INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW FOR SPONSORS-COMM 4410/4445
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
UNC CHARLOTTE
HOW DO INTERNSHIPS BENEFIT MY COMPANY?
● You establish relationships with highly motivated prospective employees.
● Your workplace is infused with the energy and enthusiasm of one or more current university students.
● You help shape the professional work force of tomorrow.
● You gain positive exposure in the community.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE INTERNS?
● Qualified interns are Communication Studies majors or minors, or Journalism minors, with junior or senior standing,
and at least a 2.0 GPA overall. Qualified students have also taken certain course requirements according to the “track”
they are pursuing in Communication Studies. Below is a breakdown of the tracks (with embedded links that explain
each track) that students may concentrate in, as well as the courses they must take, according to the track, to qualify for
an internship. This list may be used by sponsors to clarify which type of communication student that they are seeking
for their internship needs:
Health Communication – Communication Theory and Health Communication
Organizational Communication – Organizational Communication
Mass Media – Communication and Mass Media or Media Law
Public Relations – Introduction to Journalism and Principles of PR
Public Advocacy – Communication and Public Advocacy, Advanced Public Speaking, or Argumentation and Debate
Journalism Minors – Introduction to Journalism and Advanced News Reporting and Writing or Feature Writing
● Interns receive academic credit for participating in the program. Students can register for 3 credit hours (or 120 hours
at an internship site or 6 credit hours (or 240 hours at an internship site). Below is a breakdown of the hours:
Fall/Spring = 15 weeks
8 hours per week = 120 working hours
16 hours per week = 240 working hours
Summer = 10 weeks
12 hours per week = 120 working hours
24 hours per week = 240 working hours
● Work schedules are determined by the intern and the site supervisor. Site supervisors will be required to
sign off periodically on the intern’s work schedule.
● Some interns are paid, and some are not. That is your decision; however, if you offer a wage, stipend, or scholarship,
we must know up front how much and when the payments will be made. Although not required, internships that are
paid attract more applicants. Please consider the Fair Labor Standards Act when determining how your intern will be
treated in your organization/company.
● The Internship Director prescreens all interns, but the “hiring” decision is yours. Because interns are not “placed” in
internships, the Internship Director cannot guarantee each sponsor will secure an intern. With a highly competitive
sponsor list of more than 500 sponsors, interns are allowed to pursue those sponsors that most interest them.
Thereafter, it is up to students to contact potential sponsors to request interviews and secure an offer from a sponsor.
Interns are responsible for making sure all paperwork is submitted to the Internship Director before the deadline to
register.
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WHAT ARE MY RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PROGRAM?
***New 2-Step Process to Advertising and Offering an Internship
● All companies seeking a communication related intern must use NinerJobNet to start a sponsorship file to “advertise”
their internship. In addition to the instructions located at the link above, instructions for NinerJobNet are also provided
on the Communication Studies Internship Website. NinerJobNet will allow students to view the job description and
all other pertinent information related to applying for your internship. Postings will remain active for 30 days unless
you indicate otherwise (there will be an option in NJN to extend the posting period).
● The second step requires the site supervisor (or the person who will be overseeing the intern’s work) to submit the
following items to Internship Director, Staci Kuntzman, at svkuntzm@uncc.edu with the student’s name in the subject
line:
A confirmation of the internship offer
The intern’s weekly work schedule
The anticipated completion date of the internship
Internship Sponsor Information Form, Form III, found here.
● Interns expect to gain experience related to their academic majors; interns should not be used solely for clerical work.
Although it is expected that clerical or administrative work may be “part” of the interns’ duties, the Internship Director
withholds the right to pull a student from an internship if they are only being used for clerical and/or administrative
work. Clerical and/or administrative work consists of: filing, data entry, answering phones, making cold calls, writing
emails, etc. Site supervisors must also have at least 2+ years of experience in the area where the intern will be
completing work.
● Regular supervision, guidance, and feedback is expected. If you hire more than one intern, please consider the amount
of work assigned to each intern, as well as your ability to supervise and guide each intern. Providing suggestions for
improvement of writing or other such professional advice is expected as part of the learning experience. Site
supervisors should have meetings on a regular basis to communicate expectations and suggestions for improvement.
“On a regular basis” would be defined as at least once a week. Meeting virtually, by phone, and/or by email may
work, but using such communication methods to oversee internship duties should be clarified at the onset of the
internship.
● Interns should be considered employees, and as such, should be treated and should behave in a professional manner.
The organization is responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for the intern. Interns should
be treated under the same organizational policies as other employees in areas including sexual harassment.
● Site supervisor’s must assess their intern’s performance and complete the Site Supervisor Feedback Form at midterm
and at the end of the semester (for student grading purposes). Both the Early Evaluation and Final Evaluation must be
submitted electronically and hard copies printed and shared with your intern at the appropriate time. The early
evaluation will be completed approximately 40 hours into the internship (or 80 hours if the intern is registered for 6
credit hours). The Final Evaluation will be completed at the end of the internship. The Early Evaluation and Final
Exit Interview (where the Final Evaluation is discussed) are between the intern and the Internship Director, Staci
Kuntzman, and site supervisors are not expected to attend.
UNCC COMM 4410 – FORM II
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Internship Sponsor Information Form
Department of Communication Studies
UNC Charlotte
If you are an employer that will be supervising a Department of Communication Studies student intern
receiving academic credit, please complete the following information. In addition to this form, site supervisors
(the person who will oversee the internship) must submit the following items by email to Ms. Kuntzman at
svkuntzm@uncc.edu so that the student can register to receive credit for their internship: a confirmation of the
internship offer, the intern’s weekly work schedule, the anticipated completion date of the internship. If you
have any questions, please contact Ms. Staci Kuntzman at the email above.
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Name of Company: ______________________________________________________
Company Address (physical address):_________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Company web site address:__________________________________________________
Name of appropriate contact person: __________________________________________
Telephone number: ______________________________________________________
E-mail address: ______________________________________________________
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Name of person who would supervise the intern (site supervisor): ______________________________
Title:_________________ Does the supervisor have at least 2+ years of experience in the area where the intern
will work? ______Yes
_______No
Department in which this person is located: ____________________________________
**By checking the following box, the site supervisor acknowledges that they have read and understand Form II
and agree to adhere to the criteria set forth in the form ________
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Will the internship be paid or unpaid? [ ] Paid [ ] Unpaid
Hours Per Week?___________________
If paid, what is the rate or stipend? ____________
When will payments be made? Weekly, Bi-weekly, or Monthly? _
Intern Job Title:____________________________________
Start Date:____________ End Date:______________
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JOB DESCRIPTION: (Please include a list of duties the intern will be expected to perform)
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES: (Attach more sheets if needed)
UNCC COMM 4410 – FORM III
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