Guidelines for TC/RTC Internships
TCOM 495/ENGL 695
As a component of your degree in Technical Communication (BA) or Rhetoric and Technical
Communication (MA, effective 2012-13 catalog), an internship will provide a valuable
opportunity to apply your technical communication knowledge to the workplace. With your
advisor’s help, you’ll identify potential internship opportunities, register for and document
your internship, and work as a professional/technical communicator at an organization or
company.
As a technical communication student, you have at least five (5) internship credits as part of
your degree requirement. For a typical five-credit internship, you’re required to work
approximately 20 hours per week (200 hours/quarter), but that may vary from organization to
organization based on your arrangement with your on-site supervisor. Some internships, for
example, extend beyond the 10-week quarter, so you may work fewer hours per week over
more than one quarter.
Pre-Internship
Step 1 Locating potential employers
The first step is to locate potential employers with internship
opportunities in your field. The Career Center Internship Office in
Showalter is a good place to start. They offer a current listing of all
internship opportunities. The staff there will help you search for
appropriate listings in your specific field. You can also do a search on
your own at http://access.ewu.edu/career-services/internships.xml.
Print out the appropriate listings. Of course, you can also locate an
internship through other contacts, such as family, friends, colleagues,
or classmates. You’ll need detailed information about each internship
opportunity to complete the application form.
Step 2 Consulting with your advisor
Once you have the listings and information about each internship
opportunity, make an appointment with your advisor. Bring the
internship information to the meeting so your advisor will help you
select the most appropriate listings.
Important: You must obtain your advisor’s permission before
applying for an internship.
Step 3 Documenting your internship with Career Services
Once you have obtained an internship, create an account in
EagleAXIS and download the necessary paperwork. Complete a draft
and bring it to your advisor for approval.
(1) The contact and registration information and
(2) Your official learning contract.
Do not submit the Official Learning Contract to Career Services until
your advisor has approved and signed your contract.
Step 4 Registering for Course Credit
After you have completed your official learning contract (and/or
when you want to take credit for completing an internship)…
1.
Rev. June 2012
Register for your internship credits
a) Download the Special Course Approval/Registration Form in
this section of Canvas (see Item 3) or pick up the form from
the main office of the Department of English.
b) Complete the appropriate fields
c) Sign the form and submit to your advisor
Guidelines for TC/RTC Internships
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e)
Tracking
Internship
Progress
NOTE: If you have questions about completing this form, your
advisor will help you.
Your advisor will submit the form to the department chair for approval.

After a week, check Eaglenet to verify that you are registered in
the course.
1)
During your internship, once a week or approximately every 20 hours
(five-credit internship), you must inform your internship advisor about
your progress. Specifically you are required to submit the following
reports in Canvas, using the designated internship assignments in
Canvas:
•
Week 1: A one- to two-page proposal to advisor
•
Weeks 1-9: A log indicating what you did that week and the
hours/days when you worked.
•
Week 10: Completion Report (see description below: PostInternship)
1)
In addition, the Internship Office will request two reports from your
internship supervisor, a mid-term and final evaluation of your work.
Forms are in your Learning Contract packet.
Whenever necessary, your advisor will meet with you and/or make on-site
visits.
PostInternship
At the end of your internship, submit a completion report (see form in
Canvas), in which you summarize the various aspects of your internship
experience, including, but not limited to, the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction: Summary of objectives/outcomes
Background: Description of your background and the internship as
you originally envisioned it
Activities / Outcomes: A list of the specific activities you did on the
job and the deliverables,
Problems / Variations: An analysis of how (whether) your previous
work in the TC program prepared you to achieve your goals, including
any gaps in your preparation that the TC program might have filled
Lessons Learned: Advice or suggestions you have for future interns
undertaking a similar internship.
Overall Evaluation
Please use the Completion Report Form in the Canvas Assignments. Include
work samples in your Canvass portfolio and send the portfolio link to your
advisor for review work.
Questions?
Contact one of the technical communication advisors for further details.
Dr. Molly K. Johnson
(graduate)
Department of English
Reid 154F
509.359.6037
mjohnson@ewu.edu
Rev. June 2012
Dr. Teena A. M. Carnegie
(undergraduate)
Department of English
Reid 154
509.359.2869
tcarnegie@ewu.edu
Guidelines for TC/RTC Internships
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