Internship Program | Department of English

Department of English

Internship Program

Securing an Internship | Requirements | Descriptions

Securing an Internship

You don’t have to register for English 401 or 402 in order to get an internship. Internships that do not carry university credit but that can be enormously rewarding are available all over the United States and even abroad. They can give you practical experience, contacts for future employment, and an impressive entry for your resumé. The library at Career Services (#1 EUC) contains a large collection of books and files on internships. You might check through these resources to see what’s available and what seems attractive to you.

The advantage of English 401 and 402 is that you can do an internship and get university credit. Because of limited resources, we accept only a few students into the courses, but we welcome your application. In the past, students have done internships at The Greensboro News and Record, The Greensboro Review, and Allosaurus Publishing.  However, other organizations might offer equally valuable opportunities. The Center for Career Services offers extensive resources about finding an internship. See the Career Services Center website for more information.

When contacting an organization, ask whether they have an internship program or whether you can speak to someone about internships. You should ask if they are accepting interns for the period during which you would like to work. Ask them about the specifics of the work you would be doing; your tasks as an intern should both use and further train your skills in journalism. A specific large project, lasting the duration of your internship, is ideal. On your application, indicate the organization(s) with which you would like to intern and the nature of your duties there. You may also set up internships with companies not on this list. Your choice of organization needs to be approved by the Internship Coordinator or the English Department’s Undergraduate Studies Committee.

(A call for applications will be sent out February/March of each year.)

Documents:

Application
Reference Form

For Additional Information Contact:

Ben Clarke
Internship Coordinator
3324 MHRA

b_clarke@uncg.edu

Internship Requirements

Prerequisites

  1. English major, junior or senior status
  2. 3.0 cumulative GPA
  3. Basic computing skills
  4. Recommendation of a UNCG English Department faculty member
  5. Approval by the English Internship Coordinator

Procedure for Applying

  1. Print off an application from the English Department website.
  2. Call one or more companies and inquire about the availability of internships. Included in this handout is a list of companies that have expressed an interest in having UNCG journalism interns. Feel free, however, to get in touch with other organizations as well. Wherever you work, we require that the work be genuine journalism or editorial work, not just busy work.
  3. Fill out the application, indicating the organization you want to work for, the person at that organization who will supervise you or who is in charge of interns, and the nature of your duties there.We need to know the name of this person so we can write and, if necessary, talk to her/him.
  4. The Internship Coordinator will review your application. If she approves it, she will send you a letter and send a letter with a copy of your application to the organization where you want to work.
  5. Set up an interview with the organization. If they accept you and you agree to work for them, someone there–your supervisor or the person in charge of interns–should write the Internship Coordinator a letter that accepts you, explains the nature of your work, and agrees to the requirements of the course (see below).
  6. To register for English 401, see the Internship Coordinator. You can register anytime before your internship begins (rather than just during the registration period).

Requirements and Grades

  1. The intern should do about 130 hours of work on the job, spread out over the semester or summer.
  2. Although the English Department does not object to an organization’s paying interns if it so chooses, the organization is under no obligation to do so.
  3. At the end of the internship, the intern should give the Internship Coordinator two things: a) a portfolio of work done on the job and b) a report describing and assessing the internship experience. The portfolio should include all the intern’s work or at least a representative sampling of it. The paper should be four-to-six pages long (typewritten, double spaced).
  4. At the end of the internship, the job supervisor will provide an evaluation to the Internship Coordinator evaluating the intern’s work and suggesting a grade for the course.
  5. Based on the job supervisor’s evaluation and the intern’s portfolio and report, the Internship Coordinator will assign the intern a grade.

Internship Descriptions

English 401 – Journalism & Editing Internship

English 401: Internship in Journalism and Editing makes it possible for students to gain practical, real-world experience in journalism and editing and, at the same time, to earn three hours of college credit and a grade. Internships are possible throughout the academic year: fall, spring, and summer.

English 402 – English Studies Internship

English 402: Internship in English Studies provides students with practical experience applying their English major in the workplace, particularly their knowledge and abilities in technical and persuasive writing, research, teaching, and the creative imagination. At the same time, students earn three hours of college credit and a grade. Internships are possible throughout the academic year: fall, spring, and summer.