Internships and Careers

History  •  Legal Studies  •  Political Science

History Internships

You can undertake an internship with the approval of your advisor and Department Chair. In doing so, you'll earn academic credit while gaining real-life professional experience.

Recent Internships

City Historian: Students have worked on the Vietnam Era/Oral History project a cooperative venture between the Rundel Library, local colleges, the city historian and a local VFW post.

Rochester Museum and Science Center: Students worked in the archives, digitizing photos and documents from the Civil War era.

George Eastman House: Students have worked with the foundation office in marketing the Eastman House, preparing research and analysis on sources of funding, and in local fund raising events.

Genesee Country Village Museum: Students worked with supervisors to prepare exhibits for the Museum.

Strong National Museum of Play: Students worked on the planning and preparation for the current Superhero Exhibit.

U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.: Students worked with the museum to prepare tours, book groups, and prepare publication guides.

Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County: Students assisted the Deputy Historian of the City of Rochester in preparing the online collection of oral histories for the "Rochester Voices" sub-series "Latino Histories."

Student Reflections

Kelsey Reed, intern at Alexandria Archaeology Museum in Alexandria, VA.

"It's a fantastic experience! I have done an array of different assignments. My main task is to work with artifacts from an African-American community that developed during Reconstruction on the site of former Union Civil War fort called Fort Ward. I do research on the artifacts. Currently, I am working on putting together a new informational binder that will accompany the exhibit. If anyone is looking to do an internship in the Washington D.C. area I would definitely recommend doing the Washington Internship Institute program through Nazareth."

Amy Bologino, intern at the George Eastman House Development Department

"I was ecstatic about the opportunity to be a part of such a well known institution and a chance to explore the realm of museums. Throughout my internship I developed a sense of possibility that there are many career opportunities in museums and I learned from the bottom up how to be a part of such an organization. This experience has led me to pursue a higher degree of education in museum studies as well as fuel my love of history."

Kristina Morris, intern at the Rochester/Monroe County Vietnam Oral History Project

"I wanted to have an internship to expose me to new experiences and became involved with the Rochester/Monroe County Vietnam Oral History Project. This internship has been more than a working experience, it has been life changing. "

"The highlight of this project is working with so many great people. It is amazing to give back to these veterans who served our country. Telling their stories may be difficult at times, but they are always grateful for someone who is sincere in hearing their story. I want to continue my work in oral history. Everyone has a story worth telling, you just have to listen."

What can you do with a B.A. in History?

In every field, historians are found making significant contributions as employees, managers, and consultants. Talk to your faculty advisor who can help you refine your interests and skills through internships, projects, or a practicum.

Career Paths

Business: Historians make signature contributions in management, marketing, public relations, sales, international trade and international business, as well as the financial and insurance industries.

Government: Historians serve as legislative assistants, administrators, clerks, and policy makers in every area of government from elected to appointed officials.

Non-Governmental Organizations (ngos): Historians serve as policy makers, lobbyists, researchers, analysts and writers for foundations and boards.

Legal: Historians work in law libraries, in legal research and advocacy, and as paralegals.

Media: Historians are journalists, editors, publishers, and fact checkers in the publishing industry. Historians also create, develop, or prepare content for websites, film documentaries, and television programming.

Public History: Historians serve in state and federal parks departments, oversee historic sites, prepare documentaries and brochures, serve as librarians, archivists, preservationists, curators, and as actors presenting living history illustrations of events and people of the past.

Education: Historians may teach, develop policy, advocate for education, administer grants and workshops, or serve as writers and reviewers for textbooks or educational content.

Legal Studies Internships

The following internships can be taken for credit as PSC 483, Law Internship, during regular semesters and, in some cases, during the summer.  A GPA of 3.0 or higher, as well as the approval of the Program Director, is required. Students without a 3.0 GPA can take an alternative internship, selected under the guidance of the Legal Studies Program Director.  

Internship Locations

Empire Justice Center: A statewide non-profit law firm that provides services such as litigation support (including legal research, preparation and review of legal documents), local staff training, information clearinghouse functions, preparation of self-help materials for clients, and state level police advocacy. Issues with which the Center deals include poverty law, family law, public assistance, public and subsidized housing, tenants' rights, and women's rights.

James Nobles Criminal DefenseA summer internship with a private practice attorney focusing on criminal defense provides an opportunity to experience all aspects of the criminal defense profession, including learning about law and criminal procedure, exploring legal strategy, and working on real-life assignments. Specific duties and responsibilities vary based on ongoing cases. Tasks can be customized to the individual strengths and interests of the intern selected. Mr. Nobles is an experienced trial lawyer, a former Monroe County assistant district attorney, and an alumnus of Nazareth College.

Monroe County District Attorney: Student interns are assigned to work with one of the assistant district attorneys for the course of a semester. They go to court, handle criminal case files, and learn about the rules and procedures involved in the criminal justice system.

Monroe County Probation Department: Student interns work in the Community Corrections division of the Probation Department assisting with a variety of duties including juvenile and adult intake, investigation, and supervision of offenders.

Monroe County Public Defender: Student interns are assigned to work with one of the attorneys at the office of the public defender for the course of a semester.

New York State Attorney General's Office for Consumer Affairs: Student interns are trained in the Attorney General's procedures and study consumer protection laws, take consumer complaint calls and analyze consumer complaint mail, mediate disputes between consumers and merchants, assisting in investigations of consumer fraud, learning to watch for patterns of persistently illegal business conduct.

Underberg & Kessler LLP: Students learn about the intricacies of both commercial and residential real estate law when interning at this private Rochester law firm. Interns learn how to complete legal documents and perform other support services for the partners; they also accompany the attorneys to court and to closings.

Political Science Internships

Several different internships are available to political science majors, locally and out of town. A GPA of 2.7 is a prerequisite for the following:

Out of town

Washington D.C. Internship Program: Nazareth College has established an internship program in Washington D.C. in cooperation with the Washington Internship Institute (WII). Nazareth students can live and intern in the Washington D.C. area for a semester and earn 15 credits. WII has internships for students in nearly every major. (3.0 GPA required). 15 credits.

New York State Legislature in Albany: Students have the opportunity to participate in state government and the legislative process by interning in either the New York State Assembly or Senate.  Students live in Albany and are assigned to work for the entire semester for either a State Assembly Representative or a State Senator. 15 credits.

Local - Legislative

In all these legislative internships, students are responsible for researching projects, researching and responding to constituent requests, attending meetings, writing summary briefs, doing computer work and performing various administrative tasks. Internships are available at the following offices.

U.S. Senators: Students work for a semester in the Rochester office of U.S. Senator. 3 credits.

U.S. House of Representatives: Students work for a semester in the Rochester office of Congressperson who represents a Rochester area district. 3 credits.

New York State Senator or Assembly Representative: Students work for a semester in the Rochester office of a New York State Assembly person or Senator who represents a Rochester area district. 3 credits.

Monroe County Legislature, Democratic or Republican Office: Students serve as legislative aides and have many duties. They research constituent problems, research and write legislative proposals, maintain media files, prepare bulk mailings for legislators, and attend meetings of legislative committees and of the full County Legislature. 3 credits.

Local - State Government

State of New York Executive Department - Division of Human Rights: Student interns are assigned to assist in the enforcement of laws against discrimination in employment, housing, credit and public accommodations. They are responsible for intake work, interviewing of witnesses in human rights cases, reviewing and analyzing case investigation records, drafting proposed rulings in discrimination cases, attending investigatory conferences, preparing reports on interviews and conferences, and updating files. 3 credits.

Governor of New York - Rochester Office: The New York State Governor's Rochester/Finger Lakes Office accepts interns to provide assistance and support to his staff. This work provides students with an experience that exposes them to government, public policy and significant work with real responsibilities in our eight county region. 3 credits.

Local - City of Rochester Government

Office of the Mayor: There are a wide variety of placements available in the Office of the Mayor of Rochester. Students assist in special projects, deal with the concerns of city residents, prepare reports and attend meetings of officials in city government. 3 credits.

Urban Government and Politics Internship: Nazareth cooperates with St. John Fisher College in this semester long internship. Students can work in the government of the City of Rochester or Monroe County or in civic and political organizations. Interns are exposed to new career choices and a better understanding and appreciation of Greater Rochester. The college courses required for this internship are: courses PSC 484 (6 credits), PSC 485 (3 credits) and POSC 488 (3 credits) at St John Fisher. Administered by Dr. Timothy Kneeland. 12 credits.

Nicole Andolina '15 interned in Washington, D.C.

Nicole Andolina '15

She interned at the Center for American Progress and at Mobilize.org in Washington, D.C. "Living and working in a new environment, making new friends, and enjoying our nation's capital, I had the privilege to develop my professional skills in organizations that aim to better serve our communities," she says.

Handshake database

Use Handshake, Nazareth's job search database, to find internships, part-time, and full-time job opportunities.