Graduate Internships

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 student internships are three hour courses. (JOUR 5800). If a student wishes to enroll in fewer than three hours of credit for an internship, justification must be clearly explained in the internship application and an advanced/special problems form will be used.

No more than one three (3) hour internship course may be applied toward the master's degree and this requires 300 hours of internship work.

Students may seek out internships that fit their interests, and professors are often a good starting point to discuss available opportunities. The School hosts an internship and career fair twice a year in the fall and spring. 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 Eagle Careers by registering. Directions can be found by selecting the alumni tab. Contact Dr. Koji Fuse at koji.fuse@unt.edu or more details.

An appointment to see a career specialist can be made through the Career Center at 940-565-2105.

Are you an employer seeking one of our outstanding students for an internship? Find out more information at Eagle Careers.

Internship Checklist

  1. Students must meet all standards set by the Mayborn Graduate Institute. See below for details.
  2. Download an application form
  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 the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Koji Fuse at koji.fuse@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 the Graduate Student Coordinator in person in the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism office in Sycamore Hall 205 or by US mail. A completed and signed application form is required to receive the registration code to enroll in JOUR 5800. No exceptions will be made.
  5. Reports must be submitted to Dr. Fuse 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. Student 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 Director of Graduate Studies Dr. Koji Fuse (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 email.

Reports

The intern is expected to consult regularly with the director of graduate studies and file typed biweekly written reports of the intern experience to the adviser. The biweekly reports may be 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 the director of graduate studies at koji.fuse@unt.edu. Students will complete an intersnship summary at the end of the semester.

Site Visits

The director of the Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism or faculty supervisor could make at least one site visit or at least one personal phone call to the intern's supervisor during the semester. If a site visit is necessary, the director of graduate studies will contact the student to set up a convenient date.

Graduate