Internship Information
Internships allow students to demonstrate what they are learning in classes on real job assignments and projects, and they let you take your career plan for a test drive.
All communication majors are required to complete an internship, which is done by registering for COMM 4890, which is a Credit/No-Credit class.
You are required to complete three credits of COMM 4890. Each credit requires 50 hours of work, so you must work 150 hours at your internship.
There are one-credit, two-credit and three-credit sections of COMM 4890. You may take one credit one semester and two credits another semester, or vice versa. Make sure you have registered for the correct section.
COMM 4890 Requirements
Once you register for COMM 4890, you have one calendar year to complete it. Ideally, you should register for COMM 4890 before the beginning of the semester, but late registrations are permitted throughout the semester if you find an internship during the semester.
Academic credit will not be awarded if you simply observe professionals at work or perform menial tasks, such as running errands and answering telephones. Internships approved for academic credit must provide opportunities for students to complete assignments and projects they can showcase in their e-portfolio.
You will meet with the internship coordinator twice, at your midway point and at the end of your internship, either face-to-face or by phone. During the semester, you will communicate primarily by Canvas and submit the following documents:
- Weekly log of what occurs during your internship (typed paragraphs documenting things such as hours worked each week and tasks performed, submitted at your midway point and at the end of the internship)
- Midway report (short reflection questions)
- Midway survey (to determine whether a midway meeting is needed)
- Midway evaluation from your supervisor
- Letter of reference from your supervisor
- Final report (short reflection questions)
- Final survey from your supervisor
- Final survey from you about your internship
- A project you developed during your internship that can be scanned or linked to your e-portfolio in senior seminar class (Examples of projects include videos, website designs, brochures, flyers, surveys, training programs, press releases, website articles written, pictures of events coordinated, etc.)
When all of the requirements are complete, you will receive the grade of Credit (CR). If you are continuing your internship into the next semester, you will receive Incomplete (I). After a year, if the requirements have not been met, the “I” will turn into an “NC” for No Credit.
Finding an Internship
The Department of Communication tries to help students find internships, but ultimately, students are responsible to find their own internships through:
- The Department of Communication’s internship listings page
- WSU Internships
- Wildcat Handshake, WSU’s electronic job and internship board, accessed through the eWeber portal
- Your own networks of friends, family and other students
- An internship at your current job, if it involves new projects related to your concentration and supervised by a professional in that area
We actively encourage for-profit organizations to pay interns at least a stipend, but that decision is negotiated between the employer and the student, not the Department of Communication.
Once you have registered for COMM 4890 and found an internship, you will download the internship contract on the COMM 4890 Canvas page. Together, you and your supervisor will complete and sign the contract, which will list the duties and responsibilities of the internship. You will then submit the contract online to be officially approved by the course instructor/internship coordinator.
On the course Canvas page, you will also find informational packets for you and one for your supervisor. The packets include all the forms and instructions you need for your internship. Be sure to forward the packet to your internship supervisor.
The forms included in the packet will need to be completed and returned to your internship advisor at your midway and final meetings. You will upload the completed documents from your supervisor, as well as your own assignment documents, under the sections for each assignment.
The internship coordinator will email you throughout your internship to ask you about your progress, as you keep the coordinator updated about your internship progress.
Communication Internships FAQ
- If I sign up for three credits for COMM 4890, can I break those hours into two or three internships?
- Can I take more than three credits of internship?
- How soon in my educational program should I plan to do an internship?
- Do I need to find an internship before registering for COMM 4890?
- If I get an “I” (Incomplete) for not completing COMM 4890 in one semester, do I have to re-register for it the following semester?
- I want to do an internship this summer, but register for it in the Fall, so I don’t have to pay for credits in the summer. Is that okay?
- What if I already have a full-time job or career and don’t need an internship? Do I still have to enroll in COMM 4890 and do an internship?
- Does my internship have to be in a communication-related field?
- If I am not a communication major, can I enroll in COMM 4890 to do an internship?
Contact
Sheree Josephson, Ph.D.
Internship Advisor
Elizabeth Hall, Room 335
801-626-6164
sjosephson@weber.edu