Contact the Internship Coordinator regarding internships.
Whether you're still exploring internship options or already have one in mind, this page will guide you through how to earn course credit for your experience. Internships that provide real, portfolio-worthy work can count toward your degree—but only if approved ahead of time.
Thinking About an Internship? Start Here
Before you Apply...
Make sure you're actively looking for internships that align with your interests and skills.
Not sure what qualifies? Have a company in mind but don’t know if it will count? You’re strongly encouraged to meet with Internship Coordinator Charles Kaufman early in the process. He can answer questions, approve your plan, and make sure your internship will help you meet your goals and earn credit.
Contact Charles Kaufman
kaufman@txstate.edu
(Virtual meetings and office hours available — reach out to schedule.)
What Qualifies for Course Credit?
Portfolio-building work required
Your internship must offer meaningful projects that allow you to create, write, produce, or build materials for your portfolio.
Supervision & structure
You must have a designated supervisor and defined responsibilities—not just administrative or unrelated tasks.
Pre-approval is mandatory
You must complete and submit all paperwork before starting the internship if you want to earn credit. No retroactive credit is awarded.
Steps to Apply for Credit
Step 1
Find an Internship
Step 2
Complete the Internship Application
Step 3
Sign the Student Internship Agreement
Step 4
Have your employer complete the Employer Agreement
Step 5
Submit all documents
Step 6
Wait for approval — you’ll receive an email from Professor Chuck Kaufman when you’re cleared to register for course credit
Student FAQ
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What is an internship?
An internship is a position in a business that offers students or recent graduates an opportunity to use skills learned in the classroom and gain others It is a “real-world” experience in a chosen field.
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Do I need an internship?
In a word, “Yes.” First, you need real-world experience, work that will become part of your portfolio. Second, you need an opportunity to interact with practitioners in your career field. Next, you need a chance to observe the work environment that you hope to make your career.
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Why is an internship important?
In addition to work experience, internships will make you competitive in your pursuit of a job after graduation. Internships provide essential opportunities for you to build on your professional network. They will help you make career choices and give you an idea of what you want to do — and often what you don’t want to do — with your career.
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Should I get more than one internship?
You should get as many internships as possible. More is better, as they will give you more opportunities to refine and augment your skill set and make yourself more versatile and appealing as a job candidate.
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What if I have just one internship before graduation? Am I doomed?
Well, not necessarily. If you have work experience that complements your career aspirations or you have work samples from volunteer work in organizations, you can build a perfectly credible portfolio.
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So the key to an internship is practicing skills learned in the classroom?
Precisely and, along the way, learning new ones. Internships are also experiences in which you can learn from your mistakes. This is also a time to practice having a good work ethic. Work hard and carefully. Get to work early and be willing to stay late. Show your eagerness. Take a professional approach to your work.
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I’ve been offered an internship that gives me an opportunity to shadow people in one or more departments. May I get course credit for this?
Not really. While shadowing provides great value through observing others, it is no substitute for doing the work yourself, doing work that will become part of a portfolio. So, if you’re just observing, you’re not doing. No doubt you will absorb knowledge from a veteran practitioner, but you need work samples. In your search for an internship, be aware of work of tasks that will yield work samples.
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I found a template resume that looks great. Is there anything special I should do for a masscomm-focused resume?
Yes. Employers in our ever-changing industry want to see how technologically savvy you are. Move SKILLS to the top of your resume and list useful computer skills or languages that will boost your usefulness in the digital age. There is no need to state that you’re good with people, have strong oral skills or that you’re a multi-tasker. Nor do you need to list RELEVANT COURSEWORK if you’re, say, a public relations major applying for a PR job. Your employer knows the courses PR majors take. Email me at ck17@txstate.edu and I will send you a sample resume. As for cover letters, they should NOT be generic letters; they should NOT be narratives of your resume. They should be unique to each employer. Let’s discuss.