Students who have successfully completed some of their course work in the BIS concentration may be considered for an internship. Undergraduate honors students are eligible if they have taken enough classes in their major area of study in their approved BIS program of study. Undergraduate students must have completed at least four 3000/4000 level courses in the major with a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) or at least six courses with a 2.75 GPA in the major and a 2.50 GPA overall.  Students who transfer to Georgia State with credit toward their concentration must have at least six additional credit hours of 3000/4000 level courses in the same major from BIS-connected academic units to be eligible for an internship. These standards are set to confirm that interns have demonstrated proficiency in the academic elements of their discipline.  Only students who meet the criteria will be able to receive academic credit for performing duties at a work site.

Undergraduates can earn a maximum of six credits.

Student interns will be evaluated by their site placement supervisor and the faculty internship adviser, and the final grade will be based on these evaluations, the quality of the timely completed student assignments and attendance at the mandatory group sessions.

Given the fierce competition for jobs in media companies, it’s a undeniable reality: students who connect their educational programs to internship or cooperative educational experiences have a leg up when they enter the market. This is partly because in many arts endeavors, a diploma or arts-rich transcript are less important than documented portfolio experiences that show what you can do and how able you are to work with others in creative work requiring collaboration, such as making a film or a game.

Although many production and PR firms offer internships that are unlinked to a college degree program, we strongly recommend you consider structuring your internship experience through CMII.  Because CMII-coordinated internships are negotiated in collaboration with the company where you’ll work, you can be more confident of the educational value you’ll receive. And a university-coordinated internship can be structured into your degree program, so that taking on internship work doesn’t slow down your path to graduation. The university is also more likely to connect you with paying internships.

The data bear out the benefits of arts internships. A 2015 national study sponsored by Indiana University found that “recent graduates who did a paid internship report greater overall current job satisfaction (84 percent), as well as satisfaction with income (64 percent) and opportunity for career advancement (74 percent).” Arts graduates who did an internship are more likely than those who didn’t to actually end up working full time in an arts profession (59 percent versus 45 percent).