Communications Internship Requirements
What does my internship need to include? How long should it last? How many hours do I need to work? How do I get it approved?
Find resources below to answer your questions on how to complete the requirements for the COMM 498R Internship.
Find resources below to answer your questions on how to complete the requirements for the COMM 498R Internship.
Requirements
- The internship needs to be completed prior to graduation.
- Internships must be at least seven weeks long and can last up to 14 weeks.
- You must work at least 150 hours total to earn credit.
- The position must be relevant to your major and must include your use and acquisition of the specific professional skills taught in your program.
- The position may be paid or unpaid.
- The position may be onsite or remote.
- The supervisor to whom you report must be trained in communication.
- Internship providers must provide any equipment or other resources a student might need in his or her responsibilities with the organization.
- Any Communication Department equipment or resources may not be used for internships.
- The position may not be a retail or summer sales job.
- Each student needs just one internship credit to meet graduation requirements but can accrue up to three total internship credits over the course of his or her time at BYU-Idaho.
- Students wishing to complete multiple for-credit internships with one employer must have a different role or job description during each semester they apply for credit.
Additional Information on Internship Requirements
- Communication Department equipment and resources may not be used for internships: Your internship provider should be able to provide all the resources you need. Cameras and other equipment along with BYU-Idaho licenses (i.e. Adobe access or other licensed software) are for educational use only and not for commercial use. These resources are not allowed to be extended to entities outside of the agreed relationship with the university.
- Internship Time Frame: Your internship can be longer than 14 weeks, but only the hours contained within a semester count toward the credit you earn.
- Internship Hours: You must work at least 150 hours total to earn credit. Please note that even if you complete 40 hours per week and reach the 150-hour mark, four weeks into the internship, you are still required to work at least seven weeks as noted above. Please also make sure that you finish your position at a time that is convenient for both you and your employer—don't check out simply because you have met the work-hour requirement.
- Internships must be relevant to your major in the following areas: advertising, public relations, media sales and digital media, news/journalism, video production, visual communication, strategic organizational communication and advocacy, social media content management and analytics, event management, and so forth. An internship that focuses on general communication skills required in most jobs—working with the public, answering phones, meeting and greeting customers or patients, etc., do not sufficiently draw on the skills required for your major and cannot be counted as an internship. If you are uncertain whether the internship for which you are applying meets this criterion, please talk to your adviser or Emily Russell, the Department Internship Coordinator, before submitting your application.
- Internships completed prior to graduation: Some students prefer to complete their internship after all of their other coursework is finished, and many of them participate in graduation ceremonies prior to leaving Rexburg. If you choose to follow this pattern, you'll have one semester following the graduation ceremony to complete your internship. Delaying this will require that you reapply for admission to the university. Please note that even if you attend commencement ceremonies, you will not receive a diploma or go on BYU-Idaho’s records as a graduate until your internship is completed.
- Retail or summer sales positions: Sales positions that offer an office environment and long-term career opportunities and specific professional communication skills (such as advertising creation or market research) might be approved as internships—please see the internship coordinator for details. However, summer sales positions and temporary, door-to-door sales positions cannot count as internships.
- On-site internship: If your internship is NOT a virtual or remote position and is on-site, students are strongly encouraged to work in a professional office setting rather than in a provider’s home. If the student must work in the provider’s home, work should take place in a designated office area and a third person should be present at all times.