If you are a student seeking an internship, please read on:

Goals of Internships
Communication internships are designed to benefit both students and employers. Students receive practical experience in a communication-related career, while employers benefit from their skills and assistance, and may evaluate first-hand possible future employees.

Student Eligibility and Expectations
Students must enroll in COM 3398 - Internship to receive academic credit for the internship. Eligibility criteria include:

Students qualifying for the internship program are expected to meet high standards of personal conduct and professional ethics, as well as to maintain attention to punctuality, deadlines and cooperation with others. In short, students are expected to work hard and become an asset to the organization they are serving. For grading purposes, students must complete a daily or weekly log of their activities and write a summary of their overall assessment of the experience. Both of these are due on the last official day of classes (not the last day of Final Exams).

Employer Eligibility and Expectations
The employer must meet the following criteria before an internship may be approved:

• The employer must offer an opportunity for the intern to apply, practice and develop skills and knowledge emphasized in the Communication major’s three concentrations.
• Work is expected to be substantive and varied, not clerical or “gopher” duties, and must be related to the Communication curriculum. Typically, this means work in media, public relations, employee training and development, or human resources fields. Sales positions, telemarketing, and staff or management positions in non-communication related fields are not eligible for credit through the Communication Department.
• Because the Department encourages students to seek positions where they will have a professional mentor and networking opportunities in the communication field, in cases where a student’s supervisor does not have an academic or professional background communication, media, public relations or human resources, students may be limited to a maximum of three, non-repeatable credits.

The conditions of an internship should be established with the student before he or she reports. These include the nature of the internship, supervisory arrangements, specific responsibilities of the intern, compensation (if any), and work schedules. It is expected that employers will provide a safe environment in which students can work and the materials that students need to complete their assignments (a desk, computer, etc). Once the internship begins, employers should review the students' work with them regularly and treat them as professionals. The supervisor must also complete the employer's evaluation form, due on the last day of classes.

Duration, Work Hours and Academic Credit for Internships
Internships generally coincide with one of KSU's academic terms, with the internship beginning the first week of classes and ending the last week of classes, for a total duration of 15 weeks during Fall and Spring semesters and eight weeks during Summer term. Students must work a minimum of ten hours per week. Beyond this, the number of hours per week a student works is dependent on the needs of the employer and the number of hours of credit the student wishes to receive.

Registration for Internships
Students must email the Communication Department Internship Director to obtain approval to pursue an internship. This process involves a screening for GPA and class standing, approval of a job description for the internship, if it is not already posted in the Department, and completion of a registration form. Students need to email the Communication Department Internship Director the name, address and phone number of their internship supervisors and number of hours per week they will work. (Written job description and supervisor’s business card are required for internships not already posted). If approved for Communication Internship credit, students must attend a Communication Internship Registration meeting held the first Friday of each semester in order to obtain paperwork for course registration. An internship contract is completed at this meeting, and then students are responsible for taking this contract to the Registrar’s Office for processing. (See www.kennesaw.edu/communication/internshipguidelines.shtml for further details regarding how to register for COM 3398.)

Internship Credit for Current Employment
Students may receive internship credit for their current employment if the nature of their work meets the previously stated criteria. Internship credit can NOT be granted retroactively for past work.

Multiple or Repeated Internships
Students are encouraged to participate in more than one internship to gain a variety of experiences in the workforce. Students may repeat an internship for the same employer, so long as the job description continues to meet the Department’s criteria.

Grading
Internships are graded on an S/U basis (satisfactory or unsatisfactory), which does not impact GPA. Grades are determined by the employer's evaluation form and the student activity log and summary. Students who receive a “U” in an internship will not be permitted to enroll in an internship in the future.

Important Deadlines
Departmental Approval: Students are strongly encouraged to obtain departmental approval and complete the necessary enrollment paperwork before the last day of classes in the term PRIOR to the term the internship will be completed. However, internships may be added as late as the drop/add period.

Deadline for grading: The employer's evaluation form and the student's log and written assessment are due no later than the last day of classes in the academic term of enrollment.

GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN SUMMARY OF INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE
KSU Communication major interns are required to document their internship experience through (1) a daily or weekly log of activities, and (2) a 2-3 page typed summary. These, along with your supervisor's evaluation of your work, will determine your grade.

Format: Please turn in a file folder with your name on the tab, including only stapled, typed pages – NO folders, binders or notebooks. Supervisors’ evaluations should be sent to me separately, directly by your supervisor.

The Activity Log is a bulleted list of what you did each day and/or week on the job. List each specific task, for example:

• January 31 -- Orientation to job with supervisor (1 hour) Read background material on the company (2 hours)
• February 1 -- Brainstormed for articles for employee newsletter (2 hours) Attended staff meeting with supervisor (1.5 hours)
• February 2 -- Met with supervisor to review assignments (1 hour) Heard CEO give speech to employees (1 hour) Wrote fact sheet on new program (1.5 hours)

The Written summary is a subjective analysis of your experience. Give your opinion and write in first-person about what you learned and what you found most and least valuable. The following are suggested as some of the areas you may wish to discuss in your report.

Activities
Summarize what you spent most of your time on - major projects and tasks Did you gain any new skills?
Were your assignments substantive and meaningful?
Were you exposed to a range of activities?
Were there any skills you feel you need to brush up on to perform in this career field?

Relationships with Employer
Were you treated as a professional?
Were you provided with adequate instructions and guidance?
How did your supervisor provide feedback?
Were the employer’s expectations of work load and quality In line with yours?

Impressions
Did your coursework at KSU prepare you for the internship?
Was the experience what you expected?
What did you learn about the career or industry?
What was most and least valuable and enjoyable about the experience?
Has this experience influenced your career choices?

Work samples – You are required to submit samples of your work with your report. If your internship involved writing or creating written materials or reports (i.e., news releases, articles, training materials, invitations, brochures, etc.), be sure to include this information as supporting materials when you hand in your assignments to meet the requirements of the course.

Deadline: All documents must be turned in to Dr. Philip Aust, Communication Internship Director, Social Sciences Building, # 5088, no later than noon on the last day of classes. Reports turned in early are appreciated. If I am out of the office, slide your documents under my door or give them to the secretary in the Department of Communication office.

REMINDERS FOR ALL INTERNS
Student activity logs and summaries and supervisor's evaluations not received by 12:00 noon the last day of classes are subject to the following penalties:

• FAILURE TO TURN IN DOCUMENTATION: If none of the above documents are received by 12:00 noon on the last day of classes……. The student will receive a grade of "U" - Unsatisfactory - for the course grade.
• TURNING IN PARTIAL DOCUMENTATION: If either the students' work or the supervisor's evaluation has not been received by 12:00 noon on the last day of classes. . .
• The student will receive a grade of "I" - Incomplete - for the course grade.
• STUDENT LOGS AND SUMMARIES MUST BE TYPED. Handwritten documentation will not be accepted.
• STUDENT SUMMARIES MUST, AT A MINIMUM, ADDRESS THE ISSUES DESCRIBED IN THE INTERNSHIP HANDOUT, P. 3.
• LOGS AND SUMMARIES SHOULD BE STAPLED SEPARATELY AND ENCLOSED IN A FILE FOLDER WITH YOUR NAME ON THE TAB.
• EXAMPLES OF WORK COMPLETED SHOULD BE INCLUDED.
• IT IS STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITY TO REMIND THEIR SUPERVISORS TO RETURN THEIR EVALUATION FORMS BY THE LAST DAY OF CLASSES.

If you are an employer who wishes to submit an internship, go here.