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Internships

Speech Communication Internship Program - University of Illinois

Background

A comprehensive internship program for the Department of Speech Communication was designed and approved by the faculty in 1983. The program was developed to accommodate 15-25 students annually. Within the internship program, the department establishes internship placements, screens student applicants, assists students in contacting internship organizations, monitors students' fieldwork, and establishes a systematic evaluation process. The purpose of the internship is to enrich and enhance the student's educational experience and facilitate a basis for experiential learning. Moreover, it affords the student an opportunity to examine and apply communication theory and principles in a professional work setting.

Breadth of Program

Designed to provide speech communication majors with an extended organizational experience related to their career objectives, an attempt is made to provide a diverse range of placements in various fields such as public relations, government, education, health care, private industry, personnel, social services, and radio and TV broadcasting. An intent of the program is to identify, where possible, organizational placements that correspond to expertise in the department in order to optimize the potential for integrating theory and application.

Internship Opportunities

Although internships are worked out individually for those students who qualify, the following are examples of local internships that have been secured for students in the major:

Specifics of Program

Credit Hours

Variable credit (2-8 hours of academic credit). Students are expected to spend a minimum of 5 internship hours per week during the regular semesters and 8 internship hours per week during the summer session for each hour of credit to be earned. However, 10 internship hours per week is a minimum expectation regardless of the number of credits earned. A maximum of 6 credit hours may be counted toward the major. The internship may be repeated to a maximum of 8 credit hours, provided each successive placement is different.

Prerequisites

Students must be Speech Communication majors of junior standing, and must -maintain a departmental grade point average (G.P.A.) of 3.50 and an overall G.P.A. of 3.25.

Recommended Coursework

Students considering an internship are advised to take at least one course in each of four areas prior to the internship:

Requirements

The following are general requirements in the internship program:

Administration

The program is administered by Bob Husband, a faculty member in the department. Husband has been on the faculty for 24 years and has 32 years of experience working as a consultant with a wide variety of organizations and governmental agencies. Husband is responsible for identifying and contacting potential internship organizations, screening applicants, assisting students in identifying suitable internships and establishing the evaluation process. A cadre of faculty members is called upon to supervise interns as they work in areas related to faculty expertise. The supervision of interns includes such activities as initial site visits, phone calls to field supervisors, and personal contact with the student throughout the internship.

Grading

The final grade for a student's internship is determined by the faculty member directly supervising the student. The grade is based upon four criteria: