College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

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Internships and Jobs

What is an internship?

The Department of Communication and Media has developed an internship program to provide academic credit for professional experience RELATED to your course of study. The goal is to provide you with a learning experience that allows you to synthesize your course work with experience in professional settings. An internship serves as a useful bridge from academia to the work world.

Most internships are UNPAID positions. The organization offers you a learning experience in exchange for your labor. We do not give internship credit for cooking hamburgers or doing clerical work. Your internship placement should provide you with significant, professional experience that goes beyond the repetitive and limited tasks involved in most minimum wage jobs.

We also DO NOT give credit retroactively. You must have prior approval for your internship, and you must enroll in a seminar that runs concurrently with your internship experience. An internship is a structured learning experience; it is not a way to get academic credit for a summer job.

You may take more than one internship during your college career (also see the academic credit section of this form). In most cases, you will want to plan your internship for the last term of your senior year.

Journalism Majors: Journalism majors must complete an internship. While an internship at the Legislative Gazette, the department's weekly newspaper in Albany, is preferred, internships at other media outlets are allowed. Journalism students should consult with their advisors before making a decision.

Journalism Fieldwork Locations *

Overview of the steps in process

FIRST: You must get departmental approval BEFORE you look for a placement. These are things the Director of Internships must have to approve you for an internship:

  1. A completed application form (see last page of packet)
  2. A resume including local and home address
  3. An updated copy of your transcript or progress (DARS) report

SECOND: You must find an acceptable placement in an organization. Finding a placement is just like a job search. The internship coordinator can help you by making suggestions, but the responsibility rests with you to be pro-active. These are the things the Director of Internships must have AFTER you have a placement:

  1. Intern Information Sheet
  2. Internship Letter of Agreement (Completed with on-site supervisor.)

After receiving the above information the Director of Internships will issue you the proper PI cards you will need for registration. Often, intern sponsors require a letter from SUNY to confirm your are a registered student approved for an internship. Contact the Director of Internships for the letter.

THIRD: You must meet the requirements during your internship. These are some of the major things your internship coordinator must have DURING your internship:

  1. Seminar attendance
  2. Log of learning experiences, daily entries
  3. A final evaluation of your placement and course preparation
  4. On-site supervisor's mid-term and final evaluation of your progress
  5. Final project (details presented at first seminar meeting)
  6. Reading assignments

How You get departmental approval for an internship?

  • You MUST have a minimum overall and Communication & Media grade point average of 2.5. Students may appeal the overall average (see separate form).
  • You MUST have completed 18 credits in Communication. You also may be required to complete specific courses related to your internship. For example: radio interns 90101, 90319, and 90320; public relations interns should have basic communication, journalism, and public relations courses.
  • You MUST have completed one year in residence at New Paltz before doing an internship through us.
  • You MUST be at least a Junior (61 or more credits completed). Again, we strongly encourage students to intern during their senior year.
  • Journalism and Public Relations majors must complete two writing courses from the following list to be eligible for an internship: Journalism 1, Journalism 2, Feature Writing, Public Affairs Reporting, and Public Relations 1.
  • You MUST apply for departmental approval before the following deadlines unless otherwise notified by the faculty internship director.

    For Spring Semester Internships - The Second Friday in November

    For Summer Session Internships- The Second Friday in March

    For Fall Semester Internships- The Second Friday in April

What Type of Academic Credit you will get for an Internship?

Internship credits do not substitute for courses on the major plan. Internship credits serve as upper-division electives. According to college policy, you may apply a TOTAL of 15 credits of Internship, Fieldwork, and Independent Study toward graduation. You may take more but they simply will not count toward graduation. The number of credits you can receive is determined by the number of hours a week you work. The seminar is NOT included in these totals. Also note, if you take two internships, you only have to register for the seminar the first time.

*Note: summer interns will only register for Summer Session II

Credit Hours
Hours Per Week (in a 15 week semester)
Total Hours
1
3
45
3
9
135
6
18
270
9
27
405
12
36
540
15
45
675

The maximum number of internship credits you can earn in any term is 15. Internship credits will be pass/fail. The REQUIRED concurrent seminar will be graded. While all internship credits count toward graduation they are not considered "liberal arts" credits. The seminar is considered liberal arts.

How you find an internship placement

Once the department has approved you for an internship, you can then begin to look for a specific placement. Placements are tailored to individual student's interests. However, the Director of Internships must approve your final placement.

The Department of Communication and Media has notebooks about internships (divided by location) in the Reading Room. The Career Resource Center has general listings of internship and co-op placements. Individual faculty members can also provide suggestions. Students who have already completed internships are another good source of ideas, as are family members. It is up to you to contact sponsoring agencies and gain their approval for your internship with them. Passing the department's screening process does not guarantee placement.

Generally though, there are more placements each semester than there are students to fill them. Openings are particularly plentiful during Fall Semester. Once your internship has been approved, you will be allowed to enroll in 90490 and 90491.

What the sponsoring/placement agency must provide

The sponsoring agency must be willing to assign an on-site supervisor who will develop a specific description of the tasks for the internship (See Internship Letter of Agreement). We view an internship as a stepping stone to professional employment, so we prefer that you develop professional-level skills. While we know that stuffing envelopes and answering phones is a part of any entry-level job, we do not want you to be unpaid clerical workers. The sponsoring agency must provide an on-site supervisor who will train you. We request that a supervisor provide a minimum of one hour a week in directing your activities. Good supervisors spend more time, particularly in the first weeks of orientation.

In addition, the sponsoring agency must allow you time to attend three seminars at night on the New Paltz campus during the course of the semester. The on-site supervisor must also be willing to evaluate your performance during the course of the semester.

Requirements during the internship

  1. You must keep regularly scheduled hours at the sponsoring agency. Failure to attend work, frequent tardiness or other unprofessional behavior will result in forced withdrawal from the course.
  2. During the first week of your internship or sooner, you must complete the Internship Letter of Agreement as well as the Information Sheet (forms attached).
  3. You will be required to participate in at least three intern seminars scheduled during the semester of placement. Seminar dates will be announced.
  4. You must regularly participate in Blackboard discussions.
  5. You will be required to complete a final term project. The scope of the project is determined by the number of credits you are receiving. You and the Director of Interns must agree on a final project by mid-semester. Your project may be a final paper, an audio/video production, an analytic report or some other form approved by the Director.
  6. It is your responsibility to keep in touch with the Director of Interns, if questions arise, and to make sure you meet all requirements. Normally, email is most the most efficient means of communication.
  7. You will be required to complete an evaluation of your internship placement.
  8. If you have questions or problems during your internship, contact your coordinator right away.Problems might include: not being assigned to the types of activities described in the Letter of Agreement; being asked to spend more hours at the agency than indicated; not receiving feedback about your progress. Don't let questions or problems wait.

For more information contact:

Prof. Robert Miller, Director of Internships in Communication & Media
Phone: (845) 257-3462
Office: SB 49
E-mail: millerr@newpaltz.edu
Department of Communication & Media
SUNY New Paltz
1 Hawk Drive
New Paltz, New York 12561-2443