Internship

Internships are short-term work assignments related to the student's major or career of interest that combine what you learn in the classroom with real life experience from the work place. Internships allow students to try out career options and gain professional experience that will be helpful in finding a full-time position upon graduation or deciding on a path to graduate school.

Communications Internship Requirements

The Communications Internship (COMM 410) provides students with an opportunity to earn academic credits via a meaningful work experience. Through an internship students can experience possible career situations and work in organizations commensurate with their interests. Internships also allow students to demonstrate what they are learning in classes on real job assignments and projects, providing evidence of their value for current and future employers. 

Qualifications

To be eligible for the COMM 410 Internship program, students must:

  1. be of junior or senior standing
  2. have completed COMM 320 Introduction to Rhetorical Theory or COMM 321 Introduction to Communication Theory and an additional 9 credits of upper division COMM, and
  3. have agreement from an OSU-Cascades COMM faculty member to enroll in COMM 410 Internship.

Determining Credit Hours

Credit amount depends on the number of internship hours you complete. 1 credit = 30 hours of internship. For example COMM 410 (3 credits) would be 90 hours of internship in a 10 week term.

Credits cannot be earned retroactively and will only be awarded if the application procedure is followed.

Application Procedure

  1. Students must submit a typed COMM 410 internship proposal to a COMM faculty member who participates in the program. The proposal should:
  • Detail the nature of the internship work (the work the intern will do).
  • Indicate the hours per week worked and the length of the internship (number of weeks). Based on that, calculate the number of credits you hope to receive. The general credit hour formula is as follows: 1 credit for 30 hours of internship work time.
  • Justify communications (COMM) credit for the proposed work. A good internship is an assignment in a private or public business or agency. The student observes or works in one or more departments of the enterprise, perhaps in one area of interest or specialization (e.g., public relations, training, personnel, research and planning).
  • Explain how the internship fits into the student's overall academic program and relates to career aspirations.
  • Specify the date by which all written internship material will be submitted to the faculty sponsor.
  • Include a current transcript.

2.  Internship proposals should be submitted to potential faculty sponsors at least three weeks before preregistration for the term in which the internship will take place.

Gaining Approval

The faculty member to whom the student has submitted the internship proposal will review that proposal to determine approval status. If the internship is not approved, the student may revise and resubmit the proposal or seek an internship that is appropriate for academic credit. Upon approval, the student must submit a request for an Experience in Handshake. The Career Development Center internship coordinator will verify the details provided and begin the process of approvals in Handshake, requiring faculty, site supervisor, and academic advisors to all approve the Experience. Once all approvals are received, the academic advisor will remove the registration hold. The student then registers for the course.

Completing the Internship

In order to earn academic credit for the internship, students must submit the following materials for evaluation:

  1. Periodic written work, such as:
    1. Daily logs, or
    2. Weekly activity reports.
    3. Journal entries
  2. A final analytical paper (term length), or presentation.
  3. A letter of evaluation from the student's on-site supervisor, sent directly to the faculty sponsor.
  4. All internship materials should be turned in no later than the second day of finals week unless another due date has been arranged with the faculty sponsor.

Internship Deadlines and Incomplete Policy

Internships should be completed within the academic term. Incompletes will not be assigned without prior approval.

  1. Unless arranged otherwise and with prior approval of the faculty sponsor, internships should end by the last day of classes prior to final exam week.
  2. All internship materials should be submitted to the faculty sponsor within the subsequent four-day period (for example, by Tuesday of finals week of a regular term).  If not, students may receive a "No Pass." 
  3. Students whose internships extend beyond the last regular class day of the term and/or cannot submit their work within the four following days must request receiving an incomplete from the faculty sponsor.
  4. Ideally, incompletes should be anticipated and arranged prior to the beginning of the internship, but no later than three weeks prior to the end of the term.
  5. Faculty will not assign incompletes ("I") without prior arrangement.  Students whose work is not submitted by the confirmed due date will receive "No Pass" or "N."  Under normal circumstances, "N" grades will not be later changed.
  6. Students should consult specific deadlines that may apply to particular terms, such as Summer Session.