Internship Opportunities

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and the College of Arts & Architecture offer a variety of opportunities for students to participate in internships, including the CoA+A Paid Internship Program, internships for course credit, and the University Internship Program (UPIP). Learn more below!

Internships are a great way to enhance your education and facilitate professional development as you earn course credit toward your major in the Department of Art & Art History. 

INTERNSHIPS FOR COURSE CREDIT

Offered by The University Career Center, the University Professional Internship Program (UPIP) can help you gain valuable professional experience in your field without leaving campus.

UPIP INTERNS

Are you an internship employer? You can provide students with professional mentoring and experiences where they will bring their energy, classroom training, and fresh ideas to the workplace. Learn more


CoA+A Paid Internship Community Partners

The College of Arts + Architecture has established semester-long paid internships on campus and across Charlotte’s cultural community that provide students with engaging professional experiences. Our rotating list of partners includes institutions such as the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Charlotte Symphony, The Mint Museum, Charlotte Art League, Charlotte Ballet, and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The following is a partial list of visual arts organizations that our students have interned with in the past.

Bechtler Museum of Art

The Bechtler Museum is dedicated to the celebration and analysis of the strongest aspects of mid-century modernism and is located in Uptown Charlotte.

Interns will work with staff and get real-life, professional experience in a variety of departments. 

CoA+A Graphic Design Intern

Located in the Storrs building, the College of Arts + Architecture communications office serves all five units: Architecture, Art & Art History, Dance, Music, and Theatre.

Interns will work with staff to design digital and print marketing materials for college events and performances.

LRC Studio 

Learning Resources for Change (owned by artist Garden of Journey) has the goal to provide a gainful experience to learn, grow, and expand practice in studio and public art. 

Interns will assist with print orders, printmaking, and inventory, art workshops, art installations, etc.

Mint Museum of Art 

The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative museum of international art and design committed to engaging and inspiring all members of our global community. 

Interns will work with staff in various departments at the Mint, and get real-life, professional experience.

Charlotte Art League

Charlotte’s oldest nonprofit art gallery, CAL is located in NoDa and offers membership to emerging/professional artists, art educators, and art patrons.

Interns will help their program and market the new Sugar Creek Arts Lawn Space built by Charlotte Architecture students.

McColl Center 

This nationally acclaimed art center is located in a historic church in Uptown and houses nine studios and over 5,000 sq ft of gallery space. 

Interns will work with staff in various departments and gain real-life experience. Minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.


Eligibility & How to Apply

These opportunities are open to CoA+A students only and some can be completed for course credit, however, you will need to follow the steps for Internships for Course Credit

Our visual arts community partners and paid internships are described above. We highly recommend that you begin at the University Career Center, where an expert in your field can help you prepare your résumé, cover letter, and portfolio (if required). 

  • Search Hire-A-Niner for CoA+A Internships or by organization name. 

  • If there are no results found, then search again in a few weeks and watch for emails from the Career Center or faculty announcing that the internships have been posted.

  • If there is an active posting, then apply for it through Hire-A-Niner. In order to do so, your résumé must first go through an approval process, which typically takes 48 hours.

  • Your application will then be reviewed, which may take several weeks. If selected, you will be contacted for an interview and/or portfolio review. Hiring occurs after interviewing. 

To receive course credit, you also need to follow the steps for Internships for Course Credit


Hear from our past interns 

girl in front of water fountain

Community Outreach Intern, Bechtler Museum: Ashley Jung, BFA with a concentration in Painting and Illustration '20

"My primary duties being the Bechtler’s Community Outreach intern are to assist with outreach programs/classes, research lesson plans, and collect data that will enhance the Outreach Program. I enjoy meeting all the different kinds of people I work with, as well as being part of a community that is making art accessible to all."

Intern, Charlotte Art Leauge: Asia Spinks, BFA Illustration '22

"My primary duties include assisting with classes, assisting artists who use the studio space, and helping set up the gallery space for artist shows and classes. This internship is important to me because the position allows me to work outside of the studio and meet other artists who can teach me their process and help me to build my skills as an artist. This internship is also important to me because it enables me to gain experience in a work environment and increase my skills as an intern."

girl in front of her house smiling

girl in front of heart wall

Graphic Design Intern, CoA+A: Alayna Gorospe, BFA Graphic Design with a Minor in Art History '20

"My internship duties include designing posters, flyers, and LCD screens through subject research and hands-on meetings to create finished work. I enjoy the creative freedom I am given at CoA+A, it is unlike any internship I have had this far."

Curatorial Intern, Mint Museum: Ruby Kate Byrd, BA Art History, BA Music '21

"In this internship, I will primarily be working with both the curator and the librarian of the Mint Museum to compile a set of usable images of the artists in the museum's collection, which will then be added to the museum's database. I am so excited to finally experience the "behind the scenes" in a museum and have the privilege of working under the museum's curator and librarian. I also love research, which will be most of what I do there - having the opportunity to do this in an actual museum setting is so exciting!"

girl smiling outside