Internship Guidelines

The Department of Media Studies
Catholic University
105 Marist Hall
Washington, DC 20064

(202) 319-5601
(202) 319-4489 (fax)

 

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind as you pursue your internship. If you have not already got an internship in mind, you might visit the Career Services office, where they keep an ongoing database of internship opportunities. Postings are also regularly circulated through the Media Studies listserv. Internships (especially the best ones) are often very competitive, and may require interviews, portfolios, and some amount of administrative paperwork: starting the application process the semester before you intend to intern is always a good idea. If you have any questions, contact us at (202) 319-5601.

1. The faculty must deem the internship relevant to media studies.
2. Internship course enrollment is restricted to students majoring or minoring in Media Studies.
3. The work done during the internship must include substantial responsibilities in the field sufficient to justify awarding of academic credit.
4. The participating organization must provide a supervisor to serve as a contact person.
5. The internship will include regular class meetings, as specified in the schedule of classes, and written assignments.
6. To be eligible for an internship the student must have satisfactorily completed MDIA 201 and MDIA 202 and have a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA.
7. The student must develop the internship opportunity.
8. Information about available internships is available through the Career Services office in the Pryzbyla Center: http://careers.cua.edu.
9. The student is responsible for making contact with the organization and fulfilling its application procedures.
10. The student should, however, discuss his/her plans at this stage with the Department Chair or the Internship Adviser.

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Once the student has been accepted by the organization, an internship contract is developed between the student, the organization, and the Department of Media Studies. This contract consists of the following, at a minimum:

1. The name of the student and the name of the organization;
2. A statement of the educational value of the internship;
3. A description of the duties of the internship;
4. The beginning and ending dates, plus a weekly schedule of hours (which must equal at least 170 over the course of the internship);
5. The name, address, and telephone of the person who will supervise the student at the internship site, and who agrees to consult with the faculty;
6. A description of how the student's work will be evaluated at the internship site;
7. An agreement by the student to attend scheduled internship class meetings on campus.