Communication and Media Studies Internships

Communication and Media Studies majors can participate in internships under the direct supervision of professionals in media organizations, ranging from daily newspapers to television networks, and from public relations and advertising agencies to corporate communication programs.

To earn credit for internships during the academic year, students must have junior or senior status and demonstrate a strong academic performance. The requirement to have junior or senior status does not apply to internships undertaken in the summer.

Information for Undergraduate Students

  • CMS offers an Internship seminar course, COMM 4701, that can be taken for academic credit in a semester that coincides with the internship. This course is worth four credits and counts as an elective in all undergraduate majors in Communication and Media Studies. This course is open to all juniors and seniors in our department who are interning, whether or not they require academic credit and whether or not they are paid for their internship.
    • The department typically offers a 3-credit version of COMM 4701 (COMM 3701) during the summer. This usually runs as a 10-week asynchronous course, which is administered online. The same rules regarding internship hours and prior approvals apply to this summer course. 
  • Students who do not wish to take the four-credit Internship Seminar or have already taken it may take a one-credit tutorial, COMM 1999, under direction of the department’s Internship Coordinator. The tutorial does not count as a full course or as an elective toward the majors and minors; it adds to the total earned credits required to graduate. 
  • All internships for academic credit must be approved by the department prior to registration. In accordance with University policy, students requesting academic credit for internships must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and 60 earned credits.
  • According to Fordham University guidelines, “Internships must not exceed 20 hours per week.” The department recommends about 15 hours per week of internship duty over a semester (e.g., two days/week, seven hours/day; or three days/week, five hours/day).
  • The department recommends that students do not intern during midterms or final exams. Students may not repeat internships for credit from a CMS seminar or tutorial.

Information for Graduate Students

  • PMMA students may undertake an internship for three credits per semester (PMMA 6398: Internship; PMMA 6399: Internship II), for a total of up to six credits for the program.
  • The internship will be secured by the student and must be approved by the program director prior to registration.
  • The internship is to be supervised by an appropriate faculty member and will involve regular meetings, bi-monthly reports, and a final written summary of the internship experience.

Serving the City Internships

Fordham partners with non-profit organizations that focus on anti-racist and social justice issues and priorities. These paid internships include organizations in the arts, culture, media, and fashion, and therefore may be of particular interest to CMS students. Undergraduates at both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses are eligible to apply. More information available here. 

Unpaid Internships

The university expects employers to abide by the standards of the “Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act”. Please familiarize yourself with  these standards and regulations.

Studies (see here and here, for example) have shown that unpaid internships exacerbate gender, class, and race inequities and wage gaps, while paid internships improve a student’s chances of a job offer and a higher salary in comparison to unpaid internships. We encourage students to carefully consider the cost of tuition for credits required to undertake unpaid internships and the realities of future employment based on unpaid internships.

Career Services provides free Ram Van passes for unpaid, for-credit internships for all (undergraduate, graduate, and PCS) students. To apply, send Career Services a letter from your internship supervisor that:

  • Includes company letterhead
  • Verifies the internship is unpaid and for credit
  • Outlines daily and hourly requirements of the internship

CMS Internship Coordinator

Diana Kamin: [email protected]

How to find an internship.