Applying to the Department of Communication Studies is easy but it is an important step in the process of gaining the kind of internship you want for your future career development and for meeting degree requirements.  When you apply to the department you are requesting approval of yourself as suitable and ready to do an internship and letting the department know that you are seeking an appropriate location to do your internship.

• You need to apply and be approved BEFORE you accept an internship opportuntity with an organization.  Accepting an internship before applying can create problems for you as some (so-called) internships are not acceptable for use in COMM department majors or minors and some may not be in your best interest.  You may submit your application for departmental internship approval before beginning to search for an internship or while you are searching.  If you think you may have found a good internship site, be sure to apply and get approval before accepting the internship (unless you have permission to accept the internship from the Internship Coordinator).

• The time to apply for an internship is during the semester before you actually do to the work at the internship site.  Each semester the application deadline is posted on the Internship page of the Communication Studies Department (along with much other useful information.  For most students, that is during their Junior or Senior year.  Many students do their major internship for the COMM department during the summer after their Junior year (registering for credit,if desired, during their senior year).

• The department normally expects that students will not be ready to do the internship they use to meet degree requirements until they have completed a significant portion of their major (typically 14 college credits or more with 5 or 6 courses in COMM/PUBR, at least) and are within a year (or so) of graduation.  While exceptions can be made, we encourage "senior year" internships because  1) The more skills and knowledge a student has before beginning an internship, the more sophisticated and professional the tasks an intern performs can be.  You get more pre-professional experience from an internship the more college level learning you do in with.  2)  The closer you are to graduation the more likely it is that you can network with individuals at your internship site and use internship contacts and advice to get that first job.  The internship requirement IS NOT something to "get out of the way."  It's a capstone experience.

• If the time is right and you are ready for an internship, apply!  Simply complete the application form and EMAIL the completed form (as a Word document) and an electronic copy of your internship resume.  Some tips:

  • Be sure you have talked to your COMM Advisor before completing the application so that you are sure you are on the right track.

  • Review the sample internship application linked on the COMM Internship page.

  • You can attach a Word document version of your internship resume or you can include a link to an on-line version of your resume.

  • Include as much description as you can concerning your plans but, even if your plans are unclear, as long as you have discussed your plans with your COMM Advisor, apply anyway.

• While approval of internship applications is normally pretty routine, the department sometimes does reject applications and asks for a resubmission.  This happens when we are not certain the student is ready to represent COMM and Monmouth college at an internship site.  Some factors that can lead to not being approved:

  • The application is incomplete or sloppy (with typos, grammatical errors, etc.).  Therefore, PROOFREAD.  Sloppiness suggests a student is not ready for work in a professional setting.  In the professional world there is much less tolerance for "student" errors.  A professional communication organization does not want to look bad because an intern fails to take care in doing projects.  We start the emphasis on professionalism with the application and we reject ones that suggest the student has not taken the process seriously enough.

  • The application is too vague for the department to understand what the student's hopes or plans are.  This is especially a problem when the student has not had a discussion with an advisor or the Internship Coordinator or has had only a very brief discussion.

  • The student applying for an internship has not reached junior status or completed enough of major coursework to be well-qualified for a quality internship.

• Once you have received notice (by email) that you are approved for a COMM department sponsored internship, you are ready to begin working with the Internship Coordinator on making arrangements.

Return to main internship page