The Value of Student Internships

Internships provide students with the opportunity to gain real-world skills that go along with the material they are learning in the classroom. Internships go beyond the classroom and prepare students for a career after graduation.

The type of internship students need will depend on the degree program they are enrolled in, but regardless of the difference, BU assistant professor of graphic communication Allen Roberts said internships “put students in a genuine, real-world environment.” Not everything a student needs to learn, he added, can be taught in the classroom.  

“We try to replicate that through projects in classes, but you really can’t recreate that office environment that students will experience in most internships,” Roberts said. “Soft skills are harder to teach in class, like communicating with coworkers, clients, bosses and working on a team with a shared goal.”

Internships can also help students build their portfolio, which will help students with their resume for a job once they graduate. BU student Natalie Burgess, a Graphic Communication major, is currently interning with GigaBeam, a local internet provider. As an intern, Burgess has designed ads, post cards, and thank you cards for the company’s clients. She has also created emails to send out to users — all of which she can use to create a portfolio for prospective employers.

“I’ve worked on projects that have been used, and it feels kind of nice to have something you worked hard on be used,” Burgess said.

Burgess said her internship gives her workplace experience that goes beyond what she is learning in the classroom, and it gives her an opportunity to use her talents. 

“I feel it not only gives you experience you can add to any resume,” she said, “but if you work hard and are dedicated then you could potentially get work from the company.” 

If working off campus is not an option for students, internships are available on campus through various BU departments.

“The Communication program relies heavily on in-house internships, such as the Marketing Department and sports,” Roberts said. “Sometimes roles grow into employment opportunities after a student graduates.”

Senior Jaxon Bast, a Sports Communication major, is currently interning with the BU Sports Information Department. Like Burgess, he said his internship experience has given him a tremendous opportunity to use his talents. “

As a sports broadcaster and content creator, I’ve been able to use the gift that the Lord gave me to showcase the talents of the athletes at this institution,” Bast said. “I have had amazing mentors, like Bob Redd, Rodney Kasey and Bailey Angle, who with their knowledge of the field have helped equip me for the future.” 

A downside to internships would be that most are unpaid. Students can always get academic credit for internships, but if they’re looking for a paid internship, Roberts mentioned WVVA-TV in Bluefield, WV. 

“Students will be put to work, and you’re paid for it,” Roberts said. “Students are treated like employees.” 

Some degree programs require a certain amount of internship hours as part of the major. For the Graphic Communication program, students are required to complete three academic credit hours, which equates to 135 “real hours” of work, according to Roberts. Forty-five hours worked at an internship equals one credit hour.

According to the BU Student Handbook, students must also maintain a certain grade point average to be eligible for internships.

“The student must have at least a 2.0 overall GPA to apply for an internship placement,” the handbook says, “and approval for the internship is required from the supervising faculty member.” 

If a student is interested in an internship placement, a good place to start is talking with his or her advisor. Advisors prefer students seek out their own internship, but if students are having trouble finding an internship, their advisor can help them get started. Roberts said where and when internship is completed is “open to the student — geographic location, convenience for them, doing it in the summer, spring or fall.”

Roberts added that it is also a good idea for students to meet with an advisor when considering an internship because internships must be approved by advisors. 

“I like to approve where a student is going to do an internship,” he said. “We want it to be academically fulfilling and closely related to the student’s major and relate to the student’s future career path.”