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Communication

Internship

An internship is a serious commitment of a semester or summer. As an intern you are essentially an apprentice to a professional in your field.  You must possess the skills and understand the theories necessary to function at the entry level.  You must be willing to accept responsibility and to face challenges, failures and criticism.  Truman faculty encourage internships in such fields as public relations, advertising, journalism and political communication.   TSU students have completed internships at numerous locations nationwide in summer 2008.  Alicia Collins, pictured below after her project presentation in August, spent 12 weeks interning for Growmark in Bloomington, IL.  Come back to this page for updates.

 

2006-2007 internships include:

  • Stephanie Ahrens interned for Governor Matt Blunt's office
  • Kelly Albright interned for KEZK CBS Radio in St. Louis
  • Ashley Christian honed her event planning skills at KSLZ 107.7 FM in St. Louis
  • Rachel Haywood organized events all summer at Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks
  • Jerard Leverson learned top-level sales at Pre-Paid Legal Services
  • Kathleen Meyer and Julia Werner reviewed concerts and albums writing for Nighttimes.com
  • Jimmy Moore continued his budding film career at Avatar Studios
  • Molly Pull planned and organized weddings at Caroline Vineyard
  • Isaac Rickert joined the world of advertising interning at the Zimmerman Agency in Florida
  • Elizabeth Sandhu worked behind the scenes as an intern at National Geographic Television
  • Kara Savage interned in public relations at Menorah Medical Center
  • Natalie Schmith worked events with KOLN/KGIN
    • , Lincoln NE
  • Elaine Sokolowski developed her PR abilities for the non-profit group, The Arc in Cedar Rapids, IA
  • Jackson Groves employed his design skills at the Truman State University Press
  • production assistant, ESPN Radio, Chicago
    •


Internship Application
Workplace Supervisor Agreement Form
Supervisor Evaluation Form

Where:
Takes place off campus under the supervision of a professional

When:
Should be pursued when you have completed a majority of
applicable courses in the major. For example, you should not attempt a reporting internship without having taken the media writing courses.

Qualifications:
Must have a cumulative and major GPA of at least 2.75. If you do not have the required GPA, consult with the internship coordinator about preparing an appeal to the Communication Internship/Practicum Board.

Application Process
Application Deadlines
  •Fall – first Wednesday of the fall semester
  •Spring – first Wednesday of the spring semester
  •Summer – May 1
Early applications are encouraged. Internship credit must be approved before the start date for the internship. Plan ahead.

Application packets must include:
  • A cover letter addressed to the Internship/Practicum Board,
    stating how this internship opportunity fits with your academic
    program and with your career plans.
  • A résumé of work experience and education. Applicants must
    demonstrate the competence needed for entry level work
    through course work and/or experience. The names and
    telephone numbers of at least two references should be
    included on the résumé.
  • A completed communication internship application form.
  • A completed workplace supervisor agreement form.
 Résumé and cover letter preparation assistance is available at the Career Center. The application packet is submitted to the academic internship supervisor.

Review Process:
The Internship/Practicum Board will review your application. The Board consists of three or four communication faculty members who are chosen annually. Approved applications will be forwarded to the academic internship supervisor who will prepare the packet for submission to the Academic Dean for review. If the Academic Dean approves the application, the academic internship supervisor will notify you that you may enroll for credit. If the application is not approved, the academic internship supervisor will request a meeting with you to discuss your internship plans.

Academic Credit:
  • You will enroll simultaneously in COMM 451 Internship and
    COMM 452 Internship Evaluation. COMM 451 is taken pass/fail
    and COMM 452 is taken for a letter grade.
  • The total number of hours you plan to work determines the
    total number of credit hours you can earn. You must work 60
    hours for each credit hour. For example, if you plan to work 10
    hours a week for 12 weeks (total of 120 hours), you can earn
    two hours of total credit – one hour in COMM 451 and another
    hour in COMM 452.
  • You may earn a total of eight hours of credit in COMM 451 and
    452 during your University career. You may not, however, have
    more than 12 pass/fail hours on your overall academic record
    to graduate. COMM 451 credit hours will count toward that
    overall total.
  • A negative evaluation from your workplace supervisor or a
    failing grade from the internship coordinator can result in a
    failing grade in the courses.
  • Payment for internship credit hours will be at regular tuition
    rates, due at the time of registration. If you do not need
    elective credit hours toward your major and you do not wish to
    pay for the credit, you may consider doing the internship but
    not for academic credit. Be aware that some companies and
    organizations require students to take internships for academic
    credit.

Internship Requirements:
1. Complete responsibilities and hours as contracted with the
    workplace.
2. Keep a detailed journal explaining work duties and projects.
    The journal must be submitted to the internship coordinator
    midway through the internship/practicum and at its conclusion.
    Submission can be electronic. Maintain other contact with the
    academic internship supervisor during the internship/practicum
    as specified by the supervisor.
3. Receive a satisfactory evaluation from the workplace
    supervisor. Evaluation forms are included in the
    internship/practicum application materials. A completed, signed
    and dated Supervisor Evaluation Form must be submitted by
    the workplace supervisor directly to the internship coordinator
    at the conclusion of the internship.
4. Complete a portfolio, clip book, résumé tape, air-check tape or
    other similar collection of your completed projects as agreed, in
    advance, with the academic internship supervisor.
5. Each intern will complete a typed evaluation paper analyzing
    the internship/practicum experience. The paper will be
    submitted to the internship coordinator. A sample outline
    follows:
I. Preparation
  A. Briefly outline the process used to secure your internship.
  B. Discuss the areas in which your education did, and did not,
      prepare you.

On-the-job Experience
  A. Summarize a “typical” working day.
  B. Summarize one or two of your major accomplishments at this
      job. Summarize one task or project with which you were
      involved that went less well than you had hoped; how would
      you do it differently next time?
  C. Briefly describe the work habits and job-performance
      expectations of workplace supervisors and co-workers
      closest to you on this job. What effect did they have on your
      performance?
  D. Based on this internship/practicum experience, describe one
      or two strengths of your own personality and work habits.
      Briefly describe one aspect of your personality and work
      habits that you would like to work to improve.

Finding an Internship
It is the student’s responsibility to find an appropriate internship opportunity. Possible ideas:
  • Contact possible places of employment. Ask if they offer
    internships.
  • Some internship notices are posted on the Internship board
    outside the Index office and in the University Career Center.
  • The Career Center’s Web site at http://career.truman.edu
  • Your adviser may be aware of opportunities.
  • Several reference books list internship opportunities.
  • The Web is an excellent help in finding internship information.
    Check out other colleges and universities and see what listings
    they have to offer.
Start looking early and use vacations and breaks as opportunities to talk to organizations and companies.

Practicum page