Communication Studies Internships
The internship program in the Communication Studies Department at Central College is designed to offer professional experience in communication-related fields for Communication Studies majors. These professional experiences occur at off campus sites and are meant to supplement a student’s academic work and co-curricular projects.
Students have completed internships in a variety of places locally, in Des Moines, and across the country. There are also many internship possibilities coordinated through our study abroad programs. Past internship sites have included: Pella Chamber of Commerce; Pella Corporation; Vermeer Manufacturing; Heritage Lace; Pella Chronicle/Knoxville Express; Pella Opera House; KNIA-KRLS; Pella Regional Health Center; Salvation Army; WHO-TV; KCCI-TV; Pioneer Corporate Offices; Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation; KISS FM; STAR 102.5 FM; Harpo Productions, Inc., Chicago; WBNS 10TV News, Columbus, Ohio; and CBS TV, New York City. Internships completed while studying abroad are arranged through the Office of International Education and in coordination with the study abroad program director.
Academic Credit
A student is assigned credit commensurate with hours worked. Communication Studies internships are to be supervised and evaluated by a full time faculty member in the Communication Studies Department. The student is expected to communicate frequently through a pre-arranged schedule with the supervising faculty member during the period of the internship. The student also writes an analytical paper. A student may earn a total of 10 hours of academic credit toward the Communication Studies major for learning gained during internship experiences. The correlation between hours worked on site and units of academic credit are as follows:
Semester - 14 weeks Summer - 10 weeks
1 credit = 6-8 hours / week 8-11 hours / week
2 credits = 9-11 hours / week 12-15 hours / week
3 credits = 12-14 hours / week 16-19 hours / week
4 credits = 15-17 hours / week 20-23 hours / week
5 credits = 18-19 hours / week 24-27 hours / week
6 credits = 20< hours / week 28< hours / week
Academic credit is not contingent upon whether or not the internship is a paid position.
Qualifications
Students must meet the following criteria to enroll in COMM 497I: (1) Officially declare a major or minor in Communication Studies; (2) Attain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher; (3) Arrange for the internship to be supervised by a full time faculty member in the Communication Studies Department, and identify a specific site supervisor who agrees to supervise the student for the specified number of hours and weeks identified on the Internship Registration Form; and (4) Complete the Internship Registration Form and submit it to the Communication Studies Department for consideration. Approval is contingent upon the department’s belief that the student has acquired a reasonable level of relevant knowledge and skill to be able to make a contribution to the work at the internship site. Completion of a minimum of 12 semester hours in Communication Studies courses is required prior to enrollment in an internship.
Finding an Internship
Students secure internships the same way that people apply for and obtain any other type of professional employment – researching, networking, filling out applications, submitting resumes, and interviewing. The Career Center, second floor of Maytag Student Center, is an excellent resource for internship information. Students are also encouraged to approach faculty for possible internship opportunities, as well as review the departmental bulletin board on the second floor of Jordan Hall where potential internships are posted.
Registration Procedures
Students must secure all signatures, including the signature of the on-site supervisor, on the Internship Registration Form. The form must also be submitted to the Career Center for authorization. Once completed, the student registers for COMM 497I Internship in Communication Studies by submitting the form to Academic Records during the semester in which the internship occurs and before the Central College add/drop deadline (the end of the second week of each semester).
Site Supervision
Site internship supervisors are expected to provide a meaningful professional experience for interns, and interns are expected to maximize that opportunity by fully engaging in the work at hand as a professional. The site supervisor completes a mid-term and final evaluation of the intern’s work experience and reviews these evaluations with the intern. Copies of completed evaluation forms are also provided for the supervising faculty member. Evaluation forms are available from the Career Center or on the Career Center’s web site.
Grading
Internships are graded on a Pass/No Record basis. The supervising faculty member will assign a final grade based on evaluations from the on-site supervisor, conferences with the student during and upon completion of the internship, and the analysis paper. All requirements of the internship must be submitted to the supervising faculty member by the last day of scheduled classes before Final Examination Week. Failure to do so will result in the student receiving an incomplete for the internship experience.
Internship Analysis Paper
The general purpose of the analysis paper is to demonstrate that the student has learned important lessons about Communication Studies in an organizational setting that supplement what he or she has learned in his or her Communication Studies courses. While the particular focus of the paper will depend on the internship setting and responsibilities, an ideal paper demonstrates that the student is capable of applying relevant theoretical ideas from the field of Communication Studies to an analysis of the work of the organization. The analysis paper should be 4-6 pages in length and include the following topics: (1) a general overview and description of the organization or agency where the student interned; (2) a detailed description of the intern’s tasks and responsibilities during the internship experience; (3) an analysis based on the application of relevant theoretical concepts and principles of Communication Studies to the internship experience; and (4) a personal performance evaluation by the intern, paying particular attention to her or his communication skills. The paper must be clearly written, demonstrating professional communication skills. Inadequate papers, either in analysis or writing, will not be accepted, and internship credit withheld until such time as deficiencies in the paper are corrected. Although the supervising faculty member will attempt to contact students if revisions are required, it is ultimately the responsibility of students to check with the supervising faculty member to see whether revisions to their paper are necessary.
Termination of the Internship
The supervising faculty member, in consultation with the site supervisor, may terminate an internship at any time if the student is not performing responsibly, as agreed upon when the Internship Registration Form was signed.