Student internships and placements

Host our students undertaking Masters and Graduate Diploma programs in Museum and Heritage Studies and Art Curating.  

By collaborating with Art Curating students, you will appreciate their proficiencies in the interpretation of visual and material culture, art history and the principles of contemporary curating. Our Museum and Heritage Studies students can demonstrate their expertise in audience-engagement strategy, policies and procedures in collections and heritage site management, as well as theories of object and place analysis.  

In the museum and gallery sector, our students excel in collection management, curatorial work, education, exhibition development, audience engagement, public programs, valuation, and auction operations. In the heritage sector, placements encompass archival research, place documentation and interpretation, and assessment of cultural significance. 

We are keen to collaborate with host institutions including Australian and international museums and galleries, libraries, archives, auction houses, private corporations, art lenders, as well as organisations that run art fairs, festivals, and biennales.  

Download our placement information pack (pdf, 388KB).  

Duration: 20 days full time or equivalent part time. 

Enquiries: glam.internships@sydney.edu.au.

In our FASS3000 unit of study, our senior-year students build professional connections and develop skills related to their undergraduate major in a work or work-related setting through a self-sourced industry placement or internship. Students apply theoretical knowledge in real- world work environments with a range of organisations and industry partners aligned with their degree and career aspirations. The work undertaken will be unpaid and for academic credit.

Duration: 90 – 140 hours throughout the semester, typically 1 – 2 days a week.

Enquiries: fass.internships@sydney.edu.au.

Our students in the Master of Cultural Studies can bring interdisciplinary knowledge from their studies to your organisation. In this degree, our students learn about race and ethnicity, popular culture and media, gender and sexuality, and globalisation and consumer culture. They explore a range of tools to analyse and understand how cultural practices and meanings are produced.  

Our students are well-placed to do cultural analyses across different sectors and issues. It is recommended you place them in research-based work, or in policy development and strategic planning settings, which often draw their interest.  They can contribute to a wide variety of work, such as archival research, art curation, publicity management and events planning in both independent and collaborative settings. 

Enquiry: soh.internships@sydney.edu.au

Professional experience is a central component of all teacher-education and social work programs at the University of Sydney.

Information about social work field-education placements can be found in the Field Education Handbook (pdf, 12.3MB), which is published annually by the Sydney School of Education and Social Work. Alternatively, agencies and organisations are invited to email our social work program coordinator directly.

Enquiry for Social Work: fieldeducation.manager@sydney.edu.au.

Enquiry for Education: professionalexperience.manager@sydney.edu.au

Our Media and Communications students offer practical and theoretical skillsets to their placement hosts. They excel in tasks ranging from podcasting, media liaison, corporate communications and social media management to media strategy development, research, writing, and diverse forms of audio-visual production. We have partnered with high-profile media organisations such as Nine Entertainment, ABC and SBS, public relations firms, publishing houses, and welcome collaboration opportunities with organisations offering media-related work.

Undergraduate students
Our students in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Media and Communications) undertake the internship in their final year of their degree. Host organisations will benefit from their practical media skills, innovation, relevant industry knowledge and critical intelligence alongside their liberal arts education. 

Postgraduate students
Our students undertaking Postgraduate Placements Program (pdf, 158KB) are well placed to work across a range of industries including book publishing, podcasting and public relations. Many have worked in the media industry or in other professional capacities and can bring a wealth of skills to your organisation. 

Duration: 140 hours 

Enquiry: media.internships@sydney.edu.au.

Host our Politics and International Relations students, who are trained by world-leading academics in international affairs and political practices. 

By working with our students, you can tap into their comprehensive knowledge of policy development, economics, society, culture, gender and sexuality, as well as their refined skills in research, communication, strategic thinking, and conceptual analysis. You will also appreciate their well-crafted language and communication skills, which can be leveraged for tasks such as report writing, developing media assets, and literature reviews.

Eager to put theory into real-world application, our students can address contemporary issues by demonstrating strong problem-solving skills. With their mission-oriented and autonomous nature, along with a strong work ethic, these students are well-suited for research-based tasks. Suitable roles include Digital Media Content Creator, Project and Administration Assistant, Political Campaign Assistant, as well as roles in marketing and communications, policy, research, advocacy, and journalism.

Our previous host organisations include Parliament of NSW, Centre for Work Health and Safety, Youth Justice – NSW Department of Communities and Justice, UNICEF, and European Australian Business Council. 

Duration: 120 hours.

Enquiries: ssps.studentplacements@sydney.edu.au

Our Social Justice Student Placements program (pdf, 110KB) offers valued industry partners with access to postgraduate students motivated to bring positive social change and make meaningful contributions in society. You will benefit from their highly developed critical thinking and ethical problem-solving skills, along with their foundational knowledge of policy, law and activism.

Our students pursue a diverse array of Masters degrees that are closely aligned with social justice including Human Rights, Development Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, International Relations, International Studies, Public Policy, and International Security. 

These students thrive in project-based roles that involves advocacy and fundraising, policy literature review, digital engagement and campaigns, community organising, research analysis, event support, and tasks that enable them to apply their knowledge in public policy and communication skills.

Previous partners include World Wildlife Fund, NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors, People With Disability Australia and Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation. 

Duration: 140 hours (20 days full time or equivalent part time).

Enquiries: ssps.studentplacements@sydney.edu.au.