructor, that will be presented to the public as a paper, web-based presentation, or other project.
The organizations with which the mentors are affiliated will vary by semester and the interests of students. Regular partner organizations include the Texas Medical Center Library, Texas Children’s Hospital, Día de la Mujer Latina, the Institute for Spirituality and Health, the Handbook of Texas Medicine, and many more.Eligibility: Rice undergraduate students are eligible to take this practicum if they have taken MDHM 201 and one other humanities or medical humanities course. They must also contact the instructor during undergraduate registration the semester before the practicum begins to schedule a brief conversation about their research interests. Registration is by permission of instructor.
Contact: Dr. Melissa Bailar with questions.
Health, Humanism, and Society Scholars program (HHASS)
The Health, Humanism, and Society Scholars program (HHASS) provides Rice undergraduates the opportunity to assist in research at various institutions within the Texas Medical Center, giving them valuable experience in a variety of medical and public health settings, research institutes and centers. The program identifies faculty and researchers in the Texas Medical Center who are interested in mentoring undergraduates and are currently researching topics of social science, education, and/or medical humanities. Students are enrolled in a corresponding course (MDHM 402, 403 or 430), matched with projects then spend 1-2 semesters assisting with research.For more information, contact Dr. Melissa Bailar.
- HEDGE Summer Internship Funding
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The School of Humanities provides competitive funding for unpaid or low-paying professional internships obtained by Humanities majors. The HEDGE Summer Internship Fund enables Rice undergraduate students to apply humanities skills and gain professional experience in law, health, business, journalism, the creative arts and other exciting career fields. Funding will vary depending on an internship’s duration, location, and intensity. For more information, contact Andrew Stefl.
- Susan McAshan Summer Service Internship
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Program in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities
School of HumanitiesSusan McAshan Summer Service Internship
Description: This competitive paid summer service-learning internship supports declared PJHC minors who will have completed required coursework by the end of the spring semester before their internships.
Eligibility: Only declared PJHC minors are eligible to apply. Students apply via Google Form in late fall for support the following summer. Students may need to apply for funding before they have completed the required course PJHC 394.
Amount: Award amounts vary between $4,000-$5,000.
Contact: Angela Wren Wall
- Department of Art
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Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts
School of HumanitiesThe Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts offers it students internally funded awards, prizes, scholarships, and fellowships. Many of the awards allow students to travel both domestically and internationally to significant sites that support and encourage artistic research and production.
- Program in Politics, Law and Social Thought
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Program in Politics, Law and Social Thought
School of HumanitiesLaw Practica
Eligibility: must complete at least 9 hours of humanities or social sciences coursework
- Program in Theatre
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Description: These are typically student-arranged. Internship provides select students with a practicum in theatre. in coordination with either a Houston or national theatre company. A THEA faculty member will supervise the internship. Students will work directly with the theatre to gain hands-on experience in the theatre area that best suits them and the theatre company, i.e, stage management, design, production or marketing. Past internships have included such companies as Main St. Theatre, Stages Houston Shakespeare Festival, and the Alley Theatre.
Eligibility: undergraduate students
Application:
Other Information: Must enroll in THEA 396 (1 to 6 credits, depending on time commitment of the internship). Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.
Amount: None, academic credit only.
Contact: Christina Keefe, Director, Theatre Program