Internship Information for Graduate Students

Overview

Internships for graduate students offer practical experience in areas of journalism under the instruction and supervision of a major professor and/or graduate institute director and the appointed supervisor of the internship company or organization. Graduate students must take three hours of credit for the graduate internship (JOUR 5800). If a student wishes to enroll in less than three hours of credit for an internship, justification must be clearly explained in the internship application.

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Different course sections are scheduled for each of the following internships: advertising; news-editorial; photojournalism; and public relations. Normally, no more than 3 hours may apply toward the master’s degree, though rare exceptions are made.

Students may seek out internships that fit their interests, and professors are often a good starting point to discuss available opportunities. In addition, the Mayborn School of Journalism offers journalism internships and jobs at the UNT Career Center website. Students and alumni can log-in to see all listings for internships and part-time and full-time jobs. Students currently enrolled at UNT will use their EUID and password. Alumni can access the Eagle Network by registering. Directions can be found by selecting the alumni tab.

Rachel Smith, UNT Career Development Specialist, is assigned to the Mayborn School of Journalism. Ms. Smith makes regular visits to the first floor of the GAB to meet with journalism students. To visit with her about careers, resume creation, or any related advice, please contact the Mayborn office for her scheduled times. The Mayborn office number is 940-565-2205.

Internship Checklist

  1. Students must meet all standards set by the Mayborn Graduate Institute. See below for details.
  2. Download an application form here.
  3. Obtain a letter from the company or business that states you have been accepted for an internship at the organization. Attach this acceptance to the internship application or request the letter for the internship be sent to Jo Ann Ballantine at joann.ballantine@unt.edu. This acceptance letter may also be in the form of an email sent by the supervisor at the internship company.
  4. Submit the signed and completed internship application form to Jo Ann Ballantine in person, by US Mail or take it to the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism office in GAB 207. A completed and signed application form is required to receive the teleregistration code to enroll in JOUR 5800. No exceptions will be made.
  5. If student wants to participate in an internship for the second time or for less than three hours of credit, justification must be clearly explained in application. If granted, student will receive code to enroll in a special problems course. 
  6. Reports must be submitted to the internship coordinator throughout the internship, and a summary report must be completed at the end of the semester. See below for further details.

Standards

Students must meet prerequisites and standards set by the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism before enrolling in internships. Generally, students Internships must be approved in advance by the director of the Mayborn Graduate Institute or supervising professor, if other than the director. Students who obtain internships without approval are subject to immediate drop.

An internship requires work in a professional situation for a minimum of 40 hours a week for 10 weeks during the summer term, or a minimum of 20 hours a week for a fall or spring semester (15 week commitment). An on-the-job professional and the journalism internship coordinator (or a journalism faculty member) must supervise the work. The internship must involve the intern in work and activities that directly relate to his or her field of study.

The supervising professional must complete a mid-term evaluation form and an end-of-semester evaluation form on the intern's work performance. Evaluation forms will be sent to the intern’s supervisor via fax or email. 

Reports

The intern is expected to consult regularly with the internship coordinator and file typed biweekly written reports of the intern experience to the adviser. The biweekly reports may be faxed or sent via email. You may report in any form (outline, essay, diary, or bullets).

Reports must include:

  • What you have done
  • What you have learned
  • Comments on what you like or dislike about your internship
  • Examples of work such as stories, news releases, ads, photos, media lists, etc.

Email reports to Jo Ann Ballantine at joann.ballantine@unt.edu. Students will complete an Internship Summary at the end of the semester.

Site Visits

The director of the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism or faculty supervisor will try to make at least one site visit to the intern provider during the semester. It is the student's responsibility to schedule a site visit with the company/organization supervisor and internship coordinator.

Contact Information:

Jo Ann Ballantine
Internship Coordinator
Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle, #311460
Denton, TX 76203-5017

Phone: (940) 565-4778

Fax: (940) 369-8959

joann.ballantine@unt.edu