Internship Forms

Please see your advisor or department chair with questions or concerns before completing any form.

• JPW Internship Proposal form
• Internship Form*: (a copy of the internship proposal form must accompany this form)
• JPW Employer Internship Eval form
• JPW Student Intern Evaluation form

Internship Guidelines

JPW places considerable emphasis on the value of practical experience as preparation for entry into professional media. JPW majors and Journalism minors are required to do an internship with a professional media organization in order to graduate. The internship is optional for Professional Writing minors. Many of our students complete more than one internship.

The College allows students to take up to four-course units of internship/independent study during the course of their college career. Please note, however, that any internship credits beyond those that are required will count as elective credits toward graduation.

JPW requires that a student have junior standing in order to do the required JPW 499 internship. All proposed internships must be approved by the department chair. The internship may be paid or unpaid and can take place at any time during the year. Students who want to gain academic credit for sustained involvement with a campus news organization should enroll in the practicum course (JPW  397).

Arranging credit for your internship

1. Discuss the proposed (or desired) internship with your adviser.
2. Fill out an internship proposal form and an internship enrollment form. 
3. As you are filling out the form, please note that College policy requires internships completed for a major or minor to be taken for a grade, not pass­ fail.
4. The student arranges the hours for the internship with the employer. TCNJ requires 180 hours of work for the organization in order to receive credit  for a full course
5. After they are filled out, the internship enrollment form is signed by the student, the faculty supervisor, and the department chair. The internship proposal form is signed by the student and the chair. Next, go to the dean or assistant dean for a signature.
6. The dean’s office then takes the signed forms to Records and Registration. You can’t enroll via PAWS.
7. The student and faculty supervisor meet during the semester to discuss the student’s progress and any concerns.
8. The student is expected to keep a reflective journal that is primarily designed to capture insights you may be gaining about the field in which you are working, as well as your career goals.
9. At the end of the internship, we require the worksite internship supervisor to complete an employer evaluation form, and the intern also completes a student evaluation form.
10. Grading is based on a portfolio consisting of copies of written work, the reflective journal, the employer and supervisor evaluations, and any other assignments outlined in the internship proposal.

How to find an internship

Check with the faculty for leads: We keep a list of places to look, and we send regular emails about  internship opportunities.

Prepare your resume and portfolio: Prospective employers expect to see a crisp, well-crafted resume with absolutely NO typos, as well as writing samples, preferably published work. To get those clips, we suggest writing for The Signal or other campus media.

Visit the Career Center: It offers a number of resources, including workshops and tips on internships, resumes, and interviews. The office also sponsors career fairs each semester.

Where to find internships

If you know which media outlets or other companies you’d like to intern with, look at their websites for application information (often under a “Careers” or similar tab). Here are some other resources:

New Jersey Collegiate Press Association: Newspapers throughout New Jersey hire college students for internships, both in the summer and during the school year. In addition, the New Jersey Newspaper Foundation places several college students through its internship/scholarship program. http://www.njpa.org/foundation/internships.html

TCNJ’s Career Center: Look under the “Student Employment” tab to find internships,

These sites have extensive internship and job listings:

• www.journalism-internships.com
• www.journalismjobs.com
• http://www.internships.com/
• www.mediabistro.com
• http://careers.poynter.org/
• http://careerbank.naa.org/
• www.internshipprograms.com
• http://www.internabroad.com/
• http://www.ed2010.com (mostly magazine jobs, but also a few internships)
• http://www.bookjobs.com/search-internships
• The Associated Press offers a variety of internships, http://www.ap.org/company/careers.
• Dow Jones News Fund: For The Wall Street Journal and many other news organizations: https://dowjonesnewsfund.org/
• The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars, www.twc.edu