Internships for Credit

“Graduates who had an internship during college were more than twice as likely to have a good job waiting for them upon graduation (42%) compared to graduates who didn’t have an internship (20%).”

 

Internships are a great opportunity to find out more about your chosen field while building your work experience and a portfolio. CDS majors can take COMM 499: Internship for credit and to satisfy the Experiential Learning (EL) graduation requirement. If taken for 3 credits, then the internship can count as an upper-level elective in the major. To complete an internship for credit you are required to have registered for the internship credits before the start of the internship and that you complete your internship hours within the timeframe specified on your internship contract. Note: you cannot register for the credits on your own- you will only be registered for the credits once your completed academic internship contract has been approved and processed by the department chair.

If you are interested in pursuing an internship, please do the following:

1) Find an internship – make sure that it is appropriate for the major, and that the work you will do meets the university requirements for internships. You can find the university guidelines and policies on the Career Center’s internship webpage. Once you have a worksite for your internship, talk to a faculty member in the major about serving as the faculty advisor.

2) Complete the Academic Internship Contract – if you are taking the internship for credit then you need to make sure that you are able to work the minimum number of hours and meet the other criteria. Then complete the Academic Internship Contract on the Career Center’s webpage. Share this with the faculty advisor for your internship.

3) Submit the completed Academic Internship Contract by Wednesday of the first week of classes. Make sure that the contract includes all relevant signatures (student, work supervisor, faculty sponsor), and is fully filled out. Send the completed contract via email to the department chair, Anand Rao, and copy your faculty sponsor. The department chair will contact you and your faculty sponsor with any questions, and will then process the internship contract.

The deadline for Summer 2023 internships is Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 5pm – email completed internship contracts, with all required signatures (including student, faculty sponsor, and internship supervisor) to Anand Rao (arao at umw.edu). Once approved, the contract will be sent to the Registrar’s Office and then you will be registered for the credits. 

Internship and Work Study Opportunities:

 

  • Campaign Internship with Joel Griffin for Virginia – the candidate is running for State Senate representing Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Spotsylvania. The campaign is hiring interns on a rolling basis. See this document for details. Interns will engage in daily campaign activities with mentoring from experienced campaign staff. This internship program is designed to give students a behind the scenes view of a political campaign; experience with the skills and tools used in grassroots organizing; and opportunities for careers in campaigns and politics in the future. This internship will be hybrid, with interns splitting time between working remote and working at our office in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Hours are flexible, and generally fall between 10-15 per week. No prior campaign or political experience is necessary to apply.
    The link to apply for the internship is listed on the attached posting. If you or any of your students have questions, please feel free to contact me at declan@joelgriffinva.com.
  • Virginia Youth Soccer Association Marketing Internship – great marketing internship opportunity in Fredericksburg working with a UMW alum; available for Summer 2023 and Fall 2023. See this document for details. VYSA also has internships in accounting and program administration- contact Anand Rao for information about those internships.
  • Fredericksburg Free Press Summer Internship. The Fredericksburg Free Press is a newly formed organization that intends to launch a non-profit online newspaper for the larger Fredericksburg region before the end of 2023.  The goal is to provide a new local source for original news content that focuses on issues of importance to the citizens of Fredericksburg and the surrounding counties. We are in the initial stages of developing the structure of the organization and fundraising.

We are looking for a summer intern to assist in this important early stage of the organization. In particular, we are looking for individuals with skills and experience, in the following areas:

    • Strong organizational skills (including creating and maintaining databases/spreadsheets)
    • Strong communications skills and experience in email campaigns (including outreach to potential partners, sponsors, and individual donors)
    • Marketing experience or coursework
    • Social media and digital media experience or coursework
    • An interest in journalism and news is of benefit, but not a prerequisite

We are hoping to bring on an intern for this position in May on a part-time or full-time basis. A stipend can be provided, and/or there could be a potential to obtain university credit (depending on university requirements).

If you are interested, please send a cover letter and resume to Seth Silber(ssilber@wsgr.com) who is the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Fredericksburg Free Press.

  • UMW Chemistry & Physics Social Media Intern Fall 2023 – contact Dr. Janet Asper (jasper at umw.edu) for more information.
  • Washington Nationals Philanthropies $18/hour while working at home games. the charitable arm of the Washington Nationals is hiring students to work as 5050 Raffle Sellers for the 2023 season. This is a great way to learn more about the sports industry. You can find more information here.
  • BRG Communications – a paid opportunity, not intended for credit. CDS alum Mandy Byrd is currently working there and is happy to talk to any interested students. You can find more information here. To apply, send a resume to here. opportunity@brgcommunications.com and you can apply online
  • Journalism Internships with the Virginia Pilot – internships are 12 weeks long and pay $15/hour. They will be available throughout the year. See this document for more information.
  • UMW Admissions Social Media Influencer – ZeeMee is a social media platform geared towards students who are going through the college search and enrollment process. As a ZeeMee Influencer, students create content about their daily lives and give prospective students an inside look at UMW. Students would also engage with prospects and answer questions via chat channel. Influencers are paid a stipend of $300 for the semester. For more information, contact Amanda Hart (ahart3@umw.edu).
  • FBI Honors Internship for Summer 2023 – The FBI Honors Internship Program is a full-time, 10-week paid summer internship starting June 5, 2023.  This program is for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral college students and offers exposure to the world’s premiere law enforcement and intelligence agency while also serving as a pipeline for entry-level positions after graduation.  While exploring the FBI’s exciting career options, students will work side-by-side with FBI employees at one of our FBI offices nationwide. This internship offers students an unmatched opportunity to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. At the end of their summer, Honors Interns who receive a positive evaluation may continue in the program throughout the school year as interns on a part-time basis. For more information see: Students and Interns | FBIJOBS.
  • Communications Intern – 15-20 hours/week paid internship ($18/hour). Shannon Strategies is looking for a Communications Intern to assist with social and digital media, public relations and general communications efforts for an array of clients in the nonprofit sector. Go to https://shannonstrategies.com/communications-intern for more information.
  • Public Relations and Communications – 15-25 hours/week paid internship ($20/hour) with the Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. See this document for more information.
  • UMW Modern Languages Social Media Intern – contact Jennifer Buist (jbuist at umw.edu) for more information.
  • Key Media & Research – provides internships for students in their publications (https://keymediaresearch.com/publications/) and Digital Media Services (https://keymediaresearch.com/events/) divisions. Contact Anand for contact info and more info.
  • Social and Outreach Internship with the UMW Office of Sustainability – UMW’s Office of Sustainability is looking for 3 Student Interns who are passionate about sustainability and looking to inspire change. These positions will help to support the needs of the Office of Sustainability throughout the 2022-2023 Academic Year. Find more information on this document. Here is a link where students can submit an “interest form”, or they are welcome to email the office at sustainability@umw.edu.
  • Fredericksburg Regional Alliance Paid Internship – The FRA is looking for an undergraduate student from the University of Mary Washington who is majoring in Communications, Marketing, Business Administration or a related field. This person should have excellent verbal, written communication, and organizational skills. Experience with PowerPoint, Excel, Canva, and other graphic design software is desirable. This internship is for the fall 2022 semester but could continue into the spring if the candidate is interested. The FRA will also work with UMW to coordinate academic credit. Interested students should apply on Handshake or send their resume to Rose Maddox at rmaddox@fredregion.com More information can be found in this flyer.
  • Campus Rec Fall Internships – The Department of Campus Recreation is looking for interns for the Fall 2022 semester and invites you to apply. These internships qualify for academic credit and positions include Graphic Design, Communications, and Photography/Videography. Role descriptions can be found on this website.
    Applications can be emailed to campusrec@umw.edu and should include a resume, indication of what position you are applying for, and one or two examples of your recent work.
  • Fraser Wood Elements – a local wood working company that crafts tables, wood islands, and other wood items. They are looking for help with their social media presence. Contact Anand for more information.
  • Commonwealth Consultants – a Top PR firm located in Tysons, Virginia.  Commonwealth Consultants is pleased to provide paid and credited internship opportunities to enthusiastic individuals interested in Public Relations. Paid internships are available for Summer and Fall 2022. See this document for the summer internship position, and this document to apply.
  • Digital Content Specialist Job for a recent grad – Digital Content Specialist with Oasis Systems in Rockville, MD. Excellent opportunity for a 2022 (or earlier) CDS grad. This position was shared by a CDS alum- contact Anand if interested and he can put you in touch with the alum. More details and application on this page.
  • Digital Content Internship for Oasis Systems with opportunities in DC, VA, MD, and MA. This internship was shared by a CDS alum- contact Anand if interested and he can put you in touch with the alum. More details and application on this internship page.
  • Spotsylvania Education Foundation Communications Internship: available for spring, summer, and fall semesters. 10-15 hours/week. Not compensated but can complete for academic credit. More information, including how to apply, can be found on this document.