Internship and Researcher Opportunities

An internship is becoming an increasingly valuable experience as part of a doctoral program in the humanities. Through such internships, the Humanities Center is offering opportunities for humanities graduate students to increase interdisciplinary fluency and research capacity within the academy, as well as translate the value of their training for multiple career pathways. Descriptions of these opportunities can be found below. If you are interested in an internship for AY 2021-2022, please contact SueJeanne Koh, Graduate Futures Program Director, at sj.koh@uci.edu.

Humanities Out There (HOT) Public Fellows

Launched by the Humanities Commons in 2016, the Humanities Out There Public Fellows Program provides PhD students in the Humanities with the opportunity to contribute to program development, research, and communications at local arts and cultures institutions. By applying their Humanities research, analysis, and pedagogical skills, Public Fellows expand their professional horizons while making meaningful contributions to partner organizations.

Humanities Out There Public Fellows offers paid positions every summer for graduate students to intern in a wide range of arts and cultures institutions. Our call for applications will come out later this calendar year. A history of previous Public Fellows, partners, and projects can be found here and will be further updated.

Graduate Student Researchers and Cross-Disciplinary Researchers

These research positions offer graduate students opportunities along two trajectories. One trajectory allows them to gain administrative experience in a higher education context, strengthening their chances to work in this capacity after graduation. The other trajectory provides a unique opportunity for humanities graduate students to gain experience in collaborative research and in communicating across disciplines, as well as specific knowledge and training that will benefit their own dissertation project. 

Next Gen PhD

The academic job market has undergone significant shifts in the last few decades. Technological advancements, changes to the ways in which education is funded, and adjusting cultural attitudes about the role of graduate education in public life have generated feelings of uncertainty about what a humanities PhD can do in the 21st century. During the 2016-2017 academic year, the UCI School of Humanities, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, sought to understand these changes to American graduate education and develop solutions to rethink pedagogical practices on our campus and improve employment outcomes for graduates. 

This website gathers findings and practical information from that exploration. Students will find links to resources that will guide them in thinking strategically about their place in a fluctuating job market. Faculty mentors will find pedagogical partners and studies to assist them as they guide their students to fulfilling careers. Administrators and policy makers will find an extensive white paper that defines the problem as determined by our project committee and actionable recommendations for continued improvements to graduate humanities education at UCI.