Undergraduate Program: Internships
Internships - Comm. 4940 - Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any prerequisites?
- You must be an accepted departmental major.
- You must be a second-semester junior or senior (must have completed 75+ hours of course work)
- Your overall GPA must be a minimum of 2.5 and should be 3.0 in your Communication courses
- You must have completed 18 hours of courses in Communication or related courses.
How many hours may I take?
A typical student earns 1-3 credit hours for a single internship. This means you would work approximately 5-15 hours per week (total: 70-210 hrs/semester). We strongly discourage students from taking an internship for more than 3 hours.
Over the course of your degree program, you may only earn a total of 6 semester hours of 4940 internship credits.
What steps do I take for getting an internship, and who selects the location for my internship?
Basically, you find your own internship. There is a Communication 4940 Professional Internship Handbook that will help you find an internship. Possibilities for internships in Columbia, St. Louis, and Kansas City are listed in this handbook. The handbook also can be picked up in the information racks outside of 115 Switzler Hall. Check out Intern Opportunities and Useful Links. If you have any questions, contact the internship director.
The Career Center is an excellent resource for help with résumés and cover letters.
What steps do I need to follow to get credit for an internship?
- Download the handbook about internships or pick one up in the information racks outside of 115 Switzler Hall.
- Between the time of preregistration and the beginning of the next semester, you select an organization that will fit your interests (see the listing in the handbook). Please don't feel that you are limited to only these locations; you may hear of others that are equally suitable. Check with the internship coordinator for approval of any new location.
- Approach the contact person for the organization as if you are applying for a job. Make an appointment for an interview. Dress professionally, prepare a resume to hand in, and use the interview process to determine if the internship is right for you. The organization will determine if you are right for it.
- Once you've been accepted by the internship organization, complete the Internship Application Form in the handbook and return it to the internship director.
- After your application has been approved by an internship coordinator, register for the specific number of hours of Comm 4940 by obtaining a course Permission Number in the main office (115 Switzler Hall).
- It is imperative that you receive credit for the internship during the semester in which the internship experience takes place. Credit for internship work completed in previous semesters will not be honored in subsequent semesters. That is, if you have a summer internship, you must register for credit for that internship for the summer session, NOT the fall session.
- Treat the internship like a job. Remember you will most likely want to use your internship supervisor as a reference for future jobs.
- You must keep a record of the hours you work on the log provided in the handbook. At the end of your internship, have your supervisor sign the firm to verify your hours.
- Midway through the internship program, complete the Midterm Communication Self-Evaluation Form and return it to the internship director.
- At the end of the semester, complete the Final Communication Self-Evaluation Form and return it to the internship director.
- We will send your internship supervisor a Student Internship Evaluation Form, which she must return before you receive credit for the internship.
|
