Careers and Internships

Our students make an impact through internships at Washington, D.C. area arts organizations by collectively contributing more than 60,000 hours supporting the arts while gaining valuable professional experience.

Where Can You Find an Internship?

Strategically placed at the core of both the graduate and undergraduate minor curriculum, required internships in professional settings are where our students begin applying and refining the skills they learn in the classroom.

Our students have worked in dynamic organizations ranging in size from the Smithsonian Institution and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, to independent community-focused arts organizations such as the Arlington Arts CenterDance Place, and Arena Stage.

Mason has also worked to cultivate partnerships with affiliates in the Washington, D.C., metro region and beyond, which provide our students with exclusive internship opportunities.

Browse our job and internship listings.

Areas of focus include:

  • Arts marketing
  • Communications
  • Public relations
  • Development
  • Finance
  • Operations
  • Fundraising
  • Event management

Graduate students must complete 42 hours per credit.

For information about our internship requirements, or to arrange for an internship, please contact the Arts Management program.

To get started, you should familiarize yourself with the appropriate Internship Guide.

Arts Management Undergraduate Internship Handbook and Forms Fall 2022 Final

Arts Management Graduate Internship Handbook and Forms Fall 2022 Final

“This is the first [internship] I’ve walked away from and said, ‘Wow, this is what I want to do.’ I’m still able to keep the music and keep the arts in my life without performing or teaching. I think I’ve found my niche.”

Alex Interlandi, Arts management minor and music major, Development intern for the Wolf Trap Foundation
The Arts Management Program prepares student for success in careers and internships at the leading arts organizations around the world.

By participating in mock interviews, students prepare for success in careers and internships at leading arts organizations around the world.

Selected Internship Sites

Performing Arts Internships

1st Stage Theater, VA 
Afromoda Dance Theatre, DC 
Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, VA 
Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies, VA 
American Century Theatre, VA 
American Dance Festival, NC 
American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras, VA
Apollo’s Fire–The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, OH 
Arena Stage, DC 
Aspen Music Festival and School, CO 
Association of Performing Arts Presenters, DC 
BodyWise Dance, DC 
Bowen McCauley Dance, VA 
Bravo! Vail Music Festival, DC 
Capital Fringe, DC 
Choral Arts Society of Washington, DC 
City Dance, DC 
Contemporary American Theater Festival, WV
Dance Place, DC 
Dance USA, DC 
Dancin' Unlimited Jazz Dance Company, VA 
DC Jazz Festival, DC 
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, IL 
Deutsche Orchestervereinigung, Germany 
Entertainment Industries Council, VA 
Fairfax Choral Society, VA 
Fairfax County Dance Coalition, VA 
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, VA 
Ford’s Theatre, DC 
Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC 

Visual Arts Internships

Air Force Photo (Pentagon), VA 
Arlington Arts Center, VA 
Art at the Center, VA 
Art League Gallery, VA 
Art Museums of the Americas, DC 
Art-o-matic, DC 
Artbot Gallery, VA 
Broadway Gallery, VA 
Candy Factory, Center for Arts, VA 
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, DC 
Chateauville Foundation, Castleton Festival, VA 
Christie's, NY 
Contemporary Arts Center, LA 
Founders Hall Gallery, VA 
Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, DC 

Interdisciplinary Internships

American Academy of Arts and Sciences, MA 
Americans for the Arts, DC 
Arlington County Cultural Affairs, VA 
Arlington Economic Development, VA 
Art Soiree, DC 
Artisphere, VA 
Arts Council of Fairfax County, VA 
Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) Conference, OH 
Cherry Blossom Festival, DC 
Chinese Culture Connection, DC 
Council of the Arts Herndon, VA 
Creative Arts Therapy Studio, VA 
Creative Currency, CA 
Cultural DC, DC 
DCist, DC 
Embassy of Peru, DC 
Empowered Women International, VA 
Fairfax Commission on the Arts, VA 
Fairfax Community Church, VA 
Fredericksburg Parks & Rec, VA 
GE Ministries, DC 

Mason Internship Sites

Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Arts Management Department, Marketing, VA 
Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Center for the Arts, VA 
Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Center for the Arts, Marketing, VA 
Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Communications, VA 
Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Curation, VA 
Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Dance Conference, VA 
Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Dance Department, VA 
Mason's College of Visual and Performing Arts, Dean's Office, VA