Internship Registration

Gain experience and build professional outcomes while earning academic credit. COMM interns attend weekly cohort meetings facilitated by the Communication Studies Internship Advisor and arrange work schedules directly with their internship Site Supervisor.

Internship registration must be completed within three weeks of the first day of classes for fall and spring terms, and by the last day of drop/add for and the summer semester. Additionally:

• internships are an elective for the major, not a requirement
• COMM majors may earn six internship credits (maximum of three in a semester), of which three count toward the major

• every 40 hours you work on an approved internship is worth one academic credit

• internships for credit must be approved in advance using the Docusign application agreement

• non-credit internships do not need approval from the internship coordinator

Follow these steps to obtain an internship approval and registration into the Communication Studies internship program cohort.

Obtaining Internship Approval

STEP 1: MEET THE PREREQUISITES

• COMM 300 Communication Research
• minimum GPA of 2.5 overall
• minimum GPA of 2.75 in the major

STEP 2: Use career center resources

• Create a Career Center Handshake account and make an appointment
• Create or update your resume
• Align your future goals with internship opportunities

STEP 2: START THE INTERNSHIP SEARCH early

Internship Sites often advertise and hire interns many months prior to the start date. Potential inroads to internships include:

• Attend Communication Studies internship showcases with working professionals
• Watch for Communication Studies email advertisements on internships we learn about
• Your personal and professional network of contacts
• Review the Featuring our Communication Studies Internship Cohorts (PDF) and our Previous Internship Sites for Communication Studies (PDF)
• Use your Handshake account to look for internships local to your residence
• Set up informational interviews with TU alumni who work in your field of interest
• Attend Career Center career fairs and events and ask questions

STEP 3: OBTAIN APPROVAL

Once you have firmly secured your internship, complete the Docusign approval form.

• The first section of the application agreement is completed and signed by the student intern.
• The second section of the application agreement is completed and signed by the Internship Site Supervisor.
• Upon review of the application agreement, the third section will be completed by the Internship Faculty Coordinator on behalf of the Department of Communication Studies. This portion of the application agreement will approve or deny your application.
  • Note: This application agreement is a formal document and will be denied based on incomplete or inaccurate information. Please be sure to gather all necessary information and double-check your facts prior to initiating the form.
• All signing parties will receive a copy of the completed and finalized agreement and the agreement will be saved to the student's records.

step 4: register for the internship course (COMM 490)

• Once your internship has been approved, the department administrator will send the student intern an email with detailed instructions to register for the internship and weekly class. (This course requires department approval.)
• The internship cohort class is held online. 

Questions?

Contact Carol Norton, Communication Studies Internship Coordinator at cnorton AT_TOWSON. 

A sample internship syllabus is linked below. Please read the internship approval criteria in the syllabus before starting the internship search process. Internships are not approved between June 16 and August 15 or between December 15 and January 1.

“ What I learned throughout my continued research was how valuable the set of skills were to employers in the workforce. Strong communication skills, strong public speaking skills, and intelligent interpersonal interaction skills are at the top of nearly every employers list in skills needed at their job. In the field of communication, we fine tune our ability to understand and analyze rhetoric, and then use our gained knowledge of intercultural, interpersonal, and advocacy skills to reproduce that rhetoric in the manner we feel most effective for the situation at hand. ”