Internship Requirements
Only Communication majors and minors with a 3.0 GPA after the completion of the second semester of Sophomore year are eligible for Communication internships.
Normally, a 3.0 GPA is required for permission to intern. Exceptions may be granted by the Coordinator of Internships:
a) When the GPA in the major or minor is higher than 3.0 and the overall GPA suffered from a single bad semester.
b) When the internship will not be calculated in completing the major or minor and the Coordinator of Interns judges that the student is unusually well prepared otherwise for the internship experience.
In addition, both majors and minors MUST have completed at least four (4) COM courses before being eligible for an internship. Without exception, interns must have successfully completed the prerequisite course(s) for the desired internship.
Prospective interns must have a specific kind (e.g., TV production, Public Relations, Newspaper, etc.) of internship in mind prior to seeking the Director’s permission.
Interns must spend a minimum of eight (8) hours a week (112 hours total) at the internship site and be evaluated by the site supervisor. Written work is to be submitted to the Coordinator every week and a research paper or other project must be completed and turned in to the Coordinator by a predetermined deadline.
Interns must meet with the Coordinator at least three times during the semester to discuss the progress of the internship, readings, or the research project. This may be done electronically during the Summer Session when the site is at a distance.
No more than one internship, for a total of three credits, may be counted toward the major requirements:
All Communication internships earn three credits, even if total hours exceed 112.
Students doing a summer-fall “split” internship may not do another internship during the same semester they are completing work for the “split.”
Communication Honors Program
The student who completes the Honors Program in Communication is awarded a degree “with honors in Communication.” To enter the program, a student must be a Communication major and must have completed six communication courses; the student’s cumulative grade-point average must be at least 3.5 overall and at least 3.6 in the major; finally, one full-time Communication faculty member must sponsor the student’s application.
To complete the program, the student must write and orally defend an Honors Thesis during Senior year on a topic in Communication. The student who achieves a “B” or better on the Honors Thesis and whose overall GPA is 3.5 will have successfully completed the Honors Program in Communication.
Please contact the Communication Department Chair for information.
