Congrats! You have found the Department of Communication Studies Internship page. My name is Professor Matt Vorell and I am the internship director for the department. I want to tell you about one of the best things you can do to ensure that you have a great job waiting for you after graduation: an internship!
You probably have many questions about the whole internship process. Some of the common ones students typically ask are:
What is an internship and how does it work?
How do I set up an internship?
What assignments does an internship require?
What organizations usually want CMST interns?
What kinds of internships do CMST students typically get?
What is an internship and how does it work?
An internship is a learning experience where a student learns by doing. Specifically, YOU (the student) get an internship with an organization (for profit or nonprofit). You work for them (sometimes it’s paid and sometimes it’s not). In exchange for your work, you receive the real world experience that employers want and college credit.
CMST internship focuses on communication practices within these organizations. Click here for a student’s perspective on internships.
Like I said earlier, internships are great! They have MANY benefits. Some of these benefits include:
- You learn by doing. You will soon figure out that the workplace is largely your classroom.
- You gain an advantage on other students looking for jobs, because you know what the real work world is like.
- You can test drive different careers to see if they are really what you want to do.
- You build your resume! Internship experience can make up for a
lack of work experience, as well as demonstrate expertise in a specific area related to career goals (i.e., Marketing, Event Planning, etc.). - Build your network! An internship can provide an excellent opportunity for you to develop a relationship with a potential employer. Oftentimes internships evolve into employment with the organization, because
you know the company’s culture and how they do things, thus your boss does not have to waste time training you. Plus if the organization is pleased with your performance, you are a known commodity, instead of an unknown name on an application. - Be able to apply for a $2000 scholarship set aside for Communication Studies Interns! For more information click here.
How do I set up an internship?
Before we talk about setting up an internship, there are a few important things you need to know first.
Your internship involves three people: you (the intern), your boss (the site supervisor), and me (the CMST internship director).
- There are some requirements to do an internship.
-If you are a CMST major, you have to have at least 50% of your classes done.
-If you are a CMST minor, you have to have all of your course work done.
-Both majors and minors, have to have taken at least CMST 341: Communication in the Workplace and/or CMST 441: Organizational Communication.
St. Cloud State University requires that all students take 45 credits in
upper division courses, and CMST interns can use an internship to count for 8 -16 of these credits. Thus, if you sign up for 12 credit hours or more, you are a full time student and you don’t have to take any other classes during that semester.
Most CMST internships are graded pass/fail.
The number of academic credits you receive during your internship depends on the number of hours per week you work there.
Finding an internship can be daunting, but the best way to find one is to click on this link to take you to the SCSU Career Services Center's Jobs/Internship Registration page. Here, the university lists every internship/job posting employers submit to us. It is up to date and an AMAZING way to speed up getting your internship.
Each internship is different. However, you may have to apply for many of
them, meaning that you are going to need a few things like:
- An updated resume or curriculum vitae that is tailored for a specific internship.
To see an example resume click here
For advice on how to put a resume together click here
For futher information visit Resume Writing Tips.
Career Services also offers free resume reviews with their reps. They have drop in hours for resume reviews Monday through Thursday from 8 - 4:30PM. You can also set up an appointment by calling 320-308-2151.
- A BRIEF cover letter that states your intention of applying for an internship. Not every internship requires this, but some do. For information on how to write a cover letter click here
- Interview skills are important because there may be many other
interns seeking the position. Thus, making a good impression matters. For information on how to handle an interview appropriately, click here
For further information about interviewing, see Interviewing Tips
Now here are the steps to setting up your internship!
1. Attend mandatory pre-internship seminar
One held towards end of each semester, you must attend. If you can’t, contact me right away.
2. Make an appointment to chat with me.
A. Start thinking about what qualities you want in an internship (i.e., paid or unpaid, working for profit or nonprofit, how many credit hours will you be going for).
B. In preparation for the meeting, please think back on all the CMST courses you have taken up to this point and type up 25 practical real world communication skills you want to learn more about as well as 50 communication theories and concepts. The more specific the better.
3. Pick up and fill out internship interest form from CMST office in 117 Riverview. Bring it to your meeting with me.
4. Start your internship search
A. Start your resume, cover letter, interview training etc.
B. Visit Career Services webpage…and, better, stop by in person 215 Centennial Hall (on the second floor by the Sky Walk heading to Atwood Memorial Center) email careerservices@stcloudstate.edu or call 320-308-2151.
C. Start researching organizations where you want to intern. Many organizations have internship information under the “Career” or “Employment Opportunities” links on their web sites.
5. Select an internship site
A.Obtain the following information about the internships: job description, name of supervisor, starting dates, outline of responsibilities, number of working hours, salary.
6. Design Learning Agreement with Dr. Vorell. This is like the syllabus for a regular course. You and I will build it together. Type and present the completed Learning Agreement to me for discussion, revision, and signature.
7. Bring the signed Learning Agreement back to me. Once we get all this done, I will allow you to register for your internship hours.
What assignments does an internship require?
During your internship, we have what are called “Internship Seminars.” 
You and I, along with any other interns in a specific semester meet once a month to discuss what you are learning during your internship.
Along with the seminars, you have to:
- Send me a weekly email on how things are going so I know you are alive.
- Arrange a Site Visit where I come and visit you at your internship site.
- Write Journal Entries. Every day you intern, you need to pick one of the skills or theories/concepts you picked and reflect how you saw it in your internships.
- Write a Final Paper.
- Create a Portfolio of materials you created during your internship.
- Present your paper at the final internship seminar of the semester.
Where should I intern?
The answer is EVERYWHERE. 
If you want to get a jumpstart on finding an internship, then you will want to pay attention to the following section. We have gone through our data since 2000 and created categories of the most common types of internships CMST students get. By clicking on the type of internship you want, you will open an Excel sheet listing the contact information for every organization that has had that type of internship position.
Non-Profit Organization Internships
Public Relations - Advertising Internships
Since these organizations have had our interns in the past, hopefully they are open to having them again in the future. While we can’t guarantee that the past contact person is still there, at least this is a starting point.
The following graphics share where and with what companies past CMST interns have worked:
Location is not a restriction for your internship. As long as you have
Internet access, you can intern anywhere on the globe. Thanks to our conference room, the CMST department uses Adobe Connect to videoconference with our interns from all over the world.
What kinds of internships do CMST students typically get?
CMST interns get all kinds of internships. The following graph shows the most common types.
For a listing of current CMST internship opportunities in CMST, click here
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