Communication Internship Courses

COM 350/178: Communication Internship Courses

Fall 2009

Fall 2009 Internship Course Mandatory Meeting Schedule
Download COM 350/178 Syllabus
Professional Conduct, Proper Attire & Sexual Harassment Read Only Documents

Online Internship Application

Internship Search Help

The College of Communication has designed COM 350/178 for those students interested in obtaining internship experience outside of their specific majors. For example:

a Communication Studies student may gain internship credit for an RTF based production experience in Hollywood;
an Advertising student may gain credit for an internship in the editing department of a newspaper or magazine;
an RTF student may obtain credit for an event coordinating internship in a PR firm; or
a Journalism student may obtain credit for an internship with a recording company.

The COM 350/178 internship course allows students to cross disciplines in order to widen their scope of experience and further develop their repertoire without the constraints of departmental-specific requirements.

How Can I Get Course Credit for a Communication Internship?

The COM 350/178 Internship courses may be taken for elective credit or major credit by petition. These courses are not designed to take the place of departmental internships (some of which are required), but instead to compliment your experiential education outside of your major with the addition of communication credit hours. Students are strongly encouraged to seek academic advising in order to gauge how this course may fit into individual degree plans.

COM 350: The prerequisites for the COM 350 internship class match those for your departmental internship. For a detailed list of your prerequisites, please refer to the COM 350 Syllabus, available in CCS, CMA 3.102; your department academic advisor; or the Internship Coordinator in CCS.
COM 178: The prerequisites for COM 178 are any ONE of the following classes, depending on your major – ADV 350, CMS 370K, COM 350, J 331K, PR 350, or RTF 330L.

What are the Internship Course Requirements?

You are responsible for finding and securing a viable internship position and registering with Communication Career Services before the 6th class day (2nd in summer) of the semester you register for an internship course. Deliverables are required during and at the conclusion of your internship. Please see the COM Internship Syllabus, available at http://communication.utexas.edu/ccs/comm_classes.html or in Communication Career Services, CMA 3.102, for details.

Maximum Internship Credit Hours

The College of Communication allows a maximum of 4 internship credit hours. For example: COM 350 and COM 178, or J331K and COM 178. Visit an academic advisor for more information.

Why Intern?

Internships are intended to supplement your academic foundation with practical experience in a professional environment. You have the opportunity to learn or reinforce valuable skills while:

gaining professional experience to strengthen your repertoire,
building a network of valuable industry contacts, and
developing the business skills necessary to succeed in a competitive environment.

What Do the Professionals Say?

According to a recent survey of the nation's 1,000 largest companies, 47% rated "experience in the profession" as the most important aspect in hiring recent college graduates. In contrast, only 18% and 17% rated "type of degree" and "GPA", respectively, as most important.

How Do I Begin My Search?

The first step to finding an internship is knowing what type of experience you wish to gain. Once you have defined your goals, decide where you want to be. Hollywood or New York? Austin or Houston? Once you have established your focus, you are ready to begin your search. The following resources are available to UT College of Communication students.

Communication Career Services - CCS posts over 1,600 internship opportunities; offers an internship search engine via CareerSource; houses a library complete with internship books, directories, industry publications & career resources; and offers students one-on-one advising to assist in the search and preparation for internships.
AccessUT - university wide job and internship posting site, available at http://accessut.utexas.edu/.
Contacting Employers Directly - contact information may be found in the variety of directories available in CCS so that you may inquire directly to the company of interest about internship positions/programs.
College of Communication Departmental Websites - links to many communication industry related sites around the nation as well as relevant sites in the Austin and UT community.

HOW CAN I TWEAK MY APPLICATION FOR AN INTERNSHIP?

Communication Career Services advisors are available to assist students with:

designing & organizing resumes in order to create a more competitive & creative application;
structuring application documents to reflect the target organization/position; and
setting goals for experiential development during and after your academic career.

WHAT ARE THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS AVAILABLE THROUGH CCS?

UT Semester in LA Program

Semester-long program in Los Angeles that combines academic study and internships in the entertainment capital. Applications are available for fall, spring & summer semesters. Detailed information available at http://www.utla.utexas.edu

UT in DC Program at the Archer Center

Semester-long program in Washington DC that combines academic study and internships in our nation's capital. Applications are available for Fall & Spring semesters. Sponsored by the UT Office of Undergraduate Studies, http://www.utexas.edu/ugs/utindc

Wofford Denius Music Industry Internship Grants

The Denius grants provide up to $6,000 of financial assistance to Communication students pursuing summer internships in the music industry in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville or New York. Detailed information available at http://communication.utexas.edu/ccs/deniusinternship.html