Communication Studies majors may earn up to 12 semester credit hours through our department’s internship program, count three (3) of these hours toward "required elective" upper-level (300-400 level) course work, and the remaining nine hours as general electives toward graduation. Credit hours are earned in three (3) or six (6) hour increments through enrollment in COM 498 Internship in Communication Studies. A maximum of six (6) credit hours may be earned during a Fall or Spring semester, while a maximum of three (3) credit hours may be earned during a single Summer term.
To qualify for an internship, a student must be of junior or senior status (at least 59 semester hours completed) with a minimum overall GPA of 2.5. Once an application is submitted and the student is notified of eligibility, s/he must then pass through the second phase of the selection process involving interviews with the department's faculty internship director and agency supervisors.
Student interns also attend required small group class sessions facilitated by the faculty director to discuss their experiences, addresses challenges, display completed projects, and chart a course for the remainder of their time with sponsoring agencies.
Students may intern at numerous and varied organizations representing all of the subject areas taught in the department. For example, approved internship agencies include radio and TV stations, public relations firms, Fortune 500 corporations, speech pathology/audiology rehabilitation centers, government and civic institutions, entertainment production companies, and a myriad of others. Qualified students may also initiate the approval process for a new agency, for example an organization in their home town should they seek a summer internship outside of Wilmington.
While most agencies are located in the vicinity of Wilmington, students have completed internships at sites including The Pentagon and NOAA (Washington, DC), David Letterman Productions and Sony BMG & Sony Urban Productions (Manhattan, NY), and ESPN and Carolina Medical Center (Charlotte, NC).
To complete a three (3) credit hour internship, a student must log at least 126 hours with the sponsoring agency (252 hours for six [6] credit hours), write several response/reflection papers, keep a detailed time log, and complete a final research/response paper. Student interns are encouraged to collect completed products as materials for their portfolios to be created in their COM 490 Discipline Capstone course. A student intern’s performance is evaluated by both the agency supervisor and faculty internship director.
In accordance with university guidelines, internships are graded PASS/FAIL.
The information provided here as well as step by step instruction on how to become a Communication Studies intern are available in PDF format. Choose the COM Internship information packet link below. For additional information concerning the Department of Communication Studies internship program, contact the internship director Tammy Bulger at bulgert@uncw.edu (910) 962-7144.
1. Internship Application
2. Internship Interview Questionnaire
3. Agency Approval Form
4. COM Internship Agency Book
5. COM Internship Information Packet
