Breadcrumb
Internship FAQs
- 1. Am I eligible for credit?
- 2. I need a resume review – who should I see for that?
- 3. How do I search for internships?
- 4. How do I get credit?
- 5. Can my current internship or part-time job count for credit?
- 6. How do I choose a faculty supervisor?
- 7. Do I need an internship to graduate?
- 8. How many hours do I need to work?
- 9. How much does internship credit cost?
- 10. Can I get paid and earn credit at the same time?
Please see the Internships Guidelines page for class prerequisites and other requirements.
Note: These do change somewhat frequently as the departments change names, numbers of courses and curriculum in general, but it will be kept up to date for the current semester. If you have any questions, contact our team.
Upload your resume and get direct feedback with VMock. First-year students can go over VMock feedback with their career advisor at an individual advising meeting or a 15-minute drop-in appointment. Go to Buff Portal for upcoming appointment availability.
Need specific/tailored resume guidance or other career advising support? See our team.
See more details about how to get help on your resume on the Resumes page.
CMCI recommends using Handshake for your internship search, but LinkedIn, as well as local and national job boards, are also an option.
View a step-by-step walkthrough of how to create a job or internship on Handshake.
Please see Getting Credit for Internships. The deadline for reporting the current semester's internship will always be on the main Internships page.
This is ultimately up to professors and your faculty supervisor. Generally, if your internship meets these three requirements, then, yes it could count for credit:
- Your internship or job duties relate directly to your major.
- You are being supervised by someone with significant industry experience who is willing to train/mentor/teach you.
- You can get at least 50 hours/credit. For details on hours worked per credit hour, see Question 8.
Note: It is important for students to know that the final decision is up to your faculty supervisor.
Currently, Communication students must contact Christy Maurer. All other students may choose any full-time professor who is in their department. Students can filter to their department’s full-time professors.
For a full list of internship prerequisites and internship course codes, visit Internships Guidelines.
- Currently, only Journalism and Media Studies undergraduate students are required to complete 3 internship credits to graduate. JRNL 4931 and MDST 4931 are required.
- Beginning in Fall 2018, Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design (APRD) students will no longer have to complete internship credit to graduate. Internships will become: (a) optional rather than required, and (b) students doing internships in APRD have the option of taking APRD 4931 for a grade or pass/fail. However, the grading basis must be negotiated with the faculty supervisor since some APRD faculty members will only supervise internships taken for a pass/fail grade. Students who want to take APRD 4931 for a grade should make sure that their selected faculty supervisor is open to providing a letter grade in the course. APRD students may still complete an internship of 1-3 hours for APRD upper-division elective credit during the fall and spring semesters, and up to 6 hours during summer, corresponding to the number of hours worked (50 hours per credit).
- Master’s students are not required to intern to graduate but do have the option to do an internship for credit.
- JRNL 5931 (optional internship credit for master's students) fulfills one capstone requirement.
- MDST 5931 and COMM 5930 are optional for master’s students. See your faculty advisor.
Currently, the rule is you must complete 50 hours per internship credit. Internship credit is given to students based on the number of hours worked. Intern hours must be completed during semester in which student is receiving credit.
For all majors:
- 50 hours per semester = 1 credit hour earned
- 100 hours per semester = 2 credit hours earned
- 150 hours per semester = 3 credit hours earned
Note: There is a 3 credit hour maximum per semester and a 6 credit hour maximum per summer.
If students are enrolled full-time, the cost of internship credit is included in the cost of full-time tuition/flat-rate tuition. However, if you're doing your internship over the summer, the cost is set by Continuing Education, and generally goes up a bit each year.
Yes! Students often think it is "one or the other", but it's perfectly fine to have both.