University of Colorado DenverCollege of Liberal Arts and SciencesUniversity of Colorado Denver

Internships for Undergraduate Communication Majors

Interships that Launched Careers

Internships are opportunities for students to work in communication-related positions in the community and receive academic credit for that work.They provide a way for students to maximize their communication background and their understanding of concepts, theories, models, and frameworks within the communication discipline. Internships also can lead to jobs. (Read what three alumnae say about their success)

The Communication Department strongly recommends that communication majors complete an internship.  A study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that:

  • 61.9% of new hires from the class of 2004 had internship experience, and 32.3% had co-op experience (experiential learning).
  • 79.8% of employers reported higher retention rates among college hires with internship/co-op experience.
  • 49% of employers plan to pay students with internship experience MORE than those without.

Generally, students complete internships throughout the greater Denver area, but internship opportunities are also available across the United States.  Recently, our students have completed internships in Los Angeles (Transworld Media), Chicago (Jam Productions), and New York (Prada).

Examples of local businesses and organizations where students have completed internships include television stations such as KCNC, KMGH, KWGN, and Fox 31, as well as radio industry internships with Infinity Broadcasting and Clear Channel Entertainment.  For those interested in the sports industry, Kroenke Sports Enterprises has provided numerous opportunities in positions ranging from promotions to event production.  We also have relationships with numerous public relations and advertising firms throughout the Denver area such as McClain Finlon Advertising, Turner Public Relations, and Juice Communications, to name just a few.

For those interested in the non-profit arena, positions are available with organizations such as The Denver Zoo,  The Rape Awareness and Assistance Program, and The Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Opportunities also exist in the political arena, and several of our students have worked at the State House communications office and for state senators and representatives.

To qualify to register for internships in Communication, undergraduate students must be Communication majors and have a cumulative GPA of 2.75.

Students typically receive 3 hours of academic credit for a one-semester internship in which they work between 15 and 30 hours a week. Communication majors may complete up to 6 hours of Internship credit (CMMU 3939).

Internships meet requirements in the skill area of "Production of Communication" for the Communication major. An internship also may count as the one upper division electives required for the major.

The internship for undergraduate students involves not only work experience but regular meetings throughout the semester with other internship students in Communication, the completion of essays that focus on the application of communication concepts and theories to the work experience, a case study from the work experience, and a final presentation based on the case study. The grade assigned for the Internship is computed on the basis of the quality of the academic assignments, attendance at the meetings, and the employer’s evaluation of the work produced.

Additional Information

For more information, please consult any of the resources listed on this page, and/or contact the Internship Coordinator for the Communication Department, Suzanne Stromberg. You may also obtain information from the Career Center in the Tivoli Student Union, suite 260.

Suzanne Stromberg, Internship Coordinator
Plaza Building, Room 102-N
303-556-6662 (office and voice mail)
Suzanne.Stromberg@ucdenver.edu

Internships for Graduate Students

Graduate students in Communication or Technical Communication may complete up to 6 credit hours of internship (CMMU 5939) as part of their elective requirements. Internships typically involve 3 credit hours, which means that students may complete two internships. Students who choose to complete two internships must work in two different organizations for the internships; they cannot be done in the same organization.

Students typically work between 15 and 30 hours a week for a 3-credit internship and complete academic assignments that require the application of communication theory to the work experience.

Internships for graduate students are supervised by full-time faculty members in the Communication Department (internships cannot be supervised by adjunct/honorarium faculty or instructors). Faculty members and the graduate students together determine the nature of the academic work that the student will complete to supplement the work experience of the internship

Additional Information

To initiate an internship or to obtain more information about internships, graduate students first should visit the UCD Career Center. They then will work with the faculty member in the Communication Department who has expertise in the area on which the internship will focus.