Students majoring or minoring in Communication Studies have the option to earn credit for an internship or professional work experience through the course COMM:2828 (Experiential Learning in Communication Studies). This online-only course is for Communication Studies includes several related assignments including polishing application materials and reflecting on how your experience relates to your studies.
COMM:2828 can be used to fulfill Major Electives, and the course can be repeated twice for a maximum of 6 semester hours.
For those who do not want to pay full tuition A Zero-Credit Hour Internship Course and transcript notation is also available through Pomerantz Career Center.
Television and Media Production Internships and Employment Opportunities
How do I find the right internship?
Prerequisites/Qualifications to register for COMM:2828
- Officially declared as a Communication Studies major
- Completed a minimum of 12 credit hours of Communication Studies coursework before the semester of enrollment in COMM:2828.
To receive credit within the Department of Communication Studies, your work experience must:
- Be a structured work experience related to a student's professional goals
- Be supervised by a professional in the field
- Occur during the semester you are enrolled in COMM:2828
- Be pre-approved (see Step One)
- Cannot be earned for work in a student-run organization
- Cannot be work in an organization owned by the student or a member of his/her family
It may be:
- Paid or unpaid, part-time or full-time
- Officially called an internship, but it need not be. Many part-time jobs, practicum, volunteer opportunities, or even summer jobs can qualify
Registering
- Step One: Pre-Approval Request
- To register for Experiential Learning in Communication Studies (COMM:2828), students must complete the online pre-approval form.
- After approval has been received, students can move on to Step Two.
- Step Two: Registration Procedures
- After approval has been granted you must register for COMM:2828 Experiential Learning in Communication Studies on MyUI to earn credit. It is the responsibility of the student to properly register for the course by the appropriate University and/or College of Liberal Arts & Sciences deadline(s).
Students must register for COMM:2828 on MyUI and pay tuition and fees based upon the number of credit hours (1-3) earned.
In order to determine the number of credit hours, please review the chart below:
- Calculate the number of credit hours desired. 75 clock hours equates to 1 credit hour. To earn 3 semester hours of credit, you must work 225 clock hours.
| Credit Hours |
Clock Hours per Semester/Term |
Work Hours per Week (15 Weeks for Semester) |
Work Hours per Week (8-week Summer Session) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | 5-9 | 10-18 |
| 2 | 150 | 10-14 | 19-28 |
| 3 | 225 | 15 or more | 29 or more |
Course Assignments and Policies
Students will be required to submit coursework through ICON. Additional assignment details will be provided on the course ICON site.
Weekly Writing Assignments: Most weeks of the semester, students will have an opportunity to a) write reflectively about their recent work experience and draw connections between their professional work and information learned in their Communication Studies courses and/or b) complete an assignment related to professional development. Details will be provided.
Final Assignment: Students will complete a final assignment that provides a sustained evaluation and analysis of their professional work experience. Details will be provided.
Grading Policy
Experiential Learning in Communication Studies, COMM:2828, is graded on an S/F basis only.
Repeating and Double-Dipping
If you re-enroll in the course, please note that you will need to complete all of the assignments again, even if the course requirements are the same as when you initially enrolled in the course. Students may not reuse assignments from a previous semester. Students may not simultaneously earn credit from more than one department for a single internship or experiential learning opportunity.
Withdrawal from COMM:2828: If it is necessary to terminate your professional work experience and/or withdraw from COMM:2828, you must submit a ‘Change of Registration’ form and withdraw from the course before the deadline has passed. If such a request is made after the deadline for withdrawing from a course, the student will receive a failing grade for COMM:2828.
University Resources
The University of Iowa provides general information concerning research, internships, studying abroad and experiential learning. For more information about these learning opportunities, please visit the following links:
Undergraduate Research: https://research.uiowa.edu/researchers/student-research/undergraduate-student-research
Internships: https://careers.uiowa.edu/internships/finding-your-internship
Study Abroad: https://international.uiowa.edu/study-abroad
Experiential Learning: https://careers.uiowa.edu/students/career-communities
Engaged Learning: https://engagement.uiowa.edu/students