School of Journalism

The Spring 2018 Mayborn Internship and Career Fair takes place March 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the UNT Student Union. Click here to learn more.

If you're a graduate student, please see our Graduate Internships page.

Gain additional experience and credit for up to 3 semester hours through internships at newspapers, magazines, book publishing companies, television and radio stations, web companies, advertising and public relations agencies, and large and small businesses throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth region and the nation.

The internship program maintains strong ties with industry leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, which provides students with excellent networking opportunities.

The Mayborn School of Journalism offers journalism internships and jobs at the UNT Eagle Careers. Students and alumni can log-in to see all listings for internships and part-time and full-time jobs. Students currently enrolled at UNT will use their EUID and password. Alumni can access Eagle Careers by registering on the log-in page.

The school provides the services of a full-time career specialist who assists students with internship, job, professional and academic opportunities. To visit with a UNT Career Development Specialist about careers, resume creation, or any related advice, please contact the Career Center at 940-565-2105.

Click here to view the Journalism Internship Checklist.

Ready to enroll in an internship? Read below for full details and submit the online placement form.

How to Earn Credit for a Journalism Internship

1. Find an internship. Contact the newspaper, ad agency, public relations agency, television or radio station, web media organization or other organizations and apply for an internship. Many organizations list internships on their website. The internship must be directly related to your major. If you are unsure about this, speak first with your department chair (Strategic Communications or News).
2. Submit an Internship Placement form. The form must be completed online. The form will ask you about yourself and your internship. You must have an offer letter from a business before you can submit the form.
3. Have the internship approved by the faculty member who will supervise your internship. Make an appointment with the faculty member who will approve your Placement form. Bring a copy of your unofficial transcript with you to the appointment along with a letter of confirmation from the employer and your completed Placement Form. Once the faculty supervisor has approved and signed your form, bring it to Sycamore Hall 206 and the Journalism administrative assistant will provide an enrollment code for you.
4. Three hours of course credit = 300 hours of work; two hours of course credit = 200 hours of work; one hour of course credit = 100 hours of work. Consult with the Office of Student Advising to verify how many credit hours you need. The department chair can help you determine how many hours you must work per week to complete your credit hour(s) needed.
5. During the internship, you must regularly submit a typed report to your faculty supervisor outlining what you have done and any problems you have encountered during your internship. The reports must be received by an assigned deadline. Check with your faculty supervisor to see how often and where to send them.
   School of Journalism Mailing address:
   1155 Union Circle, #311460
   Denton, Texas 76203-5017
   Fax: 940-565-2370
6. Your supervisor on the job will receive evaluation forms for midterm and final exam time. The supervisor must return the evaluations in order for you to receive a grade for the internship.
7. At the end of your internship period you must fill out a final report form to assess your internship (also available in the journalism office, GAB 102), and then submit it to your faculty supervisor by the end of dead week.
8. The course numbers for internships are Jour 4800.701 through 713. The Journalism administrative assistant in GAB 102 will give you the code for your faculty supervisor’s section. Make sure that the correct number of credit hours you wish to receive is noted on the enrollment page before you submit it. The default number is one and must be changed for you to receive two or three credit hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does a student have to have “major status” to qualify for an internship?
   Yes. Students must be majors and have taken and passed at least one upper level skills class in the area of interest.
2. Can a student be paid and get credit for internships at the same time?
   Yes.
3. Are internships pass/no pass or are grades assigned?
   Grades are assigned by the supervising professor, with the feedback and help from the supervisor in the business or organization which is hosting the student intern.
4. Is there a minimum GPA before someone can apply for and receive an internship?
   Yes. The student must be a major in good standing. That means the student must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 based on all courses taken.
5. How should students turn in their weekly reports?
   The supervising professor and student will set up specific dates on which the reports are due. Deadlines must be followed. Missing a deadline will result in a lower grade for students.
6. Can students get credit for the same Internship through Journalism and other programs at the same time?
   No.
7. How many hours does a student work for Internship credit?
   100 hrs. = 1 hr. credit; 200 hrs. = 2 hrs. credit; 300 hrs. = 3 hrs. credit
8. Does each full-time professor have a section number for Internships?
   Yes. Consult with the department chair to approve your internship and to be enrolled in the correct section.

Internship Tips

• What are you doing now that will get you the job you want tomorrow? Your self-motivation shows by the actions you take today.
• Join a professional organization. You will learn more about your field and will have the opportunity to meet professionals who can become part of your network.
• Meet with the professionals at their offices to learn more about what they do and their likes and dislikes about the industry.
• Volunteer to write that PSA or design that brochure for a United Way agency. You will not only help the agency but you will also be adding to your portfolio clips.

What do you need to know about sexual harassment before accepting an internship?

Workplaces have different policies, but in general, unwelcome or offensive sexual conduct is likely to raise a concern of sexual harassment. The behavior may be a violation of federal law if it is so frequent or severe that it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or the behavior results in an adverse employment decision.

Click here to learn more and make sure you're familiar with the issues.