The Colorado State University Department of Journalism and Technical Communication encourages all students to take advantage of internship opportunities.
Internships benefit both students and internship sponsors. Students benefit from the opportunity to apply what they have learned in college courses to a work situation, under a trained supervisor in a professional setting. The internship sponsors benefit by establishing a relationship with the school and faculty, by being introduced to potential employees and by the actual work the interns accomplish.
Internships are not required for graduation, but they provide the final preparation for entering the profession. We encourage every student to take part. See the Student Internship Packet for details.
Interns can expect to
receive help from the internship coordinator in locating internships that match their career goals and provide meaningful, responsible work experiences.
be supervised, given feedback and suggestions for improvement.
be supported by the internship coordinator in dealing with work-related issues.
receive a letter grade that reflects their work. Grades are the combination of the supervisor's evaluation; an evaluation of the student's work samples; the intern's journals; two required reports, and the department's assessment of the rigor of the particular internship.
Interns are expected to
treat the internship as a professional job and to act accordingly.
maintain a professional level of communication with the sponsor and with the JTC Internship Coordinator when necessary
Students will be placed only in offices where their work will be supervised by a professional in their particular area of communication. National accreditation requirements do not allow academic credit for work on student media such as the Collegian, CTV or KCSU.
Supervisors can expect to
receive support from the department in pre-screening applicants so that only qualified students apply, and through phone contacts during the internship.
Supervisors are expected to
provide the department with a written job description and conditions of the internship. (Supervisors may be requested to provide a resume of their professional work.)
sign a contract indicating willingness to supervise and evaluate the intern.
provide supervision, feedback and two written evaluations.
We encourage pay for interns to help defray their education costs.
JoAnn Cornell
Internship Director
Department of Journalism & Technical Communication
joann.cornell@colostate.edu, or (970) 491-3117
equal opportunity statement