Internships

Internship credit is available to majors in the Department of Communication during their senior year or during the summer preceding. Specifically, to be eligible for the major, students must be a Communication major who has completed 90 credits and has earned a grade point average of 2.0 at the University and carries a 2.5 grade point average in the major. You should plan your internship with the Director of Internships prior to registering for the course. Internship credit is not available to non-majors.

How to earn credits

You may apply a maximum of six hours of credit for interning to the major although some students opt to complete additional internships for UB general elective credit. If you opt to take two internships during your senior year, you may count these internships as two Communication elective courses. However, if you were to take an independent study for 3 credits, a 3-credit internship, plus another internship, you will be credited with only two classes toward your Communication electives. (The full nine hours of credit would count toward your 120-hour University requirement.) Academic internship credit is not ordinarily given for a job for which you are being paid a salary. Paid internships must be approved by petition in advance.

Developing an internship

Obtaining your internship is similar to obtaining a job:

* We provide you with leads.
* You arrange for an interview.
* You negotiate a contract with the organization.

The first step in obtaining an internship is to arrange an internship consultation with the Director of Internships. After you are approved to participate in the program you may register for the class (COM 496) and determine the type of organization for which you would like to work. An online database is available for students approved to enroll in the class. Please set aside time to carefully review these leads so that you may find an internship that coincides with your career goals and develops your professional skills. Pick several organizations, making note of the telephone number and contact person. You may also seek an internship with organizations other than those listed. The next step is to call the organization to see whether there is an opening in the semester for which you plan to register. Because internship coordinators frequently change, ask to speak to the current coordinator. If the coordinator is interested, arrange an interview. During the interview, you and your supervisor should agree upon your duties, and although all entry-level jobs will require routine tasks, you should be certain that the internship consists primarily of "hands on" entry-level professional work. You and the organization supervisor should complete the contract after you agree on the specific duties you will perform. Then you must return the contract to the Director of Internships for approval. You may not begin your work at the internship until the contract has been approved.

How to register

After you are approved to enroll in the internship class, you should register for credit under the Internship in Communication course (COM 496). You do not need to have secured an internship before you enroll. Be sure to register before drop/add ends, if not earlier. Internship credit is variable; therefore, you must enter the number of hours for which you are registering. For any semester, the number of hours of academic credit corresponds to a certain number of hours "on the job." Internships of 3-5 credit hours will count as one Communication elective class.

* 1 hour of credit = 45 hours on the job
* 2 hours of credit = 90 hours on the job
* 3 hours of credit = 135 hours on the job
* 4 hours of credit = 180 hours on the job
* 5 hours of credit = 225 hours on the job

Completing the internship

After you complete your internship, your supervisor must submit a letter of evaluation regarding the work you performed, and you must write a 3-page typed paper discussing your internship experience. Your paper must be written in essay format and include information about some of your completed projects and accomplishments. You should also evaluate the internship experience as a whole and state whether you would recommend this organization to other students.

It is your responsibility to make sure that your paper and the evaluation from your supervisor are received by the Director of Internships by the deadline on your contract. If the materials are not turned in by the date on your contract, you will receive an Incomplete/Failing grade until all materials are received.

Internship grades

COM 496 (Internship) is graded only on a pass/fail basis.

Check List

* Set up an internship consultation with the Director of Internships before you register for the class or begin planning an internship.
* After you have approval to enroll in the class, register for COM 496 (Internship in Communication), before drop/add ends (see UB Academic/Financial Calendars).
* Remember that COM 496 (Internship), like COM 499 (Independent Study) is graded only on a pass/fail basis.
* Return completed contract to the Director of Internships before the return date indicated on the contract.
* Before end of classes (contract deadline date), deliver your report and critical evaluation of your internship as well as a letter of evaluation from your organizational supervisor on company letterhead to the Director of Internships.