New class to focus on finding internships

photo illustration by Luke George

Senior photojournalism major Liz Grauman searches through 145 newspapers that offer internships posted by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Erin Madison
J-School Web Reporter

The University of Montana J-School has added a new class to the list of graduation requirements in hopes of helping students find and be more prepared for their internships.

The class, called Preparing for Internship, will be offered for the first time this spring.

The class will focus on writing resumes and cover letters, interviews and where people have gotten internships in the past, said professor Sharon Barrett, who is teaching the print section of the class.

J-School faculty members hope the internship class will help students with the process of finding an internship, rather than just telling students they have to have one and leaving them on their own, Barrett said.

The idea for the class came after much brainstorming on how to make students aware of all that’s involved in an internship.

The journalism building is full of bulletin boards with internship postings. Internship opportunities are posted on the J-School Web page and professors often make announcements to classes concerning internships. However, with information coming from so many places, it can be hard for students to keep track of it all.

“We’re hoping that the class consolidates the information,” said Barrett.

“I’m really glad they offer it,” said Jamie Drummond, a junior in print journalism. “I think it’s really beneficial for the students.”

Students will still be responsible for finding their own internships, Barrett said, adding she hopes the class will just help point them in the right direction.

“I’m just terrified of getting an internship in general,” said senior print student Jacob Livingston. He said he hopes the class will help him find one.

Since internships became mandatory, the J-School has tried to organize general meetings and make announcements to classes about possible internships.

The other idea behind the class is to take the financial burden off some students who pay for two summer credits.

A policy took effect this year that requires all students to take internships for credits. Previously, students had the option of not earning credits if they were paid for the internship.

One summer semester upper-division credit costs $222.15 for residents and $575.90 for out-of-state students.

Preparing for an internship is a one-credit class, so students will only have to pay for one credit during the summer, rather than two.

Barrett said the class is still in the experimental stage, and the kinks will be worked out as they come up.

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