What is an internship?
Internships must be educational in nature and so must provide a legitimate training opportunity. Student interns need an on-site supervisor who can provide guidance and structure.
What are the benefits of participating in an internship?
● Internships broaden your skill set.
● Internships expand your network.
● Internships improve your resume.
● Internships are a great way to learn about what you do and do not want to do.
Are PSU Film students required to do an internship?
No.
How do I find an internship?
Internship opportunities may be posted or can be had through cold calling. Ask other PSU FILM students where they have interned and see the following resources:
● The PSU FILM Weekly Message: You will be invited to join this Google Group at the start of the term. Accept the invitation to start receiving messages.
● Koerner Camera’s quarterly PSU FILM internship program (communicated through a School of Film email to students).
● Regional Arts & Culture Council volunteer and internship list.
● The Oregon Film Blog (the Governor's Office of Film and Television).
● Oregon Media Production Association directory (provides a potential list of people/companies/organizations to cold call) or jobs email (available only to OMPA members). OMPA job and internship opportunities are included in the PSU Film Weekly Message.
If an internship is paid, is it still an internship?
Absolutely. The most important thing is that the internship relates to your field and that it provides an educational experience. Note that if you ultimately get hired on an ongoing basis, you may consider enrolling in Co-Op credits.
I have successfully lined up an internship. Should I enroll in internship credits?
Some students choose to enroll in internship credits and others do not. It depends on whether you have academic requirements you’d like to fill with internship credits, if you want to carve out time in your term for the internship rather than taking a class, or if you would rather save all of your credits for classes and just do internships on the side for no credit. Note that some internship opportunities require that students receive credit for an experience and others do not.
Okay, I think I do want credit for my internship. How many credits should I enroll in?
Think of 30 hours of work as the equivalent of one credit of internship.
I am moving forward with an internship and I want to receive credits for it. What now?
● Approach the internship coordinator for the School of Film. The internship coordinator is a rotating faculty assignment so please see the PSU Film Office Hours page for current coordinator information. Present them with the relevant portions of the Internship Packet for review and approval.
● Once they review and approve the internship, you and the internship coordinator will determine how many credits to add.
● To add credits, internship coordinator will submit the electronic By Arrangement form and submit it to the School of Film department chair for signatures and processing.
● The class will appear on your degree audit as FILM 404.
What information do I need to provide to the faculty member in charge of internships so that I can get a grade for the class?
● Keep track of your hours worked.
● Send a weekly email to the internship coordinator describing your internship activities.
● At the conclusion of the internship, present the PSU FILM Internship Evaluation Form included in the School of Film Internship Packet to your on-site internship supervisor. Ask them to fill it out and email it to the internship coordinator by deadline on the form.
How many total credits of internship can I use toward degree requirements?
Up to 12.