Internships for Academic Credit

Moody College internship courses are only offered on a pass/fail basis; this will not count against the total pass/fail courses (5) that students are allowed overall. Each course has its own unique prerequisites.

The Moody College of Communication allows a maximum of 6 internship credit hours to count toward your degree (only 4 hours are allowed for students under catalogs prior to 2018-2020).

You must take the internship class during the same semester or summer session that you complete the internship. Retroactive credit for internships will not be granted under any circumstances.

• The Intern is provided access to the workplace using non-UT licensed remote technology such as Zoom, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting, or other collaborative technology in place at the employer.
• Reimbursement is available to the intern for purchase of hardware or software needed to perform work in a remote status.
• Employers provide the intern with training and onboarding for work in a remote or virtual workplace situation. 
• Structured and weekly defined project activities are predetermined for the intern throughout the semester duration.
• Consistent and regular face-to-face supervision of the intern is in place using collaborative remote technology to provide frequent feedback and mentoring.
• Supervisor makes a good faith effort to integrate the remote intern into the organization’s work culture - such as participation in team meetings, use of resources, and access to other staff members. 
• The intern must be engaged in some kind of meaningful activities related to the field they're receiving credit in. 
• The position has a specific beginning and end date consistent with the summer or fall semester.
• Direct supervision provided by a working professional currently active in, and with considerable experience directly related to, the work to be performed by the intern.
• The intern receives substantive experience in the field, which can be documented in student’s internship report, work samples, or a portfolio.
• The employer must provide all resources and tools for the student-intern to complete assigned internship tasks/projects.
• The employer must be bonded and/or hold sufficient business and liability insurance to cover students completing their internship tasks on and off their business premises.

Questions about specific internship opportunities should be directed to the faculty member who oversees each internship course.

Click here to review the internship requirements and guidelines from your department.

• Specific beginning and end dates consistent with fall, spring, or summer semester.
• Direct, on-site supervision by a working professional currently active in, and with considerable experience directly related to, the work to be performed by the intern.
• The intern must be engaged in some kind of meaningful activities related to the field they're receiving credit in.
• Internships must be at an established place of business and not a home office.
• The intern receives substantive experience in the field, which can be documented in student’s internship report, including work samples.
• The employer must provide all resources, workspace, and tools for the student-intern to complete assigned internship tasks/projects.
• The employer must be bonded and/or hold sufficient business and liability insurance to cover students completing their internship tasks on and off their business premises.

Questions about specific internship opportunities should be directed to the faculty member who oversees each internship course.

Click here to review the internship requirements and guidelines from your department.

Internship classes taken through University Extension (UEX) will be the same as in-residence ones (taken in a long semester) in terms of requirements, supervision, student deliverables, and evaluation. They are supervised by Moody faculty members and count towards the student’s degree plan the same way.

The eligibility criteria, prerequisites, and guidelines for the UEX internships are the same as those for the long-semester internships. All students must submit an application for summer internships taken through UEX.

Please use the internship course selection tool to determine which class you should take. If you meet the prerequisites and restrictions, you will be directed to the UEX link to register for the class.

It will take one or two days after a student has registered and paid for the internship class before they will be authorized for the application.

Please contact comm-studentservices@austin.utexas.edu if you have any questions about the summer internship process.

Generally, interns must provide materials for review at the mid-point and end of the semester. Usually, these deliverables are internship journal entries and job summaries, however interns may be required to include more detailed items such as work samples. Specific details will be included in the course syllabus. Interns must also complete an end-of-semester evaluation of their internship experience.

Employers are also asked to provide mid-semester and final evaluations of the interns. The course instructor will contact employers at the appropriate time to collect these evaluations.

Any student traveling internationally for a university-related purpose, regardless of credit or funding, must obtain authorization prior to departure. This includes self-sourced internships.  Students who do not comply with the international travel policy can face disciplinary sanctions (see official policy here.)

If you plan on traveling abroad for academic purposes, please follow the steps below.  Students are required to complete all steps prior to departure.

1. Apply for Travel Approval
   • For Restricted Regions: Submit a Restricted Regions Travel Request to the International Oversight Committee (IOC) at IOC@austin.utexas.edu.  Submission deadlines are based on the departure date.
   • All other locations: Submit an International Travel Request Authorization Form to travelabroad@austin.utexas.edu.
2.  Register the Travel
   • Register travel in the International Travel Registry.  This will also enroll students in mandatory UT Overseas Insurance at $19 per week. 

Each course requires a certain number of work hours. These hours should begin around the first class day of the semester or summer session and must be completed by the last class day of the semester or summer session. Internships lasting less than 9 weeks in a long semester, or less than 6 weeks in the summer, may require additional approval from Moody College. See specifics in each program tab below.

Instructors are the same for summer courses offered through University Extension as for in-residence courses.

Visit the review and apply for internships section of the Moody Career Center website, or schedule an appointment with a career advisor by calling 512-471-9421.

Students must attend a mandatory orientation, as well as a certain number of the guest speaker lectures (no orientation or lectures required in summer session). They must also complete three reading assignments and submit a final report. Both you and your supervisor are required to complete midterm and final evaluations on your internship performance. No more than two unpaid internship applications per organization will be approved for credit.

Work Hours: 

• 1- and 3-hour internship courses require at least 180 work hours in a semester or summer session

• 6-hour internship courses require 250-300 work hours in a semester or summer session

Please see the internship webpage on the Stan Richards School website for more information.

In order to be approved, your internship must provide a legitimate opportunity for you to explore and gain professional experience in a career area related to communication.

Work Hours:

• 3-hour internship courses require at least 150 work hours in a semester or summer session
• 6-hour internship courses require at least 300 work hours in a semester or summer session

COM 350: In order to be approved, your internship must provide a legitimate opportunity for you to explore and gain professional experience in a career area related to communication and/or the focus of minor that your internship relates to. 

COM 323 (any topic): You must be officially pursuing the associated minor in order to register for a COM 323 internship course. If you have questions about how to add a minor to your degree, please see your academic advisor.

Work Hours:

• 1- and 3-hour internship courses require at least 150 work hours in a semester or summer session
• 6-hour internship courses require at least 300 work hours in a semester or summer session

The internship host organization or supervisor must be a professional company or individual currently active in and with considerable experience in some aspect of communication or communication-related activities. As an intern, you must be engaged in meaningful activities with this organization in order to receive course credit.  Internships must be at an established place of business and not a home office.

No more than 25% of interns' time should be spent doing clerical work. Intern supervisors MUST meet with and work with interns on a regular basis. Intern supervisors MUST complete a contract with the intern at the beginning of the semester and an evaluation of the intern's performance at the end of the semester.

Discussions and assignments will be required throughout the semester via Canvas. The instructor will alert students regarding procedures when they enroll. 

Work Hours:

• 3-hour internship courses require at least 100 work hours in a semester or summer session
• 6-hour internship courses require at least 200 work hours in a semester or summer session

Please see the CMS internship webpage for more information. 

The internship host organization or supervisor must be a full-time journalism practitioner with considerable experience and, preferably, membership in a journalistic organization such as: The Society of Professional Journalists, National Association of Broadcasters, American Society of Magazine Editors, The American Copy Editors Society, or National Press Photographers Association.

Please click here for more information about securing an internship, applying for credit, and succeeding throughout the semester.

Virtual/Web-Based Internships

Any student wanting to earn credit for a web-based internship must be able to provide upon request, in writing from his/her internship professional supervisor, assurances concerning:

• Supervision – the intern shall be guaranteed regular (at least daily) contact with his/her supervisor.
• Feedback – the intern shall be guaranteed detailed, regular written communication and critique of his/her work by the supervisor or appropriate designee.
• Duties – the intern shall secure a written list of his/her duties prior to securing permission from the appropriate faculty supervisor.
• Objectives – the intern shall secure a list of internship objectives prior to securing permission from the appropriate faculty supervisor.
• Portfolio – the intern shall not engage in any internship that does not provide samples for the intern’s career portfolio.

These assurances will be provided in addition to any and all requirements for the internship course, its reporting procedures and duties for professional supervisors. No internship credit application will be approved until all of the above have been fulfilled. The internship faculty supervisor of record still reserves the right to issue a pass/fail grade as s/he determines best regardless.

Work Hours:

• 1- and 3-hour internship courses require at least 150 work hours in a semester or summer session
• 6-hour internship courses require at least 300 work hours in a semester or summer session

Students must attend a mandatory orientation, as well as a certain number of the guest speaker lectures (no orientation or lectures required in summer session). They must also complete three reading assignments and submit a final report. Both you and your supervisor are required to complete midterm and final evaluations on your internship performance. No more than two unpaid internship applications per organization will be approved for credit.

Work Hours:

• 1- and 3-hour internship courses require at least 180 work hours in a semester or summer session
• 6-hour internship courses require 250-300 work hours in a semester or summer session

Please see the internship webpage on the Stan Richards School website for more information.

The internship host organization or supervisor must be a professional company or individual currently active in and with considerable experience in some aspect of the film, video, television, audio, "new media", telecommunications or radio industry. As an intern, you must be engaged in meaningful activities within one of these media in order to receive credit. Internships must be at an established place of business and not a home office.

Please see the Media Industry Internships website for more information.

Work Hours:

• 1- and 3-hour internship courses require at least 150 work hours in a semester or summer session
• 6-hour internship courses require at least 300 work hours in a semester or summer session

The internship host supervisor must be at a full-time site, under a licensed, ASHA-certified practitioner in speech-language pathology and/or audiology or board certified in audiology through the accreditation commission for audiology education.

Work Hours:

• 3-hour internship courses require at least 100 work hours in a semester or summer session
• 6-hour internship courses require at least 200 work hours in a semester or summer session

Contact your department for internship information specific to your graduate program.

Advertising

Journalism

Radio-Television-Film

Please see the respective program webpages for more information.

• UTLA
• UTNY