Facts
About the AD/PR/VisCom Internship Program
WHAT IS AN INTERNSHIP AND WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL?
An internship is a form of study combining field work with
academic activities. It allows a student to augment classroom
learning by working in a business organization. By completing
suitable academic work under the direction of a faculty member
and a professional sponsor, students may earn three hours
of academic credit
More specifically, to earn internship credit, the student
must:
- Work at least 140 hours at the organization where the
student is interning. Usually, this involves working 10
hours a week for 14 weeks.
- Provide evidence of professional work in advertising,
public relations or visual communications to the faculty
member who coordinates the internships.
- Attend required meetings during the term with other interns
and the intern coordinator.
- Complete a written report based on an interview with their
intern sponsor.
- Turn in the following reports as scheduled in the course
calendar:
1. A statement of goals and a schedule of work hours,
to be signed by both the intern and the sponsor.
2. Three progress reports to be completed by both the
intern and the sponsor.
3. Journal entries from each day on the job.
4. A final evaluation form, to be completed by the sponsor,
discussed with the intern in a private meeting, and sent
directly to the faculty intern coordinator.
Unless all steps in the process are completed to the satisfaction
of the sponsor and the faculty intern coordinator, the intern
will NOT receive academic credit for the internship.
All internships are graded S/U. An S means the intern has satisfactorily
completed all requirements and is entitled to credit. A U means
the intern has not completed such requirements, and is therefore
not entitled to credit.
The three credits count as JOUR 548. Advertising or PR students
MUST register for the proper section of JOUR 548 (the Ad/PR
section).
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WHY DO AN INTERNSHIP? An internship
provides the bridge between the theoretical and the practical;
between an academic setting and the workplace; between the
School and the greater Columbia community and beyond.
An internship also is a testing tool. It allows a student
to gain firsthand experience in a particular field of interest.
The opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge while investigating
possible career choices permits the student to make more informed
decisions in many areas.
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ELIGIBILITY Students applying
for Ad/PR internships must:
- Be upper division advertising or public relations majors.
- Advertising majors must have completed two of the following
three classes: JOUR 304 (Mass Communications Research),
JOUR 458 (Creative Strategy) and JOUR 465 (Media Planning).
- PR majors must have completed JOUR 436 (Public Relations
Writing) and JOUR 304 (Mass Communications Research).
Students applying for Visual Communications internships
must:
- Have completed JOUR 364 (Introduction
to Visual Communications) and JOUR 464 (Graphics for
Visual Communications).
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CHOOSING AN INTERNSHIP Students
are encouraged to check the Ad/PR/VisCom internship database
on the School of Journalism Web page, which is updated regularly,
and lists 100+ places of employment.Once you have a list
of several possible places, contact several of your choices,
set up an interview (take along a resume and samples of work,
if any), and determine whether this is the right "match" for
you. Once a sponsor agrees to take you on as an intern, you
should notify the faculty intern coordinator, who will then
print a contract for the internship so that you may register.
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WHAT ABOUT FINDING AN INTERNSHIP ELSEWHERE?
Students wishing to find their own internships -- perhaps
during the summer in their home towns or in other locations
besides Columbia -- must initiate the search on their own.
Students should be reminded that the organization should
have an ongoing advertising, public relations or visual communications
function and that there should be a person at the organization
who is skilled in these areas so they can truly "mentor" the
student.
If the student thinks the organization meets these
criteria, then they should provide the faculty intern
coordinator with the following information: name of organization,
name of internship contact person, phone number, fax number,
address, and e-mail if available. The intern coordinator
will then contact the firm to ensure that the student
can fulfill the requirements of the internship at this organization.
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WHEN CAN INTERSHIPS BE TAKEN?
Internships are offered during fall, spring, and summer terms.
For a summer internship, credits are awarded for the Summer
II session only, although interns are well advised to begin
the internship early in the summer or as soon as possible
after the end of the spring term.
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WHAT IF THE INTERNSHIP ISN'T WORKING
OUT?
If this is the case, you should immediately contact the faculty
intern coordinator so that the situation can be corrected
as soon as possible. Don't wait until it's too late. No sponsor
should assign you work beyond the 140 hours or assign deadlines
that conflict with your other academic responsibilities. Conversely,
you should fulfill your obligation to the sponsoring business;
they're depending on you to do so.
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MAY YOU DO MORE THAN ONE INTERNSHIP?
Yes, but not for credit. You are encouraged, however, to
gain as much internship experience as you can, given the constraints
of your other obligations. Such experience will be impressive
on your resume. One caution, however. If you decide to do
a "not-for-credit" internship before you've completed the
academic courses necessary to receive academic credit, you
should tell the organization you haven't yet finished all
the coursework required to be eligible for internship credit.
Otherwise, they may think that you're capable of doing some
things you haven't yet been exposed to.
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WILL I BE PAID FOR MY INTERNSHIP?
In most cases, yes. Sponsor firms listed in our database
agree to pay the student a minimum of $1,041 for the 140
hours of internship. That's about $7.43 per hour and is based
on the in-state tuition for a three-credit course. Sponsor
firms may choose to pay more. In certain cases, an organization
will be exempted from paying the intern, but only if the
intern
is in agreement with that decision.
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HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THE INTERNSHIP?
Here are the steps you should follow:
- Be sure you meet the prerequisites listed above.
- See Beverly Dominick in Coliseum Room 4006
for an application.
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Other questions?
Please contact Beverly Dominick at 803.777.3347
or via e-mail at
dominicb@mailbox.sc.edu.
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