Internships and Independent Studies
Professor Diem-My Bui is available by appointment to discuss internships. Internships can offer on-the-job experience, networking, exploration of career paths, and skills practice. Many of our Communication students who have completed internships have found jobs after graduation in their internship field.
Receiving Internship Credit
If you’ve been offered an internship and would like COMM 474 (Communication Internship) credit, please send an email to Princy Daniel with the following details:
- Your UIN:
- Internship Title and Location:
- Duties of internship:
- Hours per week:
- Name & Contact info of Supervisor for this internship:
- Start Date and End Date:
- Proof of Internship Offer (email, offer letter, etc)
No more than 3 credit hours of COMM 474 may be applied toward the major.
How are internships calculated?
The Department calculates credit hours eligible for internships based on the following formula:
60 work hours = 1 credit hour.
Number of work hours per week x Number of weeks in semester = n; Number of total work hours. Then, n / 60 = Total number of Credit Hours earned.
Please note that credit cannot be received twice for the same internship. If a student chooses to seek another internship for credit hours, the internship itself must be different.
Independent Studies
Students may wish investigate a communication topic more in-depth through an independent study, in which a student explores that topic with a Communication faculty member. The student and faculty member will create a unique plan of study and special project to complete.
Independent Study forms are given to students who have already secured an Independent Study with a faculty member in the Department of Communication. Please email COMM directly with your request for a form at comm@uic.edu. No more than 3 credit hours of COMM 498 may be applied toward the major.
To secure an independent study, a student should contact a faculty member – preferably a professor the student has taken a course with in the past – and propose to the faculty member what the student would like to study, and why the student selected that faculty member to be their mentor.
Although this course is not held in a classroom at a specific day and time on the college schedule of classes, students are expected to be available to meet with the faculty member throughout the semester for one-on-one guidance.
Building a Resume
Honors College
Several students are Communication majors and minors, as well as in Honors College. Communication faculty often serve as Senior Capstone advisors for students who complete their Honors senior research project.
Communication faculty can also serve as fellows of the Honors College. As fellows, they involve students in their research, connect students with internship openings, and provide guidance on honors activities each semester. Honors fellows teach honors seminars and attend events that provide students with one-on-one contact.
Awards
After entering the major, students in communication demonstrate their command of the discipline by winning awards. Some recent recognition includes several Hugh Hill Awards, along with a range of other honors. Communication students have won the $10,000 Bernard Shaw Award in three of the past five years.
The Department has a history of providing students with guidance for winning awards. The department Awards Committee has the mission of informing students about available competitions. To keep students abreast of opportunities, the staff posts current announcements on a department bulletin board. Students should also talk about awards with the department advisor. See Advising.
Well before graduation, students should look at the standards for Distinction in the Major and target the grade levels to gain recognition. At the beginning of the senior year, majors with high grades seek the opportunity to receive High Distinction, which involves writing a senior paper under faculty guidance.
Internships
The Communication program leads to a liberal arts degree. A broad communication background prepares students for a wide range of career paths, which each student can narrow through on-the-job experience, such as an internship. Communication students may earn internship credits by registering for COMM 474. Internships are strongly recommended for all students.
For information about internships, schedule an appointment with Professor Diem-My Bui.
Internships are competitive and credit is given only to approved internships. Internships should be secured a semester before registering for any internship courses. All internships should be completed during the same semester a student is registered for the internship course.
Career Fairs
UIC offers several career and internship fairs throughout the school year for students to connect with potential employers and explore job opportunities. Visit UIC Career Services or LAS Career Development for these events.
Study Abroad
A period of study in another country can provide direct experience with interpersonal and intercultural communication and exposure to media and public communication unmatched through any other means. Professors in the Department have traveled to and lived in many areas of the world, including Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. They are willing to share their expertise with students and will help by writing recommendations and guiding students to opportunities and contacts in other countries.
The Department encourages students to plan their academic career to make room for a study abroad experience. Students interested in studying abroad will find information from the UIC Study Abroad Office.
Staying Connected After Graduation
Alumni Networks
Interviews with alumni show that within a few years of graduation, former students find their way into careers and recognize the merits of their liberal education in communication. Alumni of the program are generally willing to advise current students and act as mentors in their field of work.
Alumni of the Department hold positions they did not anticipate as students, ranging from real estate development to project manager in the Chicago Public School system, as well as some they expected, such as in news production and the legal profession.
Students in the program build contacts with alumni who come back to speak during classes and join in extra-curricular activities. The Department encourages students to organize group activities involving alumni on different career paths. For example, in 2003, COMM majors and alumni organized the Communication Society, which became a campus student organization.
When returning to campus, alumni report using almost everything they learned in their communication courses, and they indicate that some aspects of the program they found most challenging while enrolled (such as research and intensive writing) proved the most beneficial to them on the job.
The Department is currently collecting alumni information. If you would like to help us complete your records of where our alumni are at and what they have accomplished, please e-mail Diane Gilbert.
