What is an internship and why should I get involved in one?
An internship is an excellent way for students to “get their feet wet” in a career to see if it is what they really want to pursue. Internships help the student gain practical work experience and get a real feel for what actually is involved in a particular career environment. An internship also helps to develop the solid skills that employers desire and creates an opportunity for the student to network.  The student is usually guided by the employer who will give feedback to the student as well as the student’s school advisor, if the internship is a required part of the student's major, as to the student’s progress. The Applied communications track, for example, requires a student to complete an internship or a practicum as part of the curriculum. Students usually complete an internship, as a requirement of their major, in their Junior or Senior year.  Internships can be with or without pay at the employer’s discretion. More often than not, employers will hire on an intern for a permanent position over someone from the outside because they already know who they are and what they can do.

The School of Communication Studies offers the following internship opportunities:

COMM 15000 PSI Internship

Research and Special Events Intern

Public Relations and Marketing Practicum 

Students in the School of Communication Studies have completed internship and practicum positions at the following places:

Target
Columbus, OH

Montrose Auto Group
Fairlawn, OH

Pepsi Co.
Twinsburg, OH

Duke Printing
Eastlake, OH

Christy Creative Social Media, LLC
Akron, OH

The Talent Group
Cleveland, OH

Centers for Families and Children
Cleveland, OH

The American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland
Cleveland, OH

Red Wings Rochester Community Baseball, Inc.
Rochester, New York

The Buckle
Mentor, OH

Downtown Akron Partnership
Akron, OH

Howard Hannah Smythe Cramer
Aurora, OH

Chicago House Radio
Chicago, IL

WONE 97.5
Akron, OH

Sony Music Entertainment
New York City, NY

Akron Aeros
Akron, OH

Aerotek
Stow, OH

WCMH-TV
Columbus, OH

Akron-Canton Airport
Canton, OH

Echogen Power Systems, LLC
Akron, OH

Spice of Life Catering
Cleveland, OH

Q104 WDOK
Cleveland, OH

Cleveland Gladiators
Cleveland, OH

CBS Radio 92.3 FM
Cleveland, OH

Robinson Memorial Hospital
Ravenna, OH

Kent State University College of Communication and Information
Kent, OH

Kent State Center Programming for Center of Student Involvement
Kent, OH

Kent State University Alumni Association
Kent, OH

Undergraduate Programs Office – College of Business Administration
Kent, OH

Kent State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletes
Kent, OH

Fahlgren Mortine
Columbus, OH

Here are some useful links to help you find the right internship program to suit your needs:

The Career Services Center homepage offers extremely helpful suggestions to successfully obtain your internship and some very useful links to internship opportunities.

The Job & Internship Search page provides information about career fairs, events and other helpful Web sites.

The Job Interview Preparation page helps build your confidence and prepare you for meeting potential employers. 

The Experience Job & Internship Board allows students and alumni to apply to positions posted year round by employers (profit and non-profit) and view organizations participating in on-campus job fairs and interviewing. On-campus student jobs and graduate assistantships are posted daily by departments across all eight campuses.

Going Global Country Career Guides are the ultimate international job seeker's guides. Packed with country-specific information, this massive research tool contains more than 80,000 resources for finding international employment at home and abroad. Each guide has been developed by a local career specialist and is updated annually.

Campus Special is a website that specializes in marketing a product/service to college aged adults and the local businesses near campus. Communication studies majors may find an internship with this company useful.

InternJobs.com is a global database of internships and entry-level positions for students, recent graduates and career changers.

NEOintern.net, formerly ClevelandIntern.net, helps Northeast Ohio employers connect with interns from all over the world.

Internships4you caters to employers seeking qualified interns, students seeking perfect internships and career centers seeking internships for their students.

The Yahoo directory for career planning and internships

LiveBinders is a collection of career resources and links to help you with your job search.

Leveraging Ideas: Ideation on economics, media, venture capital and start-ups is a blog authored by Sam Huleatt that has been quoted in The Financial Times, Inside Higher Education and The New York Times.