Departmental Placement Areas

This team fosters the continuing development of present and future museum and academic professionals and maintains a robust teaching practice. Programs include fellowships, undergraduate and graduate internships, research scholarships, The Met Collective, Observant Eye, the Travel Grant Program, and international initiatives and staff exchange programs.

This team makes The Met collection, exhibitions, programs, website, and buildings accessible to disabled visitors. The team develops gallery- and studio-based programming for visitors of all ages. They design museum-wide policy, strategies, and initiatives to embed accessible practices and disability justice principles into the fabric of the Museum. Access Programs interns help support all aspects of accessibility, including programs for disabled visitors and programs for families, teens, K-12 students and teachers, college students and faculty, and adults, as well as initiatives with other departments that make the broader Museum experience inclusive of visitors with disabilities.

This team plans and executes talks, conversations, and art-making events in The Met’s galleries, lecture spaces, and studios for general adult audiences. Interns in this area learn about leading and planning studio art programs, creating art-making spaces, interacting with visitors, and designing educational events for people of all age groups. The Creative Practice team looks for interns with strong research skills, an interest in connecting with current events, diverse art-making skills, and an interest in working with adult audiences.

This team works programming and opportunities for young people and their families outside of school. Programs in this area range from one-day sessions to recurring programs and festivals and include a range of activities to connect visitors to the collection. The team also oversees the High School Internship program. Interns in this area work on a variety of projects, including program development, research, and support.

These programs include the Museum’s vast school tour program, lesson plans and resources for educators, and interdisciplinary professional development initiatives for K–12 educators. Interns in this area work on a variety of projects, including program development, research, and support. Interns often teach during school and community youth tours and camp programs.

This area of the department works at the intersection of exhibition planning and museum learning. The primary goal is to generate exhibition experiences that are enriching, engaging, and meaningful for all visitors, regardless of their background. Interns in this area primarily assist with and develop studies that contribute to The Met’s understanding of visitor behavior, as well as engagement with and comprehension of exhibition topics.

The Digital Department leads the creation, production, presentation, and dissemination of multimedia content to support the viewing and understanding of The Met collection and exhibitions, both within the galleries and online. The department is responsible for managing electronic documentation and digital assets associated with The Met collection, publishing the collection information to a variety of platforms, and ensuring greater access to The Met's digital resources. It also supports and develops public-facing technologies and is responsible for the Museum's presence and participation in the online environment, including The Met's website and online features, such as #MetKids and The Artist Project. Interns in this department work on projects such as working with the online publications team to launch new platforms, organizing and editing or writing audio scripts to update the audio guides, creating video content, performing website data analytics, and website development projects. The Digital Department is also responsible for The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, an important resource for students and scholars, and looks for interns with a strong knowledge of art history and editing/writing skills to assist with this ongoing project.

This department looks for interns with an interest in museums and/or the art world. Depending on the internship project, they may be looking for an intern with video making, audio editing, graphic design, web design, data analysis, or writing skills.

The Imaging Department is charged with creating photographic documentation of the Museum's collection, galleries, exhibitions, and buildings for archival purposes and for reproduction. Photographers and specialists in Imaging work with the latest technology to create beautiful and indelible photographs that enrich and extend visitors' engagement with the Museum's collection and exhibitions. These images continue to make extraordinary works of art accessible to millions of people around the world through countless publications and online resources. Interns work on projects such as photographing archival materials, preparing content for publication, archiving photographs, and producing content such as time-lapse videos and animations. Imaging looks for interns with experience taking photographs, skill with Photoshop and other digital imaging software, and an interest in photography careers.

The Department of Live Arts commissions and presents new works of art in the discipline of performance (music, words, movement, sound, and related hybrids) that enhance the Museum's engagement with contemporary artists, illuminate The Met collection and exhibitions in new ways, and deepen connections between audiences and works of art. By creating a body of performance work entirely unique to The Met, the department connects audiences to scholarship and art and amplifies diverse and emergent narratives and interpretations of the collection. Live Arts is an artist-led and global leader in the field. It is the largest museum-based performance series in the United States and the only independent performance department in any U.S. historical museum.

The Publications and Editorial Department publishes exhibition catalogues and guides to The Met collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the leading museum publishing operation in the world, and its award-winning books consistently set the standard for scholarship, production values, and elegant design. The Publications and Editorial Department produces about 30 exhibition and collection catalogues and general-audience books each year, as well as educational publications and scholarly periodicals, such as the quarterly Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin and the annual Metropolitan Museum Journal. The department has recently expanded the program to include new media, notably online catalogues, e-books, and video—many of these publications can be accessed through MetPublications.

Interns in this department work on projects such as proofreading labels and exhibition texts, creating and maintaining publication records on The Met's website, and learning about all aspects of art publishing. The Publications and Editorial Department looks for interns with a passion for art history and/or publishing, attention to detail, organizational skills, and textual savviness.

Watson Library is the central research library of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its collection of books and periodicals relating to the history of art is one of the most comprehensive in the world. The primary mission of the library is to support the research activities of the Museum's staff; in addition, it welcomes a broad range of students and researchers college age and above.

Watson Library looks for interns with a strong interest in a library career and some experience in an academic or art library. Most Watson Library interns are enrolled in a Master of Library Science program.

One of the largest, most technically advanced facilities for the study and storage of textiles in any major art museum, Antonio Ratti Textile Study and Storage Center reflects The Met's long-standing commitment to collecting textiles, beginning with its first textile acquisition in 1879. The Museum's encyclopedic collection of textiles includes examples from all of the world's civilizations—archaeological fragments, tapestries, carpets, quilts, ecclesiastical vestments, silks, embroideries, laces, velvets, and more—dating from 3000 C.E. to the present.

Interns work on projects such as organizing departmental research files to make them available to researchers, assist on upcoming exhibitions and publications, entering data into the collections database system (TMS), and documenting installation textiles that need to be photographed for future reference and relocation.

The conservators for Arms and Armor are embedded within the Arms and Armor curatorial department and are directly responsible for the preservation, exhibition, research, and analysis of the department’s almost 14,000 objects. This includes weapons, armor, equestrian items, hunting accessories, and related equipment from around the world. The collection is primarily metals but also includes wood, leather, ivory, bone, ceramics, textiles, and more. Arms and Armor conservators are also responsible for the installation of the collection, including the fabrication of mannequins and display mounts.

The department accepts candidates who are currently enrolled in a full-time graduate program, as well as preprogram candidates who meet the qualifications for acceptance to a graduate program.

The Costume Institute’s conservators support an active curatorial program of exhibitions, publications, and loans through the preservation, conservation, and technical research of the 33,000 objects in the department’s collection, spanning from the 15 century to present. The complex construction of garments and accessories, with diverse and sometimes incompatible materials joined into a single object, complicates their preservation. Conservators in The Costume Institute have specific expertise in haute couture garment construction, creation of custom mounts for storage and exhibition, digital documentation methods, and technical analyses. They are responsible for setting guidelines for the storage, handling, and display of the collection. The department was a forerunner in establishing the Museum’s robust integrated pest-management program.

Objects Conservation welcomes students and cultural heritage professionals to work with Met collections and department conservators and conservation preparators. Objects conservators provide for the physical care and technical study of three-dimensional works of art. They engage the entire span of the Museum’s collections, encompassing objects of artistic and cultural significance from all over the world dating from the seventh millennium BCE to the present day and including materials such as glass, ceramic, wood, metal, stone, and plastics. Education opportunities for current and recent students from high school onward are facilitated by The Met’s Education Department. There are dedicated training opportunities for graduate students enrolled in advanced conservation programs. Internships are also regularly available to high school students, recent high school graduates and current and recent undergraduates to introduce the field of conservation through hands-on collections work. Graduate Internships provide year-long training placements for conservation graduate students, typically as a requirement for a terminal conservation degree.

The Sherman Fairchild Paintings Conservation Center opened its doors in 1980: an approximately 18,000-square-foot duplex with a stunning, two-story, light-filled studio and spaces for panel work, lining, varnishing, photography, analytical laboratories, a library, and a seminar room. The interdisciplinary approach implicit in the architectural design was something new, and the center immediately set a benchmark for world-class paintings conservation facilities. The center benefits from an extraordinary roster of furnishings and equipment, including an infrared vidicon, an X-ray unit, microscopes, cameras, and analytical equipment for the laboratories. Aside from the treatment of works of art, the conservators support many different facets of the Museum’s activities, checking hundreds of paintings for loan and taking responsibility for many hundreds more that arrive at the Museum as honored guests to be part of temporary exhibitions and displays. This department hosts only those interns who are currently enrolled in a full-time graduate conservation program in the United States.

The Paper Conservation Department is responsible for the preservation, exhibition, and analysis of works of art on paper from the Museum’s curatorial departments. These objects include historic, modern, and contemporary material, among which are: drawings in all media and techniques (such as chalk, charcoal, pen and ink, watercolor, and pastel), prints (such as etchings, engravings, and lithographs), Western illuminated manuscripts on parchment and paper, Indian and Islamic paintings and albums, ivory portrait miniatures, palm leaf manuscripts, papyrus, parchment, and composite objects, among which are paper-based sculpture, decorative arts objects, and ephemera. The Paper Conservation Department accepts preprogram interns who have begun chemistry courses required for graduate study in conservation, as well as third- or fourth-year graduate student interns.

The Photograph Conservation Department is dedicated to conserving and researching photographs, time-based media, and bound volumes, spanning from the earliest photographic experiments through the emergence of the digital era to the present. Photograph Conservation works in close collaboration with the Departments of Photograph and Scientific Research, the Photograph Studio, and other allied professionals. Photograph Conservation regularly welcomes fellows and interns into the department, providing the opportunity to work side by side with conservators in a lab actively engaged in conservation, preventive conservation, and research. Given the relative youth of both photograph and time-based media conservation, we are committed to nurturing and growing these critical areas of conservation specialization.

The Department of Scientific Research is responsible for investigating the material aspects of works of art in the Museum's collection. Scientists in the department cooperate with conservators and curators in studying, preserving, and conserving the works in the Museum's collection and also pursue innovative research in analytical techniques, preventive conservation, and treatment methodologies.

This department hosts students from all over the world who have a background in the physical sciences and an interest in how scientific knowledge and study can be applied to art research and care.

The Department of Textile Conservation is responsible for preservation, conservation, technical study, and research of the Museum’s collection of approximately 36,000 textiles in 12 curatorial departments. The encyclopedic collection represents a broad range of textiles including tapestries, carpets, embroideries, costumes, and three-dimensional accessories of all periods and cultures. The department sets guidelines for care, handling, display and storage of the textiles, and has played a key role in The Met’s initiative to create a dedicated facility for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with a purpose-built freezer and pre- and post-treatment areas.

The American Wing houses a collection of 17,000 works of fine and decorative North American art. The collection includes monumental sculpture, American paintings, stained glass, architectural elements, decorative art objects of silver, gold, glass, and ceramics, and American period rooms. Interns in this department have worked on administrative and collections projects, object and exhibition research, period room installation, writing blogposts about the collections, and updating the department's collection database.

The Department of Asian West Asian Art manages the Museum's collection of more than 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium BCE through the centuries just beyond the time of the Arab conquests of the seventh century CE Objects come from a vast region centered in Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and extending north to the Caucasus and the Eurasian steppes and south to the Arabian peninsula.

Interns in this department work on object and collections research, updating the department's collection database, and digitizing projects.

The Arms and Armor Department collects, preserves, researches, publishes, and exhibits distinguished examples representing the art of the armorer, sword smith, and gun maker. The focus of the collection is on works that show outstanding design and decoration, rather than those of purely military or technical interest. The collection comprises approximately 14,000 thousand objects, of which more than 5,000 are European, 2,000 are from the Near East, and 4,000 from the Far East. It is one of the most comprehensive and encyclopedic collections of its kind.

Interns in Arms and Armor work on exhibition and object research, as well as collections management projects.

The Asian Art Department maintains a collection of more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium BCE to the twenty-first century. It is one of the largest and one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the West. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Interns in Asian Art work on administrative and collections projects, research for exhibitions and gallery rotations, as well as collections management and TMS projects.

The Costume Institute handles The Met's collection of 35,000 costumes and accessories, representing five continents and seven centuries of fashionable dress, regional costumes, and accessories for men, women, and children, from the 15th century to the present.

Interns in this department assist curatorial staff with exhibition research, publications, and long-term departmental projects. Curatorial interns are usually graduate students; The Costume Institute Library often hosts undergraduate students. The Costume Institute also hosts the nine-month Anna Sui Internship (see the Long-Term Internships page).

The Department of Drawings and Prints comprises the Museum's collection of Western drawings and prints, one of the most comprehensive and distinguished of its kind in the world. Today, its vast holdings, notable for an exceptional breadth and depth, comprise more than 17,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Western Europe and America, principally from the 15th century to the present.

Interns in this department work with curators to research and catalogue the collection, input object information into TMS, and assist with other departmental tasks.

The Department of Egyptian Art collects, preserves, researches, publishes, and exhibits ancient Egyptian art. The collection consists of approximately 28,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from the Paleolithic to the Roman period (ca. 300,000 BCE–fourth century CE). Interns in this department work closely with curators to research objects, digitize archival excavation materials, and work on collections management projects.

The Department of European Paintings manages the Museum's world-famed collection of European paintings, encompassing works of art from the 13th through the 19th century. Most, though not all, are displayed in the department's galleries. Others works of art can be found in the Lehman Collection, the Linsky Collection, The Met Cloisters, and in various period rooms. Apart from its many individual masterpieces by artists as diverse as Jan van Eyck, Caravaggio, and Seurat, the Museum possesses the most extensive collection of 17th-century Dutch art in the western hemisphere, including outstanding works by Frans Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Its holdings of El Greco and Goya are the finest outside of Spain, while the survey it offers of French painting between neo-Classicism and post-Impressionism is second only to Paris, with extensive holdings of the work of Corot, Courbet, Manet, Monet, Degas, Cézanne, and Van Gogh.

Interns in this department work with staff on exhibition preparation, bibliographic and object research, and entering collection information into TMS, as well as working on other departmental projects.

The Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts houses the 50,000 objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts. This collection reflects the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early 15th through the early 12th century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Interns in this department work with curators on publications, research for gallery installations and exhibitions, and collections management projects.

The Department of Greek and Roman Art manages more than 17,000 works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 BCE) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in 312 CE. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the pre-Greek art of Greece and the pre-Roman art of Italy, notably of the Etruscans.

Interns in the Greek and Roman art department work with curators on publications, collections research, and exhibition projects.

The Department of Islamic Art's collection ranges in date from the 7th to the 19th century. Its nearly 12,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions of Islam, with works from as far westward as Spain and Morocco and as far eastward as Central Asia and India. Comprising sacred and secular objects, the collection reveals the mutual influence of artistic practices such as calligraphy, and the exchange of motifs such as vegetal ornament (the arabesque) and geometric patterning in both realms.

Interns in Islamic Art work on a range of projects like researching objects in the collection, working with archival materials, and writing blog posts.

The Met Cloisters is the only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages. Its name is derived from portions of five medieval cloisters incorporated into a modern museum structure. Designed to evoke the architecture of the later Middle Ages, The Met Cloisters and its gardens creates an integrated and harmonious context in which visitors can experience the rich tradition of medieval artistic production, including metalwork, painting, sculpture, textiles, and horticulture.

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both the main building and in the Metropolitan's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early 16ht century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Interns have worked at both The Met Fifth Avenue's Medieval Art department and at The Met Cloisters on curatorial, library, and education projects related to the Museum's collection of medieval art.

The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing comprises the Museum’s collection of arts of Africa, the ancient Americas, and Oceania. In total, the collection contains more than 11,000 works of art of varied materials and types, representing diverse cultural traditions from as early as 3000 BCE to the present.

Interns in this department have worked on object research, collections management projects, community outreach, exhibition preparation and research, and writing blog posts about the collections/exhibitions on view.

The Department of Modern and Contemporary Art's holdings comprise more than 12,000 works of art across a broad range of media from 1900 to the present. Among the department's highlights are iconic works by members of the School of Paris, such as Balthus, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Amedeo Modigliani, and Pablo Picasso. The department is also rich in works by the circle of early American modernists around Alfred Stieglitz, including Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, Georgia O'Keeffe, and John Marin; large-scale paintings by Abstract Expressionists, such as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko; and modern design, from Josef Hoffmann and members of the Wiener Werkstätte to Art Nouveau jewelry by René Lalique. Interns in this department work closely with curators on exhibition research, collections management tasks, and archival projects.

The collection of the Department of Musical Instruments includes approximately 5,000 examples from six continents and the Pacific Islands, dating from about 300 BCE to the present. It illustrates the development of musical instruments from all cultures and eras. Selected for their technical and social importance as well as for their tonal and visual beauty, the instruments may be understood in a number of ways: as art objects, as ethnographic record, and as documents of the history of music and performance.

Established as an independent curatorial department in 1992, The Met's Department of Photographs houses a collection of more than 75,000 works spanning the history of photography from its invention in the 1830s to the present. From daguerreotypes and salted paper prints to multi-channel digital videos, the collection presents the medium's breadth of form and function. The department also preserves the archives of 20th-century masters Walker Evans, Diane Arbus, and James Van Der Zee, which include the artists’ negatives, prints, and collections. Interns in this department should have an interest in the history and practice of photography and often work with staff on cataloguing, and storing works in the collection, and research.

The Robert Lehman Collection is one of the most distinguished privately assembled art collections in the United States. Robert Lehman's bequest to The Met, a collection of extraordinary quality and breadth acquired over the course of 60 years, is a remarkable example of 20th-century American collecting. Spanning 700 years of western European art, from the fourteenth to the twentieth centuries, the 2,600 works include paintings, drawings, manuscript illumination, sculpture, glass, textiles, antique frames, maiolica, enamels, and precious jeweled objects.

Interns in the Robert Lehman Collection usually have a strong background in western European art or history and work with curators on researching the collection and preparation for exhibitions and publications.

The intern will learn about the development and implementation of exhibition design for rotations and departmental exhibitions, including concept development, circulation and planning, display, casework, and conservation requirements. Interns will assist with the presentation of execution of projects, including renderings, model making, and materials research, working directly with the assigned internal design team.

The Design Department looks for advanced undergraduate students whose focus is architecture; proficiency in Adobe Suite and Vectorworks is required.

The intern will learn about the development of design directions for exhibition identities and bespoke events for various departments like Membership, Development, Education, Visitor Services, Marketing, and Digital. Interns will apply their skills to help execute templated branded collateral, visual research, support in creating exhibition graphics, and working directly with the assigned internal design team.

This department works with individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies to support every facet of the Museum. The Met is a private institution relying on the combined generosity of visitors and supporters to serve the public in accordance with its traditional standards of excellence. The Development Department works to finance the Museum's ongoing and new services for the public. Interns in this department learn about the different facets of development through assisting with Corporate Patron Program/ Real Estate Council prospecting, preparing special exhibition proposals, assisting with event planning, and marketing and social media initiatives. The Development Department looks for interns with an interest in art administration and some knowledge of development and fundraising.

The Government Affairs team works at the city, state, and federal levels to maximize the local and federal governments' operating and capital support for The Met and its initiatives. It maintains active relationships with executive and legislative branches at all levels of government; aids the Museum on issues of importance to the institution and to the museum community; and promotes attention to the Museum by local, state, and federal government officials. Interns in this department work on projects such as New York City government partnerships and promotional events. Government Affairs looks for interns with an interest in nonprofit management, political science, or local government.

The Membership team works to connect every Member and Patron to the power of art through The Met and its services. Currently, the Membership team welcomes more than 130,000 Members annually to the Museum.

Interns in this area often work on visitor research and data analytics projects related to exhibitions and visitor experience.

This division of the Development Department works with corporate Members and eligible nonprofit organizations to assist with every detail of planning memorable receptions, dinners, private gallery viewings, and fund-raising events. The Museum also hosts special evening events throughout the year, including the Family Benefit, the Young Friends Benefit, and the Acquisitions Benefit, as well as receptions and private viewings of special exhibitions for Members.

The objective of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives is to collect, organize, and preserve in perpetuity the corporate records and official correspondence of the Museum, to make this material accessible and provide research support, and to further an informed and enduring understanding of the Museum's history. Archives holdings include Board of Trustees records, legal documents, and Museum publications, office files of selected Museum staff, architectural drawings, press clippings, and ephemera. Interns in the Archives work on projects such as rehousing archives materials, maintaining the Archives database, and assisting visitors with archival research. The Museum Archives look for interns with a desire to pursue a career in archives, an interest in the museum world, database experience, and library research skills.

Only applicants currently enrolled or recently graduated from a Master of Library Science program will be considered for an internship in The Met Archives.

Counsel’s Office offers one summer internship for a first-year law student. The intern gains professional experience and learns about areas such as litigation, intellectual property, contracts, tax, trusts and estates, employment, and immigration. The internship entails research, writing, and other legal projects as assigned by various attorneys in the office. These projects are intended to build skills and understanding of legal practice in a museum setting.

The internship is part of the full-time, 10-week summer Museum Seminar (MuSe) Internship Program. Please note that only first-year law students are eligible for this placement. See Summer Internships for Undergraduate and Graduate Students for MuSe Internship Program details and to apply.

The Office of the Registrar implements Museum policies and procedures encompassing art acquisitions, loans, exhibitions, deaccessions, storage, packing and shipping, security of artwork in transit, fine art insurance administration, and risk management. Interns work on projects such as completing related paperwork to exhibition openings and closings, entering information into the collection database system (TMS), assisting with outgoing loans by reviewing facility reports, and tracking The Met's art loans.

The Registrar's Office looks for graduate students with strong organizational skills, some knowledge of museum registration, and a strong interest in a career as a registrar.

The Capital Projects Department is concerned with the maintenance and daily functioning of The Met, as well as new building projects and the restoration of the Museum's galleries. Recent interns have worked on capital projects such as the 81st Street Studio, as well as projects related to historical blueprints of The Met Cloisters building. Students with interest and some knowledge of architecture and engineering are great candidates for these internships.

The Finance Department oversees the finances of The Met. This includes handling the Museum's many endowments and keeping track of the Museum's spending. Interns in the Finance department learn about monthly account reconciliations, the year-end close process, and committee material compilations. The Finance Department looks for interns with a strong interest in nonprofit administration and some knowledge of math/accounting.