SUPERVISED FIELD INTERNSHIP COURSE (for credit)

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HOW TO APPLY

Students who wish to apply for the department's Supervised Field Internship course (Journalism 297) must do so the semester before they expect to intern. Student who wish to intern in the spring must apply in the first five weeks of the fall semester. Students who wish to intern in the summer or fall must apply in the first five weeks of the spring semester. Application forms are available in the student resource room, Arjona 428.

Students must complete Journalism 200W (Newswriting I), 201W (Newswriting II) and 220 (Law of Libel and Communications) before they are eligible for an internship. Depending on the nature of the internship, they may also be required to take other courses such as Journalism 230W (Copy Editing), 240W (Radio and Television Newswriting) or 213W (Magazine Writing).

GOAL

The internship program in the Journalism Department serves the same role for our students as student teaching does for prospective teachers or medical internships for prospective doctors. It offers supervised, professional experience to students who soon will be entering the field. Students must be prepared to work at a professional level with minimal supervision. It is not designed as a generic introduction to the field.

INTERNSHIP SITES

Our students commonly work at newspapers, television and radio stations, and political press offices. Other sites are arranged to fit the interest of the student. The department does not maintain a list of internship sites from which students make selections. Instead, the department head interviews each student, assesses his or her abilities and career plans, and arranges an internship to fit the student.

Both the intern and the internship site must be approved by the department head. Internship credit is given only for work that is supervised by a fulltime professional in the field. For that reason, credit is not given for work at The Daily Campus, WHUS or UCTV.

Supervised Field Internships are offered in both semesters and during the summer.

WORKLOAD, CREDIT, PAY

Internships are demanding. Students work 15 hours a week for 13 weeks. They submit weekly reports, copies of all of their clips and a 1,000-word paper.

Several meetings are held throughout the semester to discuss progress, develop and review resumes, and discuss strategies for finding a job.

Students receive three credits. They usually are not paid.

An internship offers students the opportunity to apply what has been learned in the classroom and bridge the gap between academia and the working world. Many students report that it is one of the most rewarding experiences in their college careers. It can also help a student develop the experience, confidence, clips and contacts that lead to a full-time job.