WRIT 498 Internship for Writing Option Majors and Minors

Overview

The English Department is proud of the internship program and the work that our students have done as majors and minors in the Writing Option. Our students have held internships at the local television station, at small presses, The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Outside Bozeman Magazine, The Refugee Center Online, The Association of National Park Rangers, SKI Magazines, Stone Glacier and many other businesses and organizations. Some of these internships have led to employment after graduation.

Finding and Planning your Internship

The department does not assign students an internship; the quality of the internship rests upon the work students put into finding and establishing that internship. Many of our best internships have come not from responding to internship advertisements (though some students do land good internships that way), but from students imagining the kind of work they would like to do and then seeking out opportunities to do this work. This often involves researching local businesses and organizations, learning how to make connections/contacts and build relationships, and figuring out how to articulate what the student can offer to the organization. The student may find themselves pitching an internship to an organization that does not yet realize they need an intern. It is recommended that the student start the process of making connections/contacts months in advance of the semester in which they would like to start the internship.

Finding a Faculty Advisor

When planning the internship, the student needs to find a faculty member from the English Department to oversee the internship. This person does not need to be the student's regular advisor; the advisor could be any tenure-track faculty member in the department who is willing to oversee the internship. It usually makes sense to choose someone who is knowledgeable in the field of the internship or with whom the student already has a good working relationship. The faculty advisor is in charge of the academic side of the internship, which includes assigning readings and designing assignments that make sense for the internship (for instance, the student may be asked to write a bi-weekly work log or compile a portfolio of writings). The faculty advisor also assigns the final grade for the internship.

Registration Process

Please keep in mind that the student must register for the internship as a class (Writ 498); the paperwork should be in place by the beginning of the semester in which the student will be doing the internship. Before classes start, the contract needs to be completed. The student should have already discussed with the faculty member about advising the internship, and discussed the assignments and grading rubric before starting the independent study contract below.


Once the overall description of the internship and responsibilities has been discussed with the student's work supervisor and faculty advisor, the Internship Contract should be completed via DocuSign (form below). For approval for three (3) hours of course credit, internships generally require about 150 hours a work (or 10 hours a week for a semester), and a significant writing component. If approved, the English Department Office staff will register the student for the course.

Deadlines

The student must be registered for the internship before the end of the add period in the semester the student is doing your internship. Plan to complete the internship commitments by the last week of classes, so the faculty advisor can submit the student's grade.

Summer internships follow the calendar for the Full Summer Semester. Students must register for summer internships by the second day of the Full Summer Semester. Grades are due for summer internships in early August. Please consult the academic calendar. There are no late starts to summer internships, so plan accordingly with the faculty advisor.

English Department - WRIT 498 Internship Contract

  • Please note that the Internship Contract Form is a Power Form in DocuSign; please review the example below for the required information before clicking the link to the form to avoid submitting blank forms to the English Department.
  • Prior to completing the online WRIT 498 Internship Contract, please meet with the faculty sponsor to discuss and establish the details of the internship.
  • View the information needed to complete the contract: Example of WRIT 498 Internship Contract.
  • Click this link to complete the WRIT 498 Internship Contract via DocuSign: WRIT 498 Internship Contract.
    • Note: students have the option to attach additional document(s) if needed. The option is located on the signature line of the contract. The document(s) become a part of the contract and visible to the approver(s).

Need more information?

Please visit Internship FAQs.