Step 1: Student Guidelines
The information listed here is specific to the Department of Communication. Read and understand the guidelines before making arrangements with a potential site or supervisor. To reiterate, do not commit to an internship until you have read the following and have completed the Internship Verification process. Some students have committed to an internship only to find out that they were not qualified, or that the internship was not acceptable.
When in your college career to enroll in internship:
Internships can be completed in the junior and senior year; final semester of senior year recommended.
Internship is a good means of networking and gaining entry-level career skills which serve you best when you are close to graduating. Completing an internship in your final semester provides a fresh, non-academic reference for your post-graduate job search. You are only allowed a limited number of internship credits. It’s a good idea to saving your internship credits until close to graduation when you have a better idea of career interests.
Just as you may not take the same class twice, you may not do the same internship twice. We feel an intern will learn much more by moving to a new setting than they would working with the same individuals a second time. Given this, we do not allow more than one internship at a particular site. Similarly, you may not complete an internship at an organization where you are or have been employed.
Minimum qualifications for internship:
Internships are a privilege for students, not a right. Students should demonstrate significant academic strength in order to participate in internship activities. You must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher to register for internship credit. GPA is visible in your advising report on myBoiseState.
Prerequisite courses:
Internship is an extension of classroom learning, not a substitute for it. You should have taken many Communication classes related to the internship you seek before applying.
Internship Credit Limits:
For each 45 hours spent working with an organization, a student may earn 1 credit. The maximum allowed for a semester is 135 hours of work for 3 credits.
Internship Fees:
Internships are considered equivalent to regular classes. Part-time students will pay for each internship credit. Full-time students will have internship credits considered as part of their normal load. If the internship credits push a student’s credits to “overload” (more than 17 credits), overload fees will apply.