Internships and placements

If you are completing a postgraduate Masters or Graduate Diploma degree in Art Curating or Museum and Heritage Studies, internship units can be taken as part of your degree.

These can take place in a variety of Australian and international museums and galleries, as well related institutions including libraries, archives, auction houses, private corporations with collections, art lenders, organisations that run art fairs, festivals, biennales and the like.

If you’re enrolled in Museum and Heritage Studies you can also undertake placements with heritage sites, heritage professional organisations or government heritage offices.

The Master of Cultural Studies internship program will provide you with practical experience in an organisation that undertakes or requires cultural research or analysis. This may range from education, policy, artistic practice or popular culture to consumer or community ethnography and activist work.

Practical experience is an integral component of our qualifying education and social work degrees.

School observation and practice teaching happens throughout our education degrees, allowing you to develop your practical teaching skills and professional understanding.

If you're studying social work, you will undertake two fieldwork placements, supervised by highly skilled and experienced practitioners. 

Our Industry and Community Project Units are 6 credit point elective units, where you have the opportunity to work on authentic problems and issues set out by industry, community and government organisations.

In collaboration with the industry partner and academic lead, you will work in a group with other students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds. Together you will research, analyse and present solutions to the problems set by the external partner organisation.

Some examples of projects include:

• AGL – The future of the electricity grid
• Blackmores – Solutions for obesity
• Career Seekers – Resettlement of asylum seekers and refugees
• DIPX International – Using patient experiences to improve healthcare delivery
• Glebe Community Development – Living side by side: social sustainability in inner Sydney
• NSW Parliament – Social media and politics
• Public Defenders – Not guilty: Sydney exoneration project
• PwC – Future of Sydney precincts
• QBE – Impact of climate change
• Westmead Redevelopment, Western Sydney Local Health District – Sustainability: Furniture reuse, repurpose and recycling
• Westpac – The impact of artificial intelligence on banking

As an undergraduate student you can enrol in FASS3000: Internship. This course allows you to prepare for your career while you are studying through a short-term internship. You will develop your knowledge and skills in real world environments. Placements are usually 1-2 days per week and are available across different industries.

Our Politics and International Relations students have interned at the NSW Department of Premier & Cabinet, Ports Authority and the NSW Legislative Council. Our Linguistics students have interned at organisations such as Appen, working on developing new language resources for the global leader.

To help transition from undergraduate studies to a professional media career, as a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications) student you’ll have the opportunity to complete an internship as part of your degree. In the past our students have interned with Fairfax, the ABC, SBS, public relations firms, publishing houses and in-house communication teams.

If you’re enrolled in a Master of Publishing, Health Communication, Media Practice, Strategic Public Relations or Digital Communication and Culture degree, you can also apply for an internship that will count towards your degree.

Our social justice internships are open to students in our Human Rights, Development Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, International Relations, International Studies, Public Policy or International Security master’s courses.

The internship program runs year-round and counts towards your degree. Some of our previous partners include World Wildlife Fund, NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors and People With Disability Australia.

If you are completing undergraduate or postgraduate studies at Sydney College of the Arts, placement units can be counted towards your degree. These can take place in a wide range of Australian or international institutions including museums and galleries, contemporary art spaces, film production studios, or during international festivals and cultural events such as the Biennales and the Sydney Underground Film Festival.

Please email sca.enquiries@sydney.edu.au for more information.