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Journalism students have many internship and practicum opportunities
in the Tampa Bay area. |
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Finding an Internship or Professional Practicum
There are many ways to track down the internship that's right for you. The department posts internship opportunities on its site and on bulletin boards in our office. Students also may start with a telephone call to area newspapers, magazines or other news organization. Students are encouraged to register with USFSP's Career Center's internship and job posting site (Recruit-A-BULL).
There are also a wealth of journalism internships and practica available online. Click here for resources in the Tampa Bay area.
The right opportunity for you
Ideally, the opportunity you have found will fall into your area of professional interest. But sometimes you may want to use an internship or practicum to explore a new area or to simply round out your journalist skills. One of the best ways to determine if an opportunity is right for you is to talk to your adviser about it.
Applying for a internship or practicum
Undergraduate majors wishing to do an internship for credit will enroll in MMC 4945 Media Internship-Seminar. Graduate students enroll in MMC 6945 Professional Practicum. Each course is for three credits. Undergraduate students wishing to do an internship must first complete 15 credits in journalism, including the successful completion of JOU 2100 (“Beginning Reporting”). Graduate students wishing to do a practicum must first complete 12 credits in journalism, including the successful completion of JOU 5105 Newswriting and Editing, IF they do not have an undergraduate degree in journalism or some previous journalism or media studies-related work experience.
Prior to receiving permission to enroll in either course, students must first submit to the internship instructor the following information on the Internship-Practicum Form available here or in the department office. Required information must include:
- A full description of the duties required at the proposed internship and the skills the student expects to either learn or improve as a result of the internship.
- Full contact information, including name, title, phone number and e-mail address of the student’s on-site supervisor.
- Verification that the number of required hours for the internship (see below) will be met and a tentative schedule of days and hours to be spent at the internship.
Once the student’s internship is approved, and if requested by the employer, the department will provide a statement on USFSP letterhead stating that the student will receive college credits for completion of the internship. Students may also print out a copy of their Student Detail Record from OASIS, which will show they have registered for the internship credits. Many unpaid internship placements require this documentation before allowing an intern to begin.
In general, internships will be approved if they involve print, radio/television or on-line journalism, media design as it relates to journalism, some aspect of visual journalism, or media relations. In general, internships will NOT be approved if they involve activities relating to disc-jockeying, radio station promotions, filmmaking, fundraising, or with record companies. Internships involving public relations or marketing may be approved on a case-by-case basis.
The following are required of ALL interns:
- The completion of a minimum of 120 hours at the internship.
- The submission of a weekly e-mail to the internship instructor, due at the end of each week. This e-mail will recount the accomplishments of the previous week and a look ahead to what the intern will undertake the following week. Blackboard may also be utilized to link interns in a given semester with required readings and for the purpose of on-line discussion.
- Completion of a final journal describing the skills learned and an overall evaluation of the internship’s value from the intern’s perspective, due the day after classes end.
- A written evaluation by the on-site intern supervisor on a form provided by the department, due the day after classes end.
Internships will, in general, not be considered or approved beyond the first two weeks of a semester, or in the case of a summer internship within the first two weeks of either session A or session B.
Students who choose to do an internship will be supervised by the Department Director. The same rules and policies apply in summer as in fall/spring.
Credit for an internship completed in the summer term will not be transferable to either the fall or spring terms.
Evaluation of the internship or practicum
The final grade for the internship or practicum will be determined partly by the employer's written evaluation of the intern's performance. The Internship-Practicum Evaluation Form, available here, should be e-mailed or faxed to the internship instructor by Friday of the last day of a semester's or summer session's last week of classes. The internship instructor also may evaluate the intern's performance based on conferences with the intern and with the intern's employer and the evaluation of the intern's work and final journal. Students receive a grade of "S" (Satisfactory) for an internship if they have met the employer's and the department's requirements, have exceeded expectations or performed outstanding work. It is possible to receive a grade of “U” (Unsatisfactory) for an internship if the student's performance is deemed unsatisfactory or needs improvement.
Multiple internships or practica
Students may only take MMC 4945 or MMC 6945 ONCE for three credits. On a case-by-case basis, a student who has already completed MMC 4945 or MMC 6945 for credit MAY be allowed to take a second internship or practicum for credit IF the employer's offer is contingent upon the student receiving academic credit. For undergraduates, the second internship will be administered as a one-credit practicum. For graduate students, the second practicum will be administered as a one-credit independent research in mass communication. Undergraduate students cannot count a second internship's credit towards their required 15 hours of journalism electives, and graduate students cannot count a second practicum's credit towards the 36 credits required for the M.A. In addition, graduate assistants receiving tuition waivers will not have the cost of the one-credit practicum covered by the department. |
