Telecommunication
Internship Registration
We have six professional on-campus stations that provide experience in most aspects of the electronic media professions, so internships are not as necessary in our department as they are on most other campuses. We do not require you to do an internship, and if you do an internship, we do not require that you register for credit (RTV4940 Telecommunication Internship). We offer internship credit primarily as a courtesy to students who want such credit on their transcripts or whose sponsoring organizations require credit.
- Because of insurance issues, wage and hour laws, and other requirements, most internship sites in electronic media organizations will require you to be registered for credit. A letter is available for intern organizations specifying that as a student in our department you are eligible to receive credit.
- As with all academic credit, the University of Florida will assess tuition and fees if you register for internship credit. Failure to pay fees by the specified deadline will result in cancellation of your registration, and require us to notify the internship site that you are no longer registered for credit.
- The agency which accredits the College of Journalism and Communications requires the department to limit the number of internship credits that can be applied to meet graduation requirements to a total of no more than three (3), regardless of from what unit within or outside the University of Florida they are awarded.
If you do wish to register for credit, we have specific requirements that you must meet before we grant that credit. In all for-credit internship matters, deal with us yourself; if you are ready to enter the professional world as an intern, you are ready to handle the tasks and requirements of registering for the internship.
The requirements you must meet in order to get internship credit protect our reputation and therefore the worth of your degree. It helps insure that interns are prepared for higher level tasks, and gives you the background and training that will allow you to get the most from your internship. To be eligible to register for internship credit, you must meet all of the following prerequisites:
- Successfully completed RTV 2100 and RTV 3007 (formerly RTV 3000) with grades of C or better in each
- Earned a Grade Point Average of no less than 2.5.
- Demonstrate through course work and/or experience that you are qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of the internship.
Do not make any arrangements for a for-credit Internship until you meet every one of these prerequisites; there are no exceptions for any reason whatsoever. Further, the Department will not grant RTV4940 credit retroactively, nor will it award Individual Project (RTV4905) credit so a student not qualified for internship credit can actually do an internship. (You may, however, preregister for [i.e., sign up to take “next term”] an internship while you are enrolled in the last required course in anticipation of successfully completing that course.)
That being the case, please consider carefully whether you really wish to apply for internship credit. If so—and if you qualify—read the Procedure for Internship Credit document, then print, read carefully and sign and date the Internship Approval Form; then take the signed form to the Telecommunication Department office (2081 Weimer Hall) to complete the application process. A binder of some possible internships is kept in the office; you may find others through the Knight Division or your own efforts. If the internship supervisor needs confirmation that you will be registered for credit for the internship, download and print the Generic Letter to Prospective Employer.
If you have questions about this policy, please contact the department office to make an appointment to see Dr. David Ostroff, Department Chair. He will be happy to discuss it with you further (but do keep in mind that there will be absolutely no exception to any of the requirements).
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