Internships

Kickstart your Career

Internships are a great way to apply knowledge from the classroom to real-world experience. By applying your skills to the workforce, you have the chance to explore different career paths and specializations that suit your interests. In addition, the extra experience gained through an internship will boost your marketability. In fact, students who graduate with internship experiences are more likely than students without those experiences to find employment upon graduation.

Internships provide a great environment to meet professionals in the career field you want to pursue, as well as other interns who have similar interests. These connections often land our students with full-time job offers.

All students are encouraged to complete an internship, and students majoring in digital media, political communication and public relations are required to have three hours of internship credit upon graduation.

Questions? Email Nikki (Nichole) Harken at nichole.harken@uni.edu.

Students doing an interview in the hallway.

What are the benefits of an internship?

Meaningful internships give students an opportunity to:

Learn more about a chosen field
Apply classroom theory to real work situation
Strengthen written and oral communication skills
Enhance their resume or graduate school application
Make contacts and network with professionals
Build confidence in your skills and knowledge

Why do an internship?

a student talking about their internship

Learn more about doing an internship

What do interns do?

Common Internship Titles

Training Assistant
Assistant Project Manager
PR Specialist
Special Event Coordinator
Field Operations Assistant
Museum Assistant
Marketing Intern
Production Assistant
Producer
Digital Editor
Promotion Assistant
Media Buyer
Campaign Assistant
Regional Campaign Director

Common Internship Duties

Assist with company trainings/seminars
Create and give presentations regarding company policies, products, or procedures
Create curriculum
Coordinate and plan special events
Update promotional materials
Write press releases and speeches
Create advertising campaigns and media kits
Design and update websites
Design crisis plans
On-air camera time
Radio/Video production and editing
Sell advertising space for news, radio, and television stations
Create promotional digital materials
Prepare candidates for debates
Conduct research

Frequently Asked Questions

Am I eligible for internship credit?

All Communication and Media majors are eligible for internship credit, even if an internship is not required for your major. Eligibility requirements include:

Must be a Junior standing (60+ hours of completed coursework)
Must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the major
Must have completed twelve hours of major coursework prior to the semester of the internship

Where do I find an internship?

Use the UNI Job & Internship Board to search and apply for opportunities
Schedule an appointment with Career Services for assistance: 319-273-6857
Have an organization in mind? Call them. Go there. Let someone there know you are interested in about the possibility of an internship.
Join the UNI Communication & Media Facebook Group for the most current opportunities
Pay attention to your email. The Director of Internships sends regular emails with internship opportunities.
Check with your faculty.
Do you know where you want to be? Check out that areas online newspaper sites as well as Economic Development and Chamber of Commerce organizations.
Search online

What are internship requirements?

To become an approved internship, the opportunity must:

Allow the creation of original works that can go in a portfolio (e.g., press releases, brochures, videos, news reels, training manuals, presentations, newsletters, event planning work, website pages). For this reason, many sales positions that involve the distribution of such materials will not work.
Connect to your chosen major, even if it does not perfectly line up with your future career goals. You are signing up for an academic course that fulfills required or elective major credits in communication, so your internship needs to reflect that fact.
As this is an academic course, all students will meet for one hour per week with the instructor on record.

To become an approved internship, the opportunity must not:

Take place where you have worked in the immediate past. Internships are intended to represent new learning experiences and involve you in the complete job search process. Therefore, internship credit is not given for current or past employment activities. Furthermore, internship credit is not granted retroactively for previous internships that you may have completed. There may be situations, however, where you may wish to intern in an organization where you are employed in another capacity. This may be done subject to the following guidelines:
You obtain an internship in a department separate from the area where you are currently employed (or)
Your supervisor writes a letter to the Internship Coordinator verifying your internship responsibilities are completely separate from your normally assigned duties
Take place in organizations or departments where immediate family members (parents, siblings) are employed.

Additional details for Digital Media Majors:

The placement must be approved by both the Director of Internships and the Digital Media faculty.
The opportunity must be with a digital media company or the digital media division of a company that is located, or based, off-campus.
The digital media company/division must have a significant professional track record, for a minimum of five years, in digital media production, journalism or marketing/management, with regional or national clients.
The company must have an experienced digital media supervisor who can offer expertise and mentoring in digital media production, journalism or marketing/management.
The company must have the necessary digital technology and equipment, and may not rely on student-owned or university-provided technology and equipment. We strongly encourage you to seek out these opportunities as early in your academic career as possible and to talk with the Director of Internships and the Digital Media faculty if you find opportunities that meet these criteria. A strong experiential learning record and a significant professional internship will enhance your portfolio, build your practical skills, and forge important networking connections that will help you as you compete with peers nationally and globally for jobs.

Additional details for Public Relations Majors:

The opportunity must be located, or based, off-campus.
Completing an internship with UNI Athletics, GBPAC, University Relations, UNI Library, UNI Foundation, etc. does NOT meet the requirement for the required internship. You can complete an internship with the entities for elective credit, a transcript notation, or as a resume builder - but not to fulfill the degree requirement.

When can I take internship credit?

To gain internship credit you must:

Be of Junior standing (60+ hours of completed coursework)
Have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the major
Have completed twelve hours of major coursework prior to the semester of the internship

Additionally:

Digital Media majors/minors must have successfully completed Digital Media Production I (COMM DM 1651) prior to the semester of the internship.
Public Relations majors/minors also must have successfully completed Public Relations Writing (COMM PR 3855) OR News Writing for Media (COMM DM 2653) prior to the semester of the internship.
Digital Journalism minors also must have successfully completed News Writing for Media (COMM DM 2653) prior to the semester of their internship.

How do I apply for internship credit?

1. Schedule a pre-qualification meeting with the Internship Director, Nikki Harken. (https://calendar.app.google/4sH9KKe3Q9FiBY2k8)

2. Find, apply for, interview, and accept an internship.

3. Complete the Online Form.

Login to the Job Board
Select Career Center
Click "Experiences"
Request an Experience
If you have questions, contact Laura.Wilson@uni.edu

2. Once your application has been submitted and received conditional approved, the Internship Director (Nikki Harken) will contact you to meet for final approval.

3. If approval is given, academic requirements for internship credit will be reviewed. If approval is not given, Nikki will provide input for future steps.

What are the deadlines to get internships approved?

Spring/Fall internship deadline (paperwork must be submitted in Handshake) follows the Registrar's deadline of "last day to add course without departmental approval."
Summer internship deadline (paperwork must be submitted in Handshake) is the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend.

Complete the application early and submit well in advance of the deadline. Supervisors must also send job descriptions well in advance of the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

Financial Help For Internships

financial-help-for-internships.pdf

Information for Organizations Hosting an Intern

Expectations of Internship Supervisors

Interns are to be supervised by professionals in their content (major) area
Interns are to be tasked with responsibilities akin to their content (major) area
Supervisors agree to hour requirement within a specific time frame
Supervisors agree to complete mid terms and final evaluations
Supervisors agree to sign off on intern hours once per month via the timecard app

Benefits of Interns

Finding future employees. I mean, really, think of the training you’ve already done with an intern - you know just what you are getting!
Increasing visibility. Interested in having a new audience for your products and/or services? Having an intern will bring a new generation into your workplace.
Extra hands. If you have a big project coming up, why not hire an intern for a shorter, specific purpose. This can alleviate pressure on current employees.
Fresh perspectives. A new set of eyes and ears never hurts.
Mentoring. Want to make a difference? This is YOUR opportunity to mentor the next generation of workers
Be current. Interns will be able to enhance and update your social media outreach.
Lead. Having interns can help your current employees develop leadership skills as they take time to teach and train young people.
Improve your work environment. Let me be real - these young people are fun and creative.

Paying Your Intern

It is not mandatory to pay your intern, but the vast majority of host organizations opt to pay interns. It is important that your internship program adheres to the Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act. The U.S. Department of Labor has created guidelines for employers who utilize interns to determine whether an intern must be paid. These guidelines dictate how interns must be compensated in “for-profit”, private companies.

All interns must be paid, UNLESS all 6 criteria are met:

The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment
The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff
The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded
The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship
The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

If there is no wiggle room in your budget, maybe you can get creative.

Offer interns a specific stipend amount upon completion of their hours.
Offer interns all the soda and snack they can drink and eat at work.
Take interns out for lunch.
Offer interns an opportunity to participate in trainings.
Take interns to meetings with you to help them network.
Offer interns a travel opportunity by taking them with you to professional conferences.

Designing Internship Programs

Best Practices of Internship Programs

Set goals for internship program.
Discuss, determine, and agree on the learning objectives with intern.
Provide intern with real work experiences.
Provide intern with handbook/website information that full-time employees receive.
Plan an engaging orientation program that is effective for interns, mentors, and other staff members
Provide an overview of the organization’s mission, values and structure.
Be sure everyone involved has clear expectations, including: work hours, appropriate office attire, specific job responsibilities and organizational policies and procedures.
Pair intern with a variety of professionals in your organization to give a full picture of the business.
Try your best to fully incorporate the intern into the life of your organization (staff meetings, staff celebrations). Provide feedback along the way.
Develop a list the duties/project for intern.
Develop clear reporting hierarchy that is communicated to intern.
Meet with intern to review mid-term and final evaluations. with regularly scheduled meetings.
Conduct exit interviews to find out what worked well and what did not.

Considerations before hiring an intern:

What kind of student(s) are you looking for?
What skills do you want that student to bring?
What skills do you hope they leave with?
Do you have physical space for an intern?
Do you have supplies they will need - desk, chair, computer, phone, etc.
How will you train the intern regarding policies and procedures in your workplace

What are other employers saying about our internship program?

“Generally speaking, local public health agencies are not large enough to have a dedicated marketing/communications individual on staff. Our UNI intern provided a great deal of guidance to various educational and outreach activities we had planned. She gave us a perspective in promoting our programs that we are not professionally trained to do. The experience gave us a renewed energy to reach our clients – thank you!” Dave Koch, Johnson County Public Health

Our business (Around the Corner Productions, Inc.) has been using UNI Communication Studies interns for over 10 years. Over the past decade we have had little to no issues with these UNI students and been thoroughly impressed with their dedication, skill level, and professionalism. We have offered part-time and full-time employment to students after the completion of the internship. Our company runs the UNI sports videoboard and live webstream for 60 sporting events each year and produces a weekly TV show. The UNI interns play a very important role in running camera, directing, and editing these productions. I honestly don't know what we would do without these outstanding UNI interns. We look forward to partnering with UNI Communication Studies and the internship program for many years to come. It is a wonderful program that benefits the students as well as many companies like ATCP. -Eric Braley, Around the Corners Production

Having a UNI intern gave IowaWatch a great opportunity to be connected with the university and its communication studies department. Students from UNI who have worked with us have been able to produce top-notch journalism that could be published anywhere. -Lyle Muller Executive Director-Editor, IowaWatch

We’ve been very pleased with the UNI students who have interned with us. They are enthusiastic and wonderfully capable, and allow us to do work and projects that we simply couldn’t tackle on our own. They’re also great problem-solvers, who often can solve challenges that I’ve been struggling with for months! - Veronica Lorson Fowler Communications Director, ACLU of Iowa

Getting Started

To get your internship program going, please send the following information to the Director of Internships, Nichole Harken at nichole.harken@uni.edu

Name of Organization
Contact Information
Job Title of Internship
Description of Internship Duties
Paid/Unpaid Status
Location
Time (flex time or standard schedule)
Application Procedures and Deadline