Requirements & Procedures
First, the Facts
To qualify for the Credit Internship Course, you must be a declared journalism major. You should have first completed the prerequisite coursework of Investigating Journalism and Journalistic Inquiry. Typically this means you'll be a second-semester sophomore, junior, senior, or a graduate student in your SECOND semester. (What is called "Internship" for undergrads is called "Fieldwork in Journalism" for graduate students). LSP students must wait until the summer that they have become a declared major (usually after the spring semester of their sophomore year) to take an internship for credit.
CREDIT: The Journalism Institute does not grant credit for public relations, communications, marketing, promotional or advertising internships, or for internships with a pure entertainment focus (talk shows, comedy shows, etc.). Internships that only involve working in the fashion or beauty closet of a magazine are also not approved for credit. You MUST get permission from the Career Services director BEFORE you accept an internship for credit. In general, the internship must involve newsgathering and/or news production work for a news organization. Because of federal guidelines, for unpaid internships you must work within the company's facilities and have proper supervision.
PAYMENT: Undergraduates are not eligible to receive credit for paid internships. Graduate students can receive credit for paid internships. You also may discuss your situation with the Career Services director to determine what constitutes "paid" versus a "stipend." (International students must get CPT approval before starting at a paid internship, including stipends. Alert Sylvan Solloway as soon as you have an offer. The process for approval usually takes about 10 days.)
- As a credit intern, you must work at the internship at least 10 hours a week, in one fall or spring academic semester but not more than 20 hours. (If you do your credit internship in the summer, you must work at least 100 hours total; those hours can be bunched up or spread over the summer.) You can only enroll in one internship at a time.
- Students are allowed to take the internship course more than once and for fewer than 4 credits. But you can only earn a maximum of 4 credits for this course. If you have already taken the course for 4 credits, you cannot take it again. When you register for the course on Albert, you will be able to choose 1, 2, 3 or 4 credit hours. This addresses the fact that more employers are only offering internships for academic credit and that you may want to intern for more than one semester (at different companies). Generally students should plan to do at least 2 internships for no more than 2 credits each. This recommendation could vary depending on your situation. And remember, there are internships that do not require credit or are paid. They are just as valuable.
- Please carefully consider how many journalism credits you need to graduate. Undergraduates have room to earn odd credits; graduate students do not. Therefore graduate students are strongly advised to do their internships (also known as fieldwork) for either 2 or 4 credits. Talk to your academic adviser or to the Career Services director if you have questions.
- You must register for the class and pay for the credits, as you would for any other course.
- Many internships require that you get academic credit, because of labor and insurance laws.
- The department does not give retroactive credit for internships -- or offer academic credit for jobs. (Internships must be temporary learning opportunities.)
Enrolling in the Credit Internship Class
- You are responsible for finding your internship (see hunting tips below). The director of Career Services, however, is available to guide you in your search and MUST APPROVE your internship. It is recommended that you seek help with your resume and cover letter before starting your search.
- Immediately after you find your internship, submit an Intern Record Sheet to the director of Career Services. This should be done by email to avoid lost paper copies.
- Only once you have submitted your Intern Record Sheet and the director of Career Services has approved your internship can you enroll in the credit internship course. Note: all students must also obtain an access code to register.
How the Credit Internship Class Is Run
- Be sure to review the syllabus detailing the procedures and requirements before your internship starts.
- During the semester you'll file regular logs onto NYU Classes telling us what you're doing at the internship. The syllabus will tell you where and when to file your logs.
- You will be required to attend ONE class discussion session, to share your experience and hear from other students about their experiences.
- Toward the end of the semester, we'll send your supervisor an evaluation form.
- The course is graded differently for grads and undergrads. (Please read the syllabus for a detailed explaination.) Your grade is based half on your logs (promptness and quality of submission) and half on your supervisor's evaluation of your performance.
- You may be contacted by the Career Services office for an individual meeting to discuss your logs. Do not assume you will be receiving an "A" or a "P" for this course because you show up for your internship every day. Your grade is based on your class attendance, written work and performance on the job. Please feel free to contact the director at any time to share any internship problems or triumphs.
- Starting in fall 2012, undergraduates will receive a pass or fail for this course. For undergrads, the credits will count toward your CAS degree, but not toward your journalism major. Grad students should discuss their credit choices with Career Services, their program directors and graduate aide.
- We're here to listen and help throughout your internship should you face any challenges or issues.
- Contact us immediately if you have a problem at your internship, or if you're being asked to perform duties that do not provide a journalistic/educational experience. (Organizing fashion closets, taking out the trash, buying personal meals should not be your internship duties if you're earning academic credit in journalism.)
The Internship Hunt
These resources are available to help you in your internship search:
- Postings on the undergraduate and graduate listservs
- Recent intern requests.
- The jobs/internship bulletin board near the Career Services office, Room 647, 20 Cooper Square.
- Web sites that list internships and jobs such as journalismjobs.com and ed2010.com (magazines) and Mediabistro.com.
- The red, black and green Internship Reviews books available in the Career Services office contain candid reviews written by previous NYU journalism students about their internships.
You should also feel free to approach any news organization that interests you, even if they don't officially list an internship. They may be delighted to take an intern. Often you will find their internship postings through their "about" page.
To apply to an employer:
- If you are responding to a listing, please follow the directions. Most will ask for at least a cover letter and a resume. If you're a print student, you may also be asked to send five or six of your best writing samples, preferably published clips.
- Follow up. If you don't hear back within a reasonable length of time, check on the status of your application by email and re-emphasize your interest in the internship.
- The interview: If you get an in-person interview, dress neatly and conservatively. Afterward, send a thank-you note within 48 hours.
Contact Info
Sylvan Solloway
Director of Career Services
Room 656
Email: sylvan.solloway@nyu.edu
Phone: 212-992-7995
Craigh Barboza
Career Services Specialist
Room 647
Email: craigh.barboza@nyu.edu
Phone: 212-998-3837