Rules and Guidelines for SOJMC Internships

Requirements for SOJMC internships:

1. Undergraduate SOJMC majors are required to complete 3 credit hours of internship before graduation.
2. It takes 100 hours of work to equal 1 hour of academic credit.
3. Students may take 1, 2 or 3 credits of internship in a semester.
4. To receive academic credit, internship work must occur during the semester of enrollment. Work between semesters can be counted provided the student is enrolled for the following semester.
5. Internship credit is offered for a limited number of students in fall and spring semesters. The SOJMC prefers that students earn internship credit during the summer semester between their junior and senior years when students are most prepared to make a contribution to a company/organization and receive true on-the-job experience.
6.  Students may take up to 3 additional credit hours of internship to fulfill a SOJMC elective requirement.
7. Students enrolled in the internship course must
   1. report regularly to the course professor,
   2. complete a final reflective report, and
   3. provide a portfolio of mass communications internship work. (Length of report and number of portfolio pieces depends on the number of credit hours taken.)
8. Students and employers are expected to make arrangements for a midterm visit with the internship course professor. The meeting will include all three parties and will last about 15-30 minutes. No preparation is necessary for the visit. The course professor will review the intern’s performance. The meeting may be done face-to-face, virtual, or over the phone.
9. Employers must submit a final evaluation form worth 50% of the intern’s grade.

Please read the government guidelines on internships at https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm

The School of Journalism and Mass Communications encourages all internship employers to consider PAYING students earning academic credit for an internship at least a STIPEND covering the cost of course enrollment. Cost for course enrollment can be found at https://www.marshall.edu/tuition/

IMPORTANT: We will NOT approve or POST internships not related to mass communications or from companies/organizations that do not guarantee adequate intern mentorship. For internships other than mass communications please contact the Marshall University Career Services office at https://www.marshall.edu/career-services.