Internships

An internship is a practical learning experience outside the educational institution in an organization that deals with an aspect of the profession the student hopes to enter. Its purpose is to fill the gap between the academic and professional worlds. It is a time when the student can observe and participate in the work world in a non-threatening manner. More specifically, an internship is a relationship the student has with a company or organization wherein he/she is treated as a quasi employee. The student is given specific tasks and responsibilities and is allowed to observe various operations of the organization.

The primary reason for participating in an internship is to learn more about the career the student wishes to pursue. A second reason for taking an internship is to apply theory learned in the classroom to an actual work situation. In brief, the internship experience is first and foremost a learning experience.

Students may elect to participate in the department's internship program. Internships are open to department majors who have completed 58 semester hours and may be arranged for either 3, 6, or 12 hours of credit. Interns are placed with cooperating organizations such as radio or television stations, newspapers, public relation departments, human resource departments, event coordinators, sales positions, professional sports organizations, and magazines. In recent years, majors have served internships with Cleveland television channels 5, 8, 19/43, and FOX Sports NET OHIO; Youngstown channel 21 and 27; MTV (New York City); UPN 9 News (New York City); Double R Productions (Washington, D.C.); Walt Disney World (Orlando, Fla.); Image Video (Alliance, OH); WTOV 9 (Steubenville, OH); ATP Tennis Masters Tournament (Cincinnati, OH); the Akron Beacon Journal; the Canton Repository; Aultman Hospital; the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Crunch; Stern Advertising Agency; The Timken Company; Windfall Media, LLC; Canton Museum of Art; and local radio stations such as WTAM in Cleveland; WHBC, WNPQ, WRQK and WZKL in Canton; WHOT and Cumulus Broadcasting in Youngstown and WQXK in Salem.

Requirements

a. You must be a major in the department and have completed at least 58 semester hours with a minimum overall GPA of 2.75.

b. If you are planning an internship in journalism or public relations, you must have completed CM 250 (Introduction to Journalism) and CM 255 (Introduction to Public Relations) before the internship. It would be helpful if you had taken CM 256 (Production and Design for Journalism and Public Relations) and CM 350 (Advanced Writing for Journalism and Public Relations) as well. In addition, journalism and public relations interns are expected to have at least two semesters of active participation on the Dynamo staff or significant experience in the print media.

c. If you are planning an internship in the broadcast area, you must have completed CM 240 (Radio Production and Programming) before the internship. It would be helpful if you had taken CM 340 (Advanced Broadcast Production) and CM 245 (Broadcast News Writing) as well. In addition, broadcast interns are required to have at least two semesters of active participation on the WRMU-FM staff beyond class requirements.

d. Prospective communication studies interns must meet requirement "a" above and have completed 15 semester hours in the communication/media studies major earning a minimum GPA of 3.0 In addition, active participation in a communication organization is advantageous.

e. Prospective communication studies interns must also submit 1,250 word (minimum) writing sample. This submission may be informative or argumentative in focus.

f. Along with the application for an internship, students must also write a formal letter of application to the program. Included in this letter you should discuss your career goals and explain why you have decided to apply for the internship program. In addition a letter of recommendation from a faculty member needs to be sent to the head of the department.

Exceptions to the above may be made in extraordinary circumstances if the student petitions the department faculty.

Application Instructions

Complete the internship application carefully and legibly and return it to the department chair. In addition, request the Registrar to forward a copy of your transcript to the department chair. The department faculty will review this application together with your transcript and letter of recommendation. If you successfully meet all requirements, you will be admitted into the internship program. At that point you will work with a faculty member to locate a meaningful internship station.

Internship Application (printable form)

Further Information

For further information regarding internships, see The Student Access Guide to America's Top 100 Internships (New York NY: Willard Books). For an annotated listing of internships available to college students or graduates see Internships (Cincinnati OH: Cincinnati Writers digest book). For a source book for locating internships in Washington, D.C. see Jeffrey Parness, The Complete Guide to Washington Internships (Brooklyn NY: Washington Intern Services).