Overview
Internships are short-term work experiences with an employer (sponsor), on or off campus, that enable students to gain valuable experience, to test possible career paths and to earn academic credit. Internships are an example of high-impact learning for English majors and Writing Minors. In recent years, English majors and Writing minors have interned with a wide variety of sponsors: OSU Marketing and Web Communications, OSU Press, INTO OSU, Nike, the Seattle Mariners, King 5 TV in Seattle, Calyx Books in Corvallis and Portland Monthly, to name a few.
Interns work with a sponsor in many kinds of language arts-related work. Some examples of work include writing and editing magazine articles, newsletter articles, press releases, technical reports, brochures, and grants. Other students have taught or tutored literature and writing students at various levels and in various venues and some contemplating law school have performed duties in a law firm. As well, students in some internships work with cutting-edge media writing that incorporates new technologies.
Earning Credit (ENG 410 – Internships)
Students must be juniors or seniors to qualify for internships. Credit is allocated by the number of hours a student works under a sponsor, and for every 30 hours of work put in, a student may earn one credit. So, for instance, if a student worked nine hours a week during a ten-week term, the student would earn three credits. Students can earn up to 16 internship credits, but only eight can be applied to English major requirements. Any internship credit over eight could be applied to a student’s Writing minor, if they have one, or as general upper-division elective credit.
Procedures
Once a student has been hired by a sponsoring employer, he or she will be required to fill out an Internship Contract with the sponsor, which is then returned to the Internship Coordinator, who in turn will enable the student to register for the ENG 410 credits. Once the student has completed the internship, the Internship Coordinator may contact the sponsor to ensure the student has fulfilled their contract’s requirements, although in many cases, the student will provide the coordinator with a portfolio of the work they achieved as proof of meeting requirements. Finally, students will be asked to write a short review of their internship in which they will briefly discuss their accomplishments in the internship and the benefits they believe they gained from their experience.
Relevance of Internships
In today’s highly competitive job market, adding a professional internship experience to one’s degree is attractive to potential employers who often are seeking job candidates with a more versatile and “seasoned” background. While the vast majority of internships are unpaid, the value of an internship experience is significant. The knowledge and experience attained and the internship’s notation on a resume may make the difference in landing a particular job. As well, students often make “connections” with other professionals and get leads for jobs, receive the opportunity to gain their sponsors’ professional references for their resumes, and occasionally, by doing outstanding work and making a strong impression during the course of their internships, be offered a paid, permanent position.
For more information about internships contact Liddy Detar.
Below are some of the places that our students have held internships:
OSU Marketing
The Liberty (OSU)
OSU Foundation
The English Letter (OSU)
First Alternative Co-Op (Corvallis, OR)
OSU Writing Center
OSU Football Office
Purple Moon Enterprises, LLC (Corvallis, OR)
OSU Press, Portland Monthly Magazine, Timber Press (Portland, OR)
Calyx Books (Corvallis, OR)
A-A-Apex Construction (Philomath, OR)
OSU Student Involvement
Environmental Protection Agency (Corvallis, OR)
Cumulus Broadcasting (Eugene, OR)
Marion County (OR) Sheriff’s Department
The Strange Fruit (Literary Magazine, Seattle, WA)
OSU English Language Institute
OSU College of Engineering, Marketing and Communications
OSU Student Publications
OSU College of Forestry, Forestry Communications Group
Brass Media Inc. (Corvallis, OR)
Cascade Pacific RC&D (Corvallis, OR)
OSU Valley Library
OSU Student Media
Jane Magazine
Seattle Mariners
Majestic Theatre, Corvallis
Camp 3 Records USA
OSU National Pesticide Information Center
English Department Technology Committee
Benton County District Attorney’s Office (Victim Services)
OSU Student Mediation Services
OSU College of Liberal Arts and OSU Marketing
King 5 TV (Seattle, WA)
OSU History Department (Horning Program)
The Oregon Stater (OSU Alumni Magazine)
OSU College of Engineering: Marketing and Communications
Private Writing Tutor (5 children, ages 6-14)
OSU IE3 Global Internships Program (Teaching in Spain)
Carroll and Brown Publishers, London, England
OSU KidSpirit Program
Lake Oswego Review/West Linn Tidings (OR)
Rainier School District
Kara Daley, Attorney-at-Law, Corvallis
Calyx Books (Corvallis, OR)
ASOSU Office of Legal Advocacy
OSU Student Involvement
OSU Valley Library
Oregon Tilth
Memorial Union Program Council
Rainier (WA) School District
MARS (Male Advocates for Responsible Sexuality) Program, Benton County
Bitch Magazine
Corvallis Knights
OSU Press
OSU Extended Campus
Rachel O’Neal Law Office (Portland, OR)
Adpearence
MML Public Relations, Sandy, OR
OSU University Relations and Marketing
The Reynolds Law Firm (Corvallis, OR)
East Oregonian and Blue Mountain Community College
Corvallis Environmental Center
Writing Intensive Curriculum Program (OSU)
Odyssey Magazine (National Online Publication)
College Hill High School (Corvallis, OR)
CASA of Linn County
Sherman Junior/Senior High School (Moro, OR)
Corvallis Public Schools Foundation
Liberty High School (Hillsboro, OR)
Corvallis High School
Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services (Corvallis, OR)
Boys and Girls Club of Corvallis
Promise Program (OSU)
Avery House Nature Center (Corvallis, OR)
Run for the Cure Foundation (Seattle, WA)
Northwest Habitat Institute
New Hope Girls Academy (Santiago, Dominican Republic)
The Exchange (OSU)
State Representative Cliff Bentz (House District 60, OR)
American Car Collectors Magazine (OR)
Isport Web (National Online Publication)
City of Scottsdale, AZ
Active Minds Program (OSU)
Ashland Creek Press (Ashland, OR)
The Management Trust (Portland, OR) and Energize Corvallis
McMinnville News-Register (OR)
Office of the Dean of Student Life (OSU)
OSU Career Services
University Housing and Dining (OSU)
OSU News and Research Communications
Terra Magazine (OSU)
Economic Office of the American Embassy (Rome, Italy)
Central Oregon Magazine
Holt International Children’s Services (Eugene, OR)