Careers & Internships

Purpose

Internships may be a valuable learning experience, therefore, the School of Communication + Media facilitates internships to provide the student with a vehicle for further academic and professional growth.  As part of the learning process, the student must negotiate the internship with the internship host organization.

Eligibility

Full admission (UDBJM) to SCJ

The student must have successfully completed the required/elective SCJ courses in the sequence as follows:

RTV 3260 Multimedia Production*

JOU 3117 News Reporting and Writing**

* For broadcast journalism students the added successful completion of RTV 3301 before embarking on an internship is recommended.

**For print journalism students the added successful completion of JOU3117 before embarking on an internship is recommended.

General Guidelines

• The journalism internship is a 1-credit course and the student must register for JOU 4946 (journalism and broadcasting students) or DIG 4940 (digital media students); registration must occur prior to the end of the drop/add period.
• An internship is a major commitment requiring the student to work 100 hours per semester.
• The journalism internship is not a requirement for graduation; it is optional although highly recommended.
• For journalism students, the internship must be in the host organization’s news department.
• An internship may be done more than once but each time the student must register for the internship course and must obtain permission of the faculty internship advisor.
• AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MUST SEEK PRIOR APPROVAL FROM THE FIU OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND SCHOLAR SERVICES IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN AN INTERNSHIP.
• Students will receive a Pass/Fail grade.  The grade will be determined by the faculty internship advisor who shall consider documentation provided by the student and the host supervisor. This shall include, but not be limited to, the host’s evaluation form and either samples of the student’s work during the internship, and a student essay or activity log.
• The student will do an internship in a host organization where he/she is not presently, and has not previously been employed.  Exceptions to this must be a bona fide new experience and with the consent of the department chair.

Compensation

• Although welcomed, compensation for work done during the internship is not a requirement.

Beginning the Internship

The student who wishes to begin an internship must:

• Fill out this Internship Program Request Form.
• Obtain permission from the faculty internship advisor to register for JOU 4946 or DIG 4940  and obtain access to register for the course on Panthersoft.
• Have the school’s Internship Contract completed by the internship host supervisor and the faculty internship advisor.  The faculty internship advisor shall keep the contract as part of the internship documentation.

Beginning the Internship

The student who wishes to begin an internship must:

• Obtain a Permit Number to register for JOU4946 from the faculty internship advisor.
• Have the school’s Internship Contract completed by the internship host supervisor and the faculty internship advisor.  The faculty internship advisor shall keep the contract as part of the internship documentation. Click HERE for the Internship Contract.

The internship host supervisor shall:

• Interview internship candidates and advise the SCJ of his/her selection
• Provide a statement of the job description.
• Complete and sign the Internship Contract and return it to the student who will give it to the faculty internship advisor.

The faculty internship advisor shall:

• Ensure that the student has all of the required pre-requisites and that the student is embarking on a pre-approved and valid experience.