FACTS ABOUT ELECTRONIC
JOURNALISM INTERNSHIPS
What is an internship and
what does it entail?
An internship is a form combining academic studies with professional
activities. Students can augment classroom learning by working
in the media. By completing suitable academic work under
the direction of a faculty member and a professional, students
may earn three hours of academic credit. Students may earn
a total of three hours of credit during their undergraduate
career.
Several dozen students complete formal internships in electronic
media every year, even though an internship for academic
credit is not a graduation requirement. The electronic journalism
faculty strongly encourages students to consider an internship
as their one elective course. In addition to a formal academic
internship, many electronic journalism students work part-time
for many area broadcast and media outlets.
More specifically, to earn internship credit, the electronic
journalism 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. During the summer months students may accumulate
the 140 hours in a much shorter time.
- Maintain an electronic version of all work they completed
during the internship.
- Submit reports to the internship coordinator
that outlines the progress of the student's work
and notes any potential successes or areas of possible
improvement.
- Select and read a book relating to broadcast journalism.
A book report will be turned in by the end of the internship.
- Have an exit interview based on a written evaluation
with the internship coordinator at the electronic
media outlet.
The faculty internship advisor, Dr. Sonya Duhe, may check
with the on-site supervisor by e-mail or telephone. 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.
Undergraduate 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. Graduate students receive grades.
The three credits count as JOUR 548.
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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
professional community.
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. The ideal internship
is one in
which the
student is convinced at the conclusion of the experience that he/she
has made the correct
career choice.
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Eligibility
Students applying for Electronic Journalism internships
must have completed the core courses for electronic and
print journalism along with JOUR
325, JOUR 326,
and ideally, JOUR 434.
The student should position the internship
to provide maximum benefit to his/her career. For some
this will be prior
to the capstone
senior semester and for others it will be after. Students selecting
the former internship placement will be finely-tuned for the upcoming
senior
semester
experience and those choosing the latter will offer their electronic
media placement a ready-to-be-employed
young professional. back to top
Choosing an Internship
The
first decision the student must make is to determine whether
he/she wishes to remain in Columbia for the internship
experience.
The school
maintains
exceptionally close ties with all area electronic media outlets
that almost assure an internship
placement.
Should a student wish to leave Columbia, the faculty internship
coordinator will work with the student to process appropriate
application paperwork
to best insure
the student receives the placement he/she desires.
Students from the school have an excellent placement record
at both statewide and national electronic internship opportunities.
Once a sponsor agrees to take an intern, the faculty intern
coordinator processes a contract that gives students the
opportunity to enroll
for credit.
back to top Will electronic media internships
pay either a salary or tuition?
The reality of the electronic media business is that there
are so many students desiring internship experience,
media outlets
do not
feel
compelled to pay
student interns or provide them with tuition reimbursement,
unlike print and advertising/public
relations internships.
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When can internships 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.
back to top 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.
back to top What if a student wants to work beyond the 140 hours?
Electronic media outlets may not require students
to work beyond the 140 hours or assign deadlines
that
conflict with other
academic responsibilities.
However,
students may voluntarily extend the number of hours
of the internship.
back to top May you do more than one
internship?
Yes, but not for credit. Unfortunately the reality
of the modern electronic media workplace is that
most outlets
will not, because
of liability
concerns, allow
you to work without receiving academic credit.
Thus, because
you are limited to one three-hour academic internship,
you will most
likely
not be offered
any additional opportunities.
You are encouraged, however, to gain as much
part-time work experience as you can. Such
experience will
be impressive on your resume.
back to top How do I register for
my 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.
back to top Other
questions?
Please contact Beverly Dominick at 803.777.3347
or via e-mail at
dominicb@mailbox.sc.edu. |
