Ìý

Internships

Overview

The School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at ÎÔÁú×ÊÔ´Íø offers its majors – and students from other majors enrolled in the Public Relations Minor – a three-credit internship course, COM 3945. ÌýThe Communication Internship allows students to earn course credit for experiential learning through an in-person, remote, or hybrid internship lasting an entire semester. COM 3945 is offered during the summer, fall, and spring school terms.Ìý

COM 3945 may be substituted for the practicum/capstone requirement in the Multimedia Journalism and Film & Media sequences in the Communication school (VIC 4943).Ìý

To enter the course, students must 1) secure an internship on their own that is directly related to the Communication major, and 2) obtain instructor permission. Instructor permission can be granted after students fill out and submit an online course application on FAU Handshake for SCMS review and approval. Detailed instructions can be found below.

The internship must stretch the entire semester (or cover most of it) and can be paid or unpaid.Ìý

Course Application Deadline/Requirements

The application deadline for spring, summer, or fall is the day before classes start for each applicable semester (typically a Friday at 11:59 p.m. EST). Qualified students might not be approved if they apply after the course meets its registration cap of 25.Ìý

Completing the application does not guarantee admission. COM 3945 prerequisites must be met, and the applicable internship must entirely or largely fit the Communication profession. Examples of positions that typically meet the latter requirement include, but are not limited to, jobs in public relations, advertising, marketing, corporate communication, non-profit communication, political communication, journalism (print, broadcast, or online), writing and editing, television, film, or video production, social media outreach and management, and other communication-directed jobs.Ìý

Important note: Jobs that have a small or partial communication function versus a focus, or that are clerical or customer service in nature, do not qualify for COM 3945. Interns can work for corporations large and small, start-up businesses, not-for-profit agencies, educational institutions (including FAU), community organizations, and other employers that meet program requirements.

Prerequisites/EligibilityÌý

To gain entry, you must:Ìý

  • be either a Communication major (enrolled in either the Multimedia Journalism, Film and Media, or Communication Studies sequences) or a student with a declared Public Relations Minor
  • have junior or senior standing
  • have completed 18 credit hours of communication courses (for Communication majors only)
  • have a 2.75 or higher overall GPA, AND a 3.0 or higher GPA for all your FAU Communication major coursework
  • have already secured an internship entirely or predominantly focused on work related to the communication major/profession or public relations minor that meets course supervisor approval
  • have submitted the online application form specific to COM 3945 and posted on the FAU Career Center’s website

Application StepsÌý

  1. First, check that you meet the above prerequisites.
  2. Identify an appropriate internship. Many students find opportunities posted on FAU Handshake, though internships can also be secured through other channels.
  3. Run the internship details past the COM 3945 instructor/supervisor via email if possible to confirm it is potentially approvable. Ìý
  4. Complete the COM 3945 application form posted on Handshake. To access that:
    1. Log in to . Create an account if you do not have one.
    2. Click the Career Center link on the left-hand side of your home screen.
    3. Click Experiences from the Career Center page.
    4. Click Submit an Experience located in the middle of the page.
    5. Click the first drop-down box (Experience Template), select the COM 3945 application, and then select the semester you will intern.
    6. Fill out the rest of the application form. Make sure you are specific and detailed when describing your internship duties (a vague response could trigger an application rejection).
    7. Click the green Submit an Experience button at the end of the form to submit it.
    8. You will be directed to the Experiences Overview page and will receive an email to your inbox confirming the request.
    9. Schedule an appointment with Erin Maharaj, Assistant Director of the Career Center for Arts and Letters, through Handshake or via email at emartignetti2013@ÎÔÁú×ÊÔ´Íø.edu.
    10. Final approval is granted by the Communication School via instructor permission (a course override) if all COM 3945 requirements are met.

RestrictionsÌý

No retroactive credit can be given for past internships, period. Nor can you intern for family members/relatives, spouses and significant others, friends, or in any other situation that presents a conflict of interest.Ìý

GradingÌý

Interns are graded on their employer evaluations (provided at the semester midpoint and end) and on academic assignments, including two work-reflection essays and a semester-end work portfolio.

Internships that do not count for credit in the Communication major – but toward other elective course credit at FAU – can be arranged through the Career Center’s Professional Internship Course (IDS 3949). For more information about that option, contact Erin Maharaj, the Career Center’s College of Arts and Letters liaison, at emartignetti2013@ÎÔÁú×ÊÔ´Íø.edu or 561-297-3533.Ìý

Questions about COM 3945 can be directed to Professor Neil Santaniello, the Communication Internship supervisor, at nsantane@ÎÔÁú×ÊÔ´Íø.edu.Ìý

Neil Santaniello
SCMS Associate Director / University Instructor / COM 3945 Supervisor
School of Communication and Multimedia Studies
CU 207