From classroom to workplace
Every journalism major completes an internship before graduating. It is where your reporting, storytelling and strategy skills meet a real newsroom, agency or communications team, and it is often the work that leads to your first job offer.
The Essentials
- Course: JOUR 4444, Media Internship, 2 units, Credit/No Credit
- Hours: at least 100 hours of internship work, completed during the semester you are enrolled
- Timeline: across the 15-week semester, roughly 6-7 hours per week
- When: after you finish most of your core courses
- Prerequisites (one of the following): JOUR 3352, JOUR 3353, JOUR 3313 or 3385, plus consent of instructor
Took the quarter version? JOUR 352, JOUR 353, JOUR 385 and JOUR 413 still count.
My time at KSBY has been one of the biggest learning experiences for me. The journalism classes I took at Cal Poly prepared me with the skills I needed to collaborate with a team in a newsroom. I had the opportunity to work as a producer full-time and help create newscasts to air on television. It’s very eye-opening to see how much creativity and work it takes behind the scenes to build a successful and informative show. Through my job at KSBY, I feel more connected to my community on the Central Coast.
Your Internship, Step by Step
1. Start Looking Early
Give yourself a semester or two to search. Many students line up an internship for the summer between junior and senior year.
- Check out the department's job and internship website to get started.
- Meet with the department’s internship coordinator to talk through your goals.
- Ask your professors and classmates who they know.
- Check the communication and media listings on the Career Services job search toolkit, and search LinkedIn and MediaBistro.
- Watch your Cal Poly email. The department posts weekly internship opportunities in the newsletter. You can access current and past newsletters here.
- Look at media organizations in San Luis Obispo County and in your hometown.
Recurring Openings
These organizations take Cal Poly journalism interns most semesters. Email the contact directly and mention that you are applying for JOUR 4444 credit.
| Focus | Internship | What you would do | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| News | SLO Review, News Intern | Write feature articles, reviews, commentary, creative work and information about local arts and cultural events. | charlotte.alexander@sloreview.org |
| News | KSBY, News Intern | Shadow reporters, photographers and producers in a TV newsroom while writing scripts, shooting video and editing packages. | ashton.mcintyre@ksby.com |
| News | ESPN Radio, News Intern | Write, produce and deliver sports reports during NFL, MLB and NCAA broadcasts on a sports talk station. | mike@espnradio1280.com |
| News | KCBX News, News Intern | Develop and report longer-form public radio stories on Central Coast issues, ideally over more than one semester. | gmart@kcbx.org |
| Public Relations | SLO Chamber of Commerce, Communications Intern | Write news releases and articles, create multimedia content and support social media campaigns. Unpaid. | rlackmann@slochamber.org |
| Public Relations | Verdin Marketing, Account Assistant Intern | Write news releases, blog entries and ad copy, and help implement social media programs at a marketing agency. | michelle@verdinmarketing.com |
| Public Relations | Cal Poly Athletics, Communications Intern | Write features and run social media that share the Mustang student-athlete experience with fans. | eburdick@calpoly.edu |
| Media Innovation | California Cybersecurity Institute, Podcast Intern | Research podcast topics and guests, fact-check scripts and support the editorial team. | dborrell@calpoly.edu |
Focus is a guide, not a gate. Whatever concentration you are in, you can apply to any of these, and any of them can qualify for JOUR 4444 credit.
These are not the only options either. We circulate additional openings throughout the year, and you are welcome to propose your own placement.
2. Confirm the Internship Qualifies
Before you accept an offer, check that the work fits the course.
- The work applies your skills in journalism, public relations, media or communications.
- Your on-site supervisor has a relevant professional background and time to mentor you.
- The internship runs during the same semester you will be enrolled in JOUR 4444.
- Remote internships qualify, as long as the supervision is solid and the department approves it.
Paid internships are welcome and encouraged. Payment does not affect your course credit.
3. Have Your Supervisor Submit the Proposal
Your on-site supervisor completes and signs the Internship Proposal Form with your help. Submit it well before the semester starts. The internship coordinator reviews every proposal, and a late form risks losing your credit for the semester.
Once you email the coordinator to confirm the form is in and your internship is approved, you will receive a permission number.
4. Register for JOUR 4444
Use your permission number to enroll for 2 units. Plan to start work in Week 1. The hours are built to fill the semester, so there is no time to spend the first few weeks getting set up.
5. Complete 100 Hours and Reports
To log at least 100 hours during the semester (15 instructional weeks), you must plan for a sustainable number of hours per week, account for holidays and pace yourself to ensure completion ahead of the end of the term. Do your math and work toward this goal, making up for hours you couldn't work and staying in touch with your internship coordinator. You will need to submit two reports:
- Midterm Progress Report: complete after 50 hours of work.
- Final Report: complete on the final week of the semester.
JOUR 4444 reporting requirements
| When | What | Who submits |
|---|---|---|
| At the midpoint of the semester | Midterm Progress Report | Your supervisor |
| Final week of the semester | Internship Provider Final Report | Your supervisor |
| Final week of the semester | Student Intern Final Report, including your portfolio | You |
| Midpoint and end of the semester | Check-in meeting | You and the coordinator |
Your portfolio should include substantial work samples with a short explanation of each project and your role in it. Check with your employer before posting or duplicating anything produced under their copyright or marked confidential.
Good to Know
- You cannot get credit for past work. The university does not award internship credit for jobs or internships you have already finished.
- You cannot split the internship and the course. Interning over the summer and enrolling in the fall does not work. The hours and the enrollment happen in the same term.
- You can take JOUR 4444 only once. If you want credit for a second on-the-job experience, ask the coordinator about JOUR 4400, Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates.
- The prerequisites are not waived. Every internship needs department approval. The capstone requirement is reviewed case by case, and only when you have equivalent experience through student media, volunteer work or similar work in your field.
- Taking a capstone at the same time is not recommended. Running both at once can create conflicts of interest.
- You can intern after you walk. You may participate in the June commencement ceremony and complete your internship that summer, but your degree is not awarded until JOUR 4444 is done. You may need to adjust your graduation date, and this path often leads to a job offer.
- Professionalism is expected. In your communication, follow-through and workplace attire, you should expect to be treated as a professional—and conduct yourself accordingly.
Questions
Contact the department’s internship coordinator, Brady Teufel, at bteufel@calpoly.edu or (805) 756-6738.
Supervisors and internship providers: see the Internship Provider Guidelines for expectations, reporting and Fair Labor Standards Act requirements for unpaid positions.
I worked as a producing intern at ESPN Radio 1280. I ran audio boards for radio broadcasts of Cal Poly baseball and basketball games, got the chance to give live updates on other sports during breaks and worked closely with commentators to make sure the broadcast ran as smoothly as possible. Even though I was mostly focused on writing, my time there helped me grow immensely and opened doors to a new path I could take my career to.