Application Process for Internship Program

I. Purpose

The purpose of the Internship Program is to place the qualified student in a particular working environment peculiar to his/her intellectual and educational pursuits. Acting as a link between the academic world and the work world, it should serve to bridge the gap between academic and professional work application. This working experience should be so structured as to provide the student with practical, hands-on exposure and knowledge in his/her chosen field. The Internship Program is designed to provide the participant with a more intimate, realistic knowledge of his/her chosen career field, to enrich his/her educational experience, and to thereby, provide a strengthened sense of career direction and goal achievement.

II. Application

The interested student-will pick up an Application for Internship form from the department office, the General Coordinator, or a Faculty Director who is in charge of his/her particular area of interest. If desired, the student may return the completed form to the department office where it would be placed in the appropriate Faculty Director's box.

Forms should be completed by the end of the semester prior to the semester in which the Internship is desired.

Students will be made aware of the Internship Program through the faculty in general, and specifically by the Faculty Directors of the various areas. Also, information in the bulletin and schedule of classes is readily available.

In addition to meeting the general and specific requirements listed below, an internship is something that must be earned by the student by exhibiting qualifications in other areas. Such factors as attitude, initiative, cooperativeness, maturity, and the ability to assume responsibility and interact well in group situations will be considered. Assignments will be discretionary.

III. Faculty Directors

General and Organizational Communication: Dr. Kris Markman

Non-Profit Organizations: Dr. Gray Matthews

Film and Video: Professor Roxana Gee

IV. General Requirements for Consideration

1. Must have achieved junior standing.
2. Must have completed a minimum of 15 hours in the related major.
3. Minimum "B" average in the major or permission from the Faculty Director.

V. Specific Area Requirements

1. TV/Film Production.
Student must have completed COMM 3823, Television and Film Production and Aesthetics I, and COMM 3824, Television and Film Production and Aesthetics II.

VI. General Internship Course Requirements

1. Contact with Faculty Director.

Students will meet with their individual Faculty Directors on a minimum of three occasions during the semester or term. The purpose of these meetings will be to discuss and share their internship experiences and evaluate their progress. A special Internship Evaluation form will be completed by the student and submitted at each meeting.

2. End of Internship Requirements.

At the end of the semester, the student will:

Option A

Submit to his/her Faculty Director a five page, double spaced, type-written paper. The content will be an evaluation of their internship experience - what they have learned, what they need to learn, their strengths weaknesses and, in essence, of what value was the internship to them.

Option B

Submit to his/her Faculty Director a diary listing in detail all activities and processes he/she was involved in on a daily basis.

Samples of work should also be provided for either option, if appropriate.

3. Length of Internship.

Internships should cover a period equal to a fall or spring semester or, if in the summer, the extended (full) summer term.

For every one hour of credit the student should spend four hours per week at the internship location. Thus, for three hour of credit, the student should spend 12 hours per week at the internship location. Unless special circumstances exist, it is recommended that 3 hour internships be the norm. For the student to spend much less than 12 hours per week at the station, film location or company, etc., substantially reduces both the value of the student's learning experience and the reciprocal benefits that the student intern provides to the organization.

Fall/Spring Semesters (3 hours): 12 hours per week x 15 weeks = 180 hours

Extended Summer Term (3 hours): 18 hours per week x 10 weeks = 180 hours

Note: Hours per week and the number of weeks may be reasonably adjusted so long as the 180 hours are accomplished.

VII. Grade Determination

Students' grade will generally be determined based on a written evaluation by his/her supervisor at the company/station, the results of the chosen A or B option listed above, and the evaluation of the Faculty Director. The grade will consist of either an 'S' (Satisfactory) or 'U' (Unsatisfactory).

University of Memphis Career and Employment Services

The University Career and Employment Services website has additional information on internships. This site includes an eRecruiting webpage that is updated daily.