You may begin your internship at any time, and do it anywhere in the world, but you must follow these rules:
- DO NOT begin your internship before it has been approved.
- To get an internship approved, you must prepare your application as explained here, and submit it to the JMC office for approval.
- You will be notified as to whether your internship meets department approval. Once your internship has been approved you will be contacted and given an add code for MCOM111 for the current semester. It is then your responsibility to make sure you are enrolled in the course for credit.
- You have until June 19 to enroll in the summer section of MCOM111. If your internship is approved after June 19, you will enroll in the fall section.
If you have any questions about internships please contact Professor Lilly Buchwitz via email at LILLY.BUCHWITZ @ SJSU.EDU
What to do before you look for an internship
- Meet with your faculty advisor or professors in your major to discuss your career goals and the type of internship that will be most valuable in helping you achieve your career goals.
- Read the School of Journalism & Mass Communications Internship Policies.
- Make sure you have the prerequisites.
How to find an internship
Finding a job is a job in itself — and an internship is a job. If you plan to do a summer internship, the time to start looking for it is during the fall semester. The deadline for applications for summer internships at the San Francisco Chronicle, for example, is October 31 of the previous year. MLB.com recruits for summer sportswriting interns in December. Applications for MAIP advertising internships are due in early February. Roche in Palo Alto recruits for summer interns in its communications and public affairs department in February. Where do you start? Here are some suggestions:
- Bookmark the JMC jobs & internships blog and check it frequently for internship opportunities. (Even better, subscribe to the RSS feed so that new postings are sent to you.)
- Check the binders in the JMC office. Look through the papers to see what companies have recruited SJSU interns in the past. Contact them
- Visit the SJSU Career Center to take advantage of its job-hunting advice, resume workshops and job boards.
- Bookmark, and keep your eye on, the internships section of major companies' websites — like these: Apple, Google, Yahoo! and Cisco.
- Make a list of companies you'd like to work for, then research their websites for contact information. Contact them and ask if they offer internships. Remember, your internship can be anywhere in the country — or anywhere in the world!
How to find an advertising internship
If you want to work in advertising after graduation, you should do your internship in advertising. This page has links, resources, tips and tricks just for you.
What to do once you have found your internship
Apply: To apply for academic credit for your internship (i.e. MCOM111), prepare your internship application documentation as explained here, and submit it to the main office.
Wait: When your paperwork has been approved by the faculty supervisor, you will be contacted and given the permission code to register for your internship.
Register: You must register for your internship under MCOM111. Registration is through the use of a permission code, which will be assigned to you by the JMC office when your internship is approved.
What to do once your internship begins
Reports: You must submit reports describing the progress of your internship after each 40-hour period worked. You must use the Internship Report Form to submit your reports. If you are working in a remote location and do not have Internet access, please contact the faculty supervisor to make arrangements for submitting your reports.
Progress Meetings: We recommend that you and your employer supervisor establish regular weekly meetings for the purpose of discussing your performance during the internship.
Faculty Supervision: The faculty supervisor is always available to you. You should feel free to contact him or her if you have any questions or concerns about your internship as it progresses. The faculty supervisor will read your reports and comment on them or email you with comments or questions. The faculty supervisor may call and/or visit your place of employment to discuss your progress with your employer.
What to do after your internship is finished
Complete the Student Questionnaire, your evaluation of your internship. Click here to download the Student Questionnaire as a PDF file. For now, you must print it (two pages), fill it out by hand, and submit it to the JMC office.
Letter from your place of internship: At the end of your internship, your employer supervisor must write a formal letter to the school, stating that you have satisfactorily completed 240 hours of internship under his or her supervision. Academic credit for the internship will not be given until this letter is received.
Grade: The grade for MCOM111 is Credit (CR) or No Credit (NC) or Incomplete (I). Your grade will be submitted once all your final paperwork has been received.