WRT 490 Writing Internship is a student-initiated supervised work experience in an area of potential career interest. The internship is planned with internship coordinator and worksite supervisor. Student spends 45-field hours per semester for each credit in addition to a weekly academic seminar. The internship must be at least 50% writing/editing. Credit is awarded when student, coordinator, and supervisor complete evaluations.

The curriculum requires that all writing majors complete a three-credit internship and enroll in WRT 490. WRT 490 is offered in the fall and winter semesters and meets for fifty minutes per week; it is offered online during the combined spring and summer session. All writing internships must be completed during the same semester you enroll for the course. [Note: The spring and summer internship course spans for 12-weeks (May to August)].

Each student is responsible for finding an internship, but the department will help in the effort. Since internships are learning experiences, they may be unpaid; but since the intern will do actual work, some organizations do offer stipends and other forms of reimbursement. An internship scholarship may also be available through the Career Center.  

By taking WRT 490, you not only get work experiences for your resume but also earn academic credits on your transcript under the guidance of a faculty advisor who helps you reflect on these experiences and prepare for future job searches.

A writing internship helps students to:

• Apply course concepts to workplace communication problems
• Try out a career option
• Gain practical work experience in a real-world workplace
• Build self-confidence and gain a competitive edge
• Network with professionals in your field
• Build a professional portfolio
• Obtain work references

You may work as an intern at a worksite without taking the academic internship course (WRT 490); however, an academic writing internship is highly recommended as it has these added values:

• Endorses your internship experience as one related to your major
• Counts as a requirement toward your major (thereby reducing the number of credits you’ll need to complete to graduate)
• Offers timely suggestions and guidance for problems and issues you might encounter at your worksite
• Smooths your transition process from school to the workplace in a nurturing and supportive environment where you work with other writing interns and a faculty advisor
• Provides career consultations and refines your job application documents and interview skills through workshops 
• Helps you develop a professional identity as an emerging professional writer ready to initiate changes in and add value to your future organizations

You must meet both field hour and academic requirements to receive academic credit toward completing the major.

As a rough guide, you are expected to spend 45 field hours per semester in the internship and supporting academic work for each credit awarded. For a three-credit internship, it will be 135 hours a semester (e.g., 10 hrs/week x 14 weeks = 140 hrs). Credit is awarded only when the student, the internship coordinator, and the work supervisor have completed evaluations of the internship, including the organization’s evaluation administered by the Career Center.

For a three-credit internship course, you need to attend a weekly 50-minute seminar and complete course work, including reading reflections, work reports, final report, internship digital portfolio, and other assignments that will help you better understand your internship experience.

Final grades (A, B, C, D, and F) are given based on the evaluations of your fieldwork and the quality of your academic participation. A sample WRT 490 syllabus is available in the Writing Department office.

To get your writing internship approved, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be a major in writing
• Be at least a junior
• Have a 2.75 cumulative GPA minimum (or approval of the internship coordinator and the Writing Department Chair)
• Enroll in WRT 490 during the same semester as you are completing your internship
• Have taken WRT 200, WRT 210, WRT 219, WRT 253

Additionally:

• Your internship must be at least 50% writing or editing.
• Your onsite supervisor should be able to provide professional guidance in your specialized area for internship projects.

You need to get your internship approved by the internship coordinator before you register for WRT 490. Please schedule a meeting with the internship coordinator right after you are offered the internship position to discuss the nature of the job, possible learning and training experiences you will obtain at the worksite, and how many credits you want to get awarded (a three-credit internship will require your attendance and participation in a weekly seminar).

1. After you receive oral approval from the internship coordinator, you need to fill out an online internship agreement.
2. Once your internship agreement form is approved, the Writing Department Chair will give you a permit to register for the course.
3. Shortly before the end date of the internship you and your site supervisor will receive an email asking you to complete an online evaluation. 

Tip: You should plan for this early as it takes time to complete paperwork from different parties, and you don't want to miss the deadline of registering for the course.

• Plan early. The search for an internship may take months, so it is important to start looking and working on it in advance.
• Schedule a meeting with the internship coordinator to discuss your background and career interests and set up an action plan. You should try to set up the meeting at least three months prior to the beginning of the semester in which you wish to do the internship to allow time to find a site that meets your needs and interests.
• Attend the Writing Department's Internship Night offered to all writing majors once a semester.
• Sign up for the career counseling workshops offered by the Career Center (206 STU). You can find out the event information at this website: https://www.gvsu.edu/careers/
• Get your resume and cover letter reviewed and critiqued by the internship coordinator, Writing Center, or Career Center.
• Register an account with Handshake, GVSU's full-service web-based employment system. You will be able to find a lot of internship information there.
• Network with local professional writers by attending monthly STC (Society for Technical Communication) chapter meetings. Two students will be sponsored every time. Event information can be found at this website: https://www.stc-mgl.org/
• Contact students who did internships before to ask for referrals for internship sites. A list of internship locations is available in the Writing Department office. Some previous internship locations include the Red Cross of West Central Michigan, Zondervan Publishing, the Humane Society of Kent County, and The Grand Rapids Children's Museum.
• Read student success stories related to internships.
• Read blog posts by students at writing experience.org

• Be sure to check out the WRT 490 FAQs.
• Explore additional internship resources.

Dauvan Mulally
Writing Internship Coordinator
LOH 310
331-3547
[email protected]

Rachel Becklin
Assistant Director of Career Services
206 STU
331-3311
[email protected]

Dawn Nagelkirk
Writing Department Coordinator
LOH 326
331-3411
[email protected]

Lisa Knapp
Career Advisor
Career Services
206 STU
331-3311
[email protected]