Internships

Students are responsible for finding their own internships. One great source is going through https://ksucominternships.wordpress.com and another is Handshake via the Department of Career Planning and Development. They have many jobs which are added and updated regularly for students and graduates to review. They can be categorized in any number of ways. If you have questions about how to use the service, please contact Ms. Lizy Hurland, the Humanities and Social Sciences college internship education associate at the Department of Career Planning and Development. Her email is ehurland@kennesaw.edu. The telephone number at the Center is 470-578-6555.

Students are not required to consider only those internships that are posted. They may also find their own. However, the work proposals will need to be reviewed and approved by the School of Communication & Media (S. Payne) at least one week before the start of semester. If you have any questions about COM 3398 and School of Communication & Media internships, please contact Ms. Stella Payne via email at spayne66@kennesaw.edu.

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 Journalism, Media & Entertainment, Organizational and Professional Communication and Public Relation's majors.
• Work is expected to be substantive and varied, not clerical or “gopher” duties, and must be related to the Journalism & Emerging Media, Media & Entertainment, Organizational and Professional Communication or Public Relations 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 School of Communication & Media.
• Because the School 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.
• Students may not intern in a location where a family member ultimately supervises the department where the student is working or has ownership in the business.
• Students and employers are expected to cooperate with the KSU Career Center when information or visits are requested during the course of the semester.
• Students can complete a virtual internship. A virtual internship is a work experience placement that students can complete from home.
• If you currently hold a full-time position your case will need to be reviewed by the internship coordinator well in advance of the deadline. For internship credit you need to demonstrate new learning or Professional Development in your current employment. If you would prefer prior learning credit a portfolio of your work will be evaluated by a committee of faculty in your major.
   

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.

If you currently hold a full-time position your case will need to be reviewed by the internship coordinator well in advance of the deadline. For internship credit you need to demonstrate new learning or Professional Development in your current employment. If you would prefer prior learning credit a portfolio of your work will be evaluated by a committee of faculty in your major.

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 during fall and spring semesters and twenty hours in the summer. 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.

A student may earn a maximum of 9 academic credits for COM 3398. However, no more than 6 academic credits may be earned in one semester in order to encourage multiple internships. In addition, a student may earn no more than 6 credit hours at any one internship location. The formula for academic credits is as follows:

Note: Students may receive no more than 3 credits for work at sites where their supervisor is not a communication professional, as indicated by their title.

Students must email the School of Communication & Media Internship Coordinator 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 school, and completion of a registration form. Students need to email the School of Communication & Media Internship Coordinator the name, address and phone number of their internship supervisor 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 Journalism & Emerging Media, Media & Entertainment, Organizational and Professional Communication or Public Relations internship credit, students are required to attend a Internship Orientation meeting 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 Career Center for processing. (See "The Internship Process" for further details regarding how to register for COM 3398.)

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.

If you currently hold a full-time position your case will need to be reviewed by the internship coordinator well in advance of the deadline. For internship credit you need to demonstrate new learning or Professional Development in your current employment. If you would prefer prior learning credit a portfolio of your work will be evaluated by a committee of faculty in your major.

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 School’s criteria. They may earn a maximum of six hours at one location.

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.

School Approval: Students are strongly encouraged to obtain 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 one week prior to 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.