Graduate Internships

In order to take an internship course for academic credit, students must have completed the following courses with a grade of at least B in each, and have a University grade point average of at least 3.0. In addition, the internship must be arranged by the student and approved by the instructor, Dr. Cunningham. See the Application Process tab for detailed instructions on how to get your internship approved for course credit.

For ADV 395 - Advertising Internship:

• Graduate standing
• ADV 385 (Media Management)
• ADV 387 (Creative Strategies)

For an internship to be considered for course credit, the following guidelines must be followed:

• No organization may have more than TWO unpaid interns receiving academic credit from our program during a given semester.
• The internship must be highly relevant to the student’s major education (advertising or public relations) and to their future career development. It must also give the student the opportunity to put in practice what they’ve learned academically.
• Students must take the internship class during the same semester or summer session that they complete the internship. Retroactive credit for internships will not be granted under any circumstances.
• The student must complete a minimum of 180 work hours during the semester at their internship. 
• Clerical/administrative work should not consist of more than 20% of the internship duties.
• Interns should not make up more than 20% of the total workforce. There must be a good balance between the number of employees and the number of interns (especially if the internship is not paid). This is to ensure the student receives proper supervision. 
• There must be no more that 3-4 interns being supervised by the same person. This is to ensure that the student will have a chance to work on different assignments and be properly supervised.
• If the internship is not remote, it should take place in an office setting where the student has direct and in-person contact with their supervisor. It may not take place in a personal residence.
• Dr. Cunningham, the course instructor, does not furnish employers with any document saying that the student is getting credit for the internship. Students do not get credit for the course until they have their final grade. However, their academic advisor may be able to give them a letter stating that they are enrolled in the course.

To receive course credit for your internship you must have your internship approved by Dr. Cunningham, the course instructor and Internship Program Director. Please follow the steps below. Note: You may register for the internship class before securing an internship. Once you have been hired as an intern, you may complete the application (step 2).

1. Register for the course.
   • For an in-residence course, you must pay by the posted tuition deadline.
2. Complete the Internship Application 
   • You MUST be registered for a Moody internship course before you can fill out an application.
   • Send an email to comm-studentservices@austin.utexas.edu. Let them know you've successfully registered for ADV 395 and need to complete the internship application. Be sure to add this email address to your accepted contacts list so the emails regarding your application do not go to your spam folder.
3. Secure Approvals.
   • ​After you complete and submit your application, your internship supervisor (employer) will be contacted via email and asked to fill out their portion of the application. They’ll be asked to confirm (1) that you have been hired for an internship, (2) that the information you provided in your application is accurate, and (3) that they meet the following requirements for hosting an intern, which have been approved by The University of Texas at Austin's Office for Legal Affairs.
   • After your internship supervisor (employer) submits their portion of the application, Dr. Cunningham will receive a notification via email that all materials of your application have been submitted and are ready for review. Dr. Cunningham will then review your internship application and determine if it is suitable for academic credit by either approving or denying it.

You must track the status of both of these approvals by logging back on to your submitted application; you are responsible for ensuring that these approvals are granted before the deadline and following up when needed. Students who do not complete these steps by the posted deadline will be dropped from the internship course and will not receive academic credit for their internship.

Submission due dates for the internship application:

• Spring 2024 internship application submission - January 23, 2024, 12 p.m. central time
• Summer 2024 internship application submission - June 7, 2024, 12 p.m. central time
• Fall 2024 internship application submission - September 3, 2024 noon, 12 p.m. central time

Approval due dates for the internship application:

• Spring 2024 internship application approval - January 31, 2024 noon, 12 p.m. central time
• Summer 2024 internship application submission - June 11, 2024 noon. 12 p.m. central time
• Fall 2024 internship application approval - September 11, 2024 noon, 12 p.m. central time