The Internship Program

Majors in Communication are required to take three credits of field study, also known as an internship. For this non-paid internship experience, students work in an organization similar to one they would like to work in when they graduate. For 10 hours a week, students get to see what it is like to work at a job in a particular occupation. They get to see the stresses, the work conditions, the opportunities, and the rewards of working in that profession.

The Department believes that an internship is a valuable experience for a number of reasons. First, internships were designed to respond to that age-old conundrum: In order to get a job in a field, you must have experience, but how can you get experience if you do not have the job? In an internship, students can gain valuable work experience, and they can list this experience on their resumes. Second, the internship experience allows students to determine whether the demands of a particular career are something that they are willing to accept. If a particular career is not suitable for you, it is better to find that out before you graduate so that you can change career plans and prepare for a different occupation. Third, the internship experience allows students to gain knowledge about the skills, policies, and practices of a career path beyond what they might learn in the classroom. Fourth, internships allow students to begin networking with people in the field so that they will have a head start on job hunting after graduation.

The Department feels that the internship experience is so valuable that it encourages students to take more than one during their time at Southern. A student can take up to 12 credits of internship.

The following list gives you an idea of the kinds of organizations where our students have done their internships: