Internships

Many businesses and organizations locally, nationally, and internationally offer a variety of internships for communication studies students. Our graduates say these experiences helped them understand both what they wanted in a career and what they needed to do to prepare for that career. We recommend completing an internship after your sophomore year—from the summer leading up to junior year through senior year.

Earning Credit Alongside Your Internship Experience

COMM 3896—Earn academic credit while participating in a variety of communications-related opportunities, including marketing, public relations, media production, law, politics, and business. 

ID 3896—CLA Career Services also offers a structured one-credit course, ID 3896 Internship Reflection, which is open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. 

Internship Scholarships

Have an unpaid internship? The College of Liberal Arts offers internship scholarships to support students and alleviate some of the financial pressures of an internship. Get more information about internship scholarships.

CLA Career Services
612-624-7577
clacareer@umn.edu
411 Bruininks Hall

Communications Studies Advisors
commadv@umn.edu
Schedule an appointment with one of our advisors

Seek Internship Opportunities

  • Contact the CLA Career Services Office. Career Services help students find and apply for internships. Internships are a key way to develop skills and experience. They also maintain a monthly e-newsletter with networking, interviewing, and learning opportunities. 

  • Search Handshake. Handshake is the University of Minnesota's employment, volunteering, and internship search tool which has opportunities listed from all throughout the world.

  • Contact the advisors. Our undergraduate advisors receive many internship announcements and share them with communication studies students.

  • Contact those in your network. Family, friends, and other contacts are invaluable resources in your internship and job search. Reach out to these individuals and share your interests and current resume. 

  • Connect with the UMN Communication Studies Association on Facebook. Connect with other UMN Communication Studies majors and hear about networking events and internship opportunities posted by fellow classmates and the Comm Studies advisors.

Local business and social service organizations offer a variety of internship opportunities for students to apply course concepts to issues in actual communication situations. Past students have interned with:

Marketing/Public Relations/Human Resources

  • Stophouse Music Group
  • Jungle Red Salon, Spa & Gallery
  • Hearing Components, Inc.
  • Special Olympics Minnesota
  • Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG)
  • Pourhouse Minneapolis
  • KeyedIn Solutions, Inc.
  • Minneapolis Historical Society
  • Acapulco Restaurantes

Media Production

  • CTV North Suburbs
  • KSTP
  • 101.3 KDWB
  • KFAN FM 100.3

Legal/Political/Business

  • Marcus-Jarvis Law Limited
  • Minnesota Senate
  • Office of Governor Mark Dayton
  • Exhibits Development Group

COMM 3896 Internship Credit

Declared communication studies majors and minors wishing to enroll in COMM 3896 for internship credit must submit information through Handshake. Students are responsible for securing their own internship and must be hired before registering for credit. 

Get more information about how to request an experience

If approved, students will be directed to make an appointment to complete the student/faculty contract form.

Students enrolled in COMM 3896 for internship credit are graded on work done alongside the internship:
 
  • Journal entries/field notes for each day at the internship
  • Readings posted on Canvas
  • Participation to include at least two meetings with the instructor
  • Final paper (roughly 20 pages, if taken for 4 credits)