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Students must complete at least 400 hours at approved internships to graduate with a degree in journalism/mass communication from St. Bonaventure University. This is a requirement because internships:
- Allow students to see how what they’re learning in the classroom is applied in the workplace.
- Give students a chance to see if they want to continue pursuing a career in the field in which they are interning.
- Are the best way for students to make valuable professional contacts.
- Let students measure their skills against professional standards.
- Allow students to learn firsthand from people working in the students’ fields of interest.
- Provide students with opportunities to develop people skills, confidence and successful workplace habits.
- May lead to employment when the student graduates.
- Can provide students an opportunity to live and work in places they might not otherwise visit while they are students.
- Can be enjoyable as well as educational.
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Internships: What you should know
The requirements: To receive a diploma, journalism/mass communication majors must complete at least 400 approved internship hours. These hours must be completed while the student is enrolled at St. Bonaventure University.
The JMC internship coordinator must approve all internships.
No more than 100 hours may be completed for credit in on-campus internships. The remainder must be completed in off-campus internships.
On-campus and off-campus internships
In an on-campus internship, a student does communications-related work for a student-run organization. Examples include, but are not limited to, WSBU-FM, The Bona Venture, the St. Bonaventure chapter of the American Advertising Federation (club membership only; not course-related work), the Bonadieu, and The Laurel.
In an off-campus internship, a student does communications-related work under professional supervision in a professional setting for:
- Radio or television stations, public relations firms, advertising agencies and companies that publish newspapers, magazines, newsletters, Web pages, etc. This is just a partial listing of the kinds of off-campus internships.
- A St. Bonaventure University department. Examples include such departments as Media Relations, the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts and the Sports Information Office. Although these are on-campus locations, these internships involve professional supervision in a professional setting.
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Our students have done internships at:
Meet the Press
United States Military Academy
Fox News, New York City
HP Byron Nelson Championship, PGA organizational tournament
Sirius Satellite Radio
Allure Magazine / Glamour Magazine
Buffalo Sabres, NHL organization
New York Mets, MLB organization
New Jersey Nets, NBA organization
ESPN / CNN
Chautauqua Institution
The White House
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Internship evaluations
The student’s internship supervisor must give the student a satisfactory rating on an evaluation form, which the supervisor will fill out and then return to the JMC faculty internship coordinator.
Students are responsible for providing evaluation forms to their internship supervisors. The forms are available in the JMC school’s office, from the internship coordinator or by downloading them from this site.
The total number of internship hours worked must be included on the internship evaluation form. At the start of their internships, students should discuss this requirement with their supervisors to ensure the student receives credit for all hours worked.
On-Campus Evaluation Form / Off-Campus Evaluation Form / Internship Opportunities
Special note on academic credit
Activities that result in academic credit toward a course other than JMC 498 (Internship) cannot be applied toward the 400-hour requirement.
Academic honesty
Students who submit falsified evaluation forms or misrepresent their internship experiences in any way will be prosecuted according to the university’s policy on academic dishonesty.
Internship availability
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication keeps students up-to-date on internship opportunities throughout the school year through Twitter. Internships also are posted on a bulletin board near the journalism school’s offices.
Recent postings of jobs and internships also are available on this site. Although the openings may not be current, the listings can provide valuable contact information.
St. Bonaventure alumni also offer valuable help. The journalism school’s database is a source for finding alumni to ask about internship opportunities.