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COM 350/178: Communication Internship Courses
- Fall 2008 -
Internship Course Mandatory Meeting Schedule
Download COM 350/178 Syllabus
Professional Conduct, Proper Attire & Sexual Harassment Read Only Documents
Online Internship Application
Where have Communication students interned for credit?
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.
• a RTF student may obtain credit for an event coordinating internship in a PR firm.
• a Journalism student may obtain credit for an internship in the business office of a record label.
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.
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 department 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 course 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 Communication Internship Coordinator in CCS.
COM 178: The prerequisites for COM 178 are any ONE of the following classes, dependent upon your major - ADV 350, CMS 370K, COM 350, J 331K, PR 350, or RTF 330L. See your departmental academic advisor for further information.
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, downloadable above or available in Communication Career Services, CMA 3.102, for details.
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.
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
• developing the business skills necessary to succeed in a competitive environment.
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.
The first step to finding an internship is knowing what type of experience you wish to gain. Once you have determined your goals, decide where you want to be. When you've established a focus, you're ready to begin your search.
Communication Career Services - CCS posts over 1,600 internship opportunities; 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.
CareerSource - online database of job & internship opportunities plus on-campus recruiting events.
AccessUT - university wide job and internship posting site.
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 as to 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.
Communication Career Services advisors are available to advise students as per:
• designing & organizing resumes in order to create a more competitive & creative application
• structuring application documents to reflect the target company/position
• setting goals for experiential development during and after your academic career.
Wofford Denius Music Industry Internship - The Denius program provides up to $5,000 of financial assistance to Communication students pursuing summer internships in the music industry in Los Angeles, New York City and Nashville. Stipends are awarded each summer to qualified applicants on a competitive basis. Example Internships: Revolver Magazine, Billboard Magazine, Miramax Music Department, Virgin Business & Legal, and MTV Promotions/Production. The application process for this program begins in early Spring.
Archer Fellowship, UT in DC - Semester-long program in Washington DC which combines academic study and internships in our nation's capital. The program brings together outstanding students to work, share, and learn together and to develop into the next generation of leaders for local communities, the state of Texas, and our national government. Applications are reviewed at the beginning of each semester for the program of the following semester.