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Internship FAQ

What are the Academic Requirements?

• Most communication programs require students to be junior or senior majors.
• Electronic Media & Broadcasting and Speech also require a grade point average of 2.75 or higher.
• The next check is to see if you've completed appropriate and sufficient coursework in your major to do the specific type of internship you want to do.
• For instance, JOU 230 Newswriting II is not a prerequisite for all journalism interns, but it is required for anyone who wants to do an internship that involves reporting and writing news.
• Similarly, not all radio/tv majors are required to take EMB 313 Media Sales & Promotion, but those who want to do an internship in a radio station promotion department should take it before doing an internship.
• Nor are all speech majors required to take CMST 440 Communication Training and Development, but someone whose proposed internship involved doing training or orientation sessions for a human resources department would not be allowed to do such an internship without it.
• And, regardless of their major, students are not normally approved for an internship involving public relations unless they've successfully completed PRE 375 Principles of Public Relations or a comparable course.

Are there any other requirements?

Although the specific details remain subject to change until the official course syllabus is distributed at the start of each academic term, communication interns may be expected to:

• attend an intern orientation meeting at the beginning of the semester; 
• complete a minimum of 150 hours at an approved work site with an approved work site supervisor; 
• write progress reports which analyze their internship experiences and relate them to concepts covered in assigned readings and in previous classes; 
• participate in discussions with the faculty coordinator and other interns about their internship experiences and the assigned text; 
• submit a resume suitable for seeking an entry-level communication position; and 
• final report and presentation with the faculty coordinator at the end of the internship.

Where can I do an internship?

Not all communication work automatically qualifies for internship credit. An internship is not simply a part-time job that "pays" students with academic credit and grades instead of money. It's an integral part of a college education.  What's paramount is that every internship be an educational experience that gives students an opportunity to continue their professional development as communicators. This requires that an internship be a learning and growth experience, not just a further demonstration of things the student has previously done or already knows how to do.

• No matter how necessary or how helpful they may be, an intern's primary duties cannot involve repetitious performance of previously developed skills or consist primarily of routine clerical tasks and/or non-communication tasks. 
• For this reason, students are rarely allowed to earn internship credit for continuing to work in jobs they have already been doing for more than a month or two. However, exceptions may be made if the student's employer agrees to give the student new communication-related duties that would make the internship a valid learning experience.

However, unless the prospective intern's assigned tasks are predominantly communication-related in nature and present an intellectual challenge and a true opportunity for learning, the work will not be accorded academic credit as an internship.

Does the company have to meet certain requirements?

Yes, the supervisor must also be a suitable coach.  Given what is essentially a master/apprentice relationship between the site supervisor and the intern, it's essential that the site supervisor be able to serve as a combination instructor/manager/mentor. Therefore, the usual minimum requirements for a communication professional who wishes to be an intern work-site supervisor are:

• at least five years of full-time experience doing communication work and 
• at least two years experience as a supervisor/manager working with and coaching entry level employees or interns. 
• Ideally, a site supervisor would also hold at least a bachelor's degree in a communication-related field, although this isn't always necessary.

An exceptional manager, even a CEO, who is not a communication professional, is not an acceptable work-site supervisor for a communication intern. Nor is someone who holds a graduate degree in communication but has had only minimal work experience.

How do I register for an internship?

The internship registration process begins with the student filling out a simple one-page form. Note that being allowed to register for an internship doesn't guarantee that the specific work site the student selects or the duties established by the site supervisor will be approved for credit. That doesn't happen until an Internship Agreement Form has been completed by the student and the internship work site supervisor and submitted to the faculty coordinator.