Florida State University - English Department - Internship FAQ
Internship in Publishing and Editing-ENC 4942
The internship in editing offers practical experience in editing and professional writing. Variable credit (0-6 semester hours) is possible for individual internships. The course may be repeated to a maximum of three semester hours. S/U grade only.
Students may intern at a variety of venues, including magazines, newspapers, publishing houses, television and radio stations, government offices, advertising and public relations firms, university departments, law firms, and non-profit agencies. Internships offer students the opportunity to gain professional writing, editing and design experience that may enhance their ability to gain employment upon graduation.
Internships may be done during the summer (in either 13-week or intensified 6-week sessions) as well as during the fall and spring semesters. They may be done in Tallahassee or elsewhere, and may even be done while studying abroad.
Students are expected to work seven hours per week and write 2500 words for each unit of course credit. The site supervisor submits a written final progress report on the student's work to the English Department. This report, together with a portfolio of the student's work from the internship, provide the basis for evaluation. The English Department's Supervisor of Internships assigns the final grade.
Students are responsible for contacting and making arrangements with the employer. These arrangements include making sure a contract letter and a short job description are on file with the English Department's Supervisor of Internships.
If you have questions, e-mail the Supervisor of Internships: ewalker@english.fsu.edu. For Fall, 08 internships, contact Linda Saladin, lsaladin@fsu.edu.
Links to information about the internship in publishing and editing.
Who should do an internship?
Although all English majors might well profit from an internship, it is probably best to wait to do one during your junior or senior year when your career plans are coming into focus. Prospective interns should be students who are able and willing to work independently, both in setting up and honoring the terms of their contracts.
To whom do I talk about doing an internship?
Negotiate an internship with an employer and then bring the contract letter (link above) to the Supervisor of Internships.
Why should I do an internship?
An internship in editing offers practical experience in the publishing world. It can help you develop your skills as a professional writer, editor or designer, and round out your résumé. Increasingly businesses, graduate schools, and organizations expect such work experience.
Where should I do an internship?
Students may intern at a variety of venues, including magazines, newspapers, publishing houses, television and radio stations, government offices, advertising and public relations firms, university departments, law firms, and non-profit agencies.
A list of possible internships available in the Tallahassee area can be accessed at http://english.fsu.edu/pub-ed/internship_faq.html. You need not confine yourself to this list. It is meant as a starting point and includes sites that have sponsored interns recently and would be glad to do so again.
You also don't need to confine yourself to Tallahassee. Students do internships during semesters abroad and during the summer in their hometowns. Students have also done interesting and successful internships in New York City, the center of publishing in the United States.
What kind of work might I do at an internship?
The department's expectation is that you will be writing and/or editing, but we define this broadly because students want to pursue internships for a variety of reasons. You might be writing public service announcements for a radio station, fund raising appeals for a non-profit agency, constituent newsletters for a state legislator, articles for a trade magazine, brochures for charity, or catalogue copy for a publishing house. You might be doing research for a lawyer or museum director. You might be helping with layout and design, or with copyediting or proofreading. You might be doing web design and creating copy for an online magazine. The opportunities are almost endless and may well result from your own ideas for a special project that the sponsoring site has considered, but never before had the time to do.
We understand that in many offices, especially small ones, everyone takes a turn answering the phones or doing some filing, and that you may do some of that, but we want to make sure that you are mainly writing or editing.
Can I get credit for my internship?
Yes, your internship is a class, ENC 4942, and you can register for that course for one to six credit hours. How many hours you register for depends on how many hours you can schedule yourself to work at the site each week. Students are expected to work seven hours per week and write a minimum of 2,500 words for each hour of course credit.
You may earn up to a total of six credit hours in internships as an undergraduate. That is, you may take ENC 4942 more than once, but only for a total of six credit hours. Some students like to do two or three different internships over a few semesters in order to get different kinds of experience.
Because your internship is a course (ENC 4942), you must pay tuition to take it.
What are the course requirements for an internship, and how am I graded?
The site supervisor submits a final letter of evaluation to the Supervisor of Internships by the last day of classes. Reports may be submitted either through the site supervisor's e-mail or by conventional mail. This report and a portfolio of your semester's work provide the basis for evaluation. The Supervisor of Internships assigns the final grade. ENC 4942 may be taken only on an S/U basis.
What should I include in my portfolio?
Think of your portfolio as a way to present the internship experience in 2 to 3 minutes during a job interview. Include a short (1-2 pp. double spaced) evaluation of your experience; comment on any personal and/or professional implications you see as you look back in time. Your portfolio should be well organized in a binder or folder with sections allotted to samples of the different kinds of writing and other work you did. It might also include drafts, mock ups, proof sheets, even CD's, DVD's or printouts from web sites. This portfolio belongs to you and is intended for your use in furthering your career. Please pick it up after you have been assigned your grade. If you have additional questions, the Supervisor of Internships can show you examples of successful portfolios from years past.
How do I go about getting an internship?
Your first step is finding a site that interests you and is willing to sponsor you. This may involve filling out an application, submitting a résumé and writing sample, and going in for an interview, depending on the site. Once a site has agreed to sponsor you, you will need to get a signed contract letter and a one-paragraph job description from them. The contract letter and the job description are required as a way to make clear to you, your site supervisor, and to the Supervisor of Internships the expectations of the internship. Your site supervisor may ask you to draft the job description on the basis of your conversation with them; that's fine, as long as they have seen it and okayed it.
You need to turn your signed contract letter and job description in to the Supervisor of Internships before the drop-add deadline for the semester in which you plan to do the internship so that you can register. Once he or she has received these materials you will receive a reference number so that you can register for ENC 4942.