Internship Requirements and Expectations

All Communication majors and minors are encouraged to pursue internships throughout their college careers. Internships are one of the best ways to network, develop professional skills, and explore a variety of career options.

Communication students are not required to complete an internship for credit, but juniors and seniors may complete an internship for college credit by registering for CMM 4910. 

To register for CMM 4910, a student must: 

1.  Have at least junior class standing 

2.  Be a full-time declared communication major 

3.  Hold a 2.85 or higher GPA in communication courses and a 2.65 or higher overall GPA 

4.  Have completed 18 hours in communication courses, including all communication core coursework 

5.  Receive approval from the Internship Coordinator, Keli Jackson

6.  Complete the for-credit internship process in Handshake, managed by Career Services

   • Click here for a guide to the internship approval process from SLU Career Services

Internship guidelines for students:

• Once a student accepts an internship position, the next step is to request an experience in Handshake. See the link above for the guide provided by Career Services.

  • • The student, their internship site supervisor, and Professor Jackson (the faculty advisor for all Communication internships) must complete and sign a learning contract that establishes the expectations for the internship, including work schedule, course requirements, and learning outcomes. 

    • The process for routing the contract is managed within Handshake using DocuSign; it is a rapid process if all parties are responsive when completing their portion of the contract.

    • Once the contract is complete and the experience has final approval, Career Services will notify the Office of the Registrar and the student will be enrolled in CMM 4910.

    • Please note that students are not able to register and enroll in CMM 4910 on their own; the Handshake process is required for all for-credit internships.

• Students typically work 10 - 15 hours each week during the course of the semester. The specific schedule is determined by the internship site supervisor in conjunction with the student intern.

• Interns represent Saint Louis University and should conduct themselves with appropriate professionalism at all times.

• The internship experience is considered an extension of the classroom; interns should be on-time, engaged in the work with which they are tasked, and open to constructive feedback.

Internship expectations for site supervisors:

• While some administrative work may be necessary, student interns are engaged in a learning experience that should help them build critical skills and professional behaviors. Please ensure that interns have sufficient duties to make the experience meaningful.

• The intern's learning outcomes, duties and responsibilities, and workplace expectations/regulations should be discussed prior to the start of the internship. Completion of the Learning Contract is an excellent opportunity to ensure mutual understanding of details and expectations.

• The intern's site supervisor should monitor the progress and conduct of the intern as well as provide constructive feedback, training when necessary, and complete performance evaluations at the mid-point and end of the semester (performance evaluations will be sent via email by the internship coordinator, Keli Jackson).

• Employers must fully comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws relating to workplace safety and to discrimination in the workplace and must be committed to equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, marital status, religion, age, disability, and veteran status. This commitment includes equal opportunity and nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the workplace. The internship site should notify Keli Jackson (keli.jackson@slu.edu), Communication Department Internship Coordinator, immediately if the student has notified them of any issues that need to be investigated.