Internships

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication uses specific criteria when evaluating internships. Students can refer to the following guidelines to assess whether an opportunity may be suitable, although the Cronkite Career Services team must ultimately approve all internships before a student will be cleared to register for credit.

• The experience must correspond with an ASU semester such as spring (January – April), summer (May – July), fall (August – December).
• Interns need to complete a minimum number of working hours at the internship which equates to the internship course credit hours. Actual hours per week will depend on duration of internship and agreement with internship supervisor. The intern may work more than the minimum hours requirement if the employer and student mutually agree to it.
• Internship organizations are required to maintain an active digital presence, including relevant, up-to-date postings. All content must be current, with the latest posts made within the past 30 days at the time of review by the Cronkite Career Services office.
• The internship must be a media focused learning experience that applies the knowledge gained in the classroom.
• The experience has a defined beginning and end, as well as a clear description of the tasks, responsibilities, compensation, and expectations of the intern.
• There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
• Regular access to a supervisor who can give the intern feedback, provide orientation and on-boarding training, and who can dedicate time and resources to the intern.
• Supervisor must possess expertise directly related to the intern’s responsibilities and must have at least two years of relevant, full-time work experience. (At least one year of supervisory experience is preferred.)
• The experience will provide exposure to multiple aspects of a professional career field or industry. Interns should have a chance to get to know other professionals in related fields, either within the organization or through other structured opportunities.
• A balanced, structured experience that allows students to engage in substantive long and short-term projects related to the media industry.
• Exposure to opportunities that build on academic learning, enhance communication and interpersonal skills, and meet key people (sitting in on meetings, site visits, conferences, etc.)
• The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
• There are resources, equipment and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.
• Internships can be completed in person, hybrid, or remote. Fully remote internships may require additional documentation.
• The employer complies with all applicable federal, state, and local Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws (http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html), worker’s compensation laws, workplace safety, and unemployment insurance laws, according to the jurisdiction where the employment is offered.
• The employer does not have any record of substantiated claims by any litigation, governmental entity, regulator, or peer institution involving, but not limited to, discrimination or harassment, wage and hour violations, workplace safety violations, fraudulent behavior, misrepresentation, and/or bait and switch tactics.

In addition, all students are governed by Rules and Regulations of Arizona State University. These can be found on the ASU website at:

• Student Rights and Responsibilities
• Student Code of Conduct
• Academic Integrity

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication cannot approve the following experiences as internships for credit:

• Students cannot earn internship credit for duties performed as part of their current full-time or part-time (non-internship) employment.
• Internships with organizations that have existed for fewer than five years, and/or with fewer than three full-time employees.
• Responsibilities related to sales, cold-calling, or generating business for the internship organization. Minimal routine administrative or clerical work should be no more than 20% of time worked.
• Internships that consist of observing, shadowing, or being exposed to professional work without meaningful hands-on experience. The internship must require students to actively create and contribute to media industry content; observational experiences do not qualify.
• The work performed by an intern cannot primarily benefit the employer in a way that does not also advance the education of the student. An internship must be primarily a learning experience for the student.
• Internships which involve door-to-door solicitation/sales or that require students to market goods/services/brands to university students on campus.
• Interns are prohibited from working or meeting in an employer’s private residence.
• Internships with individual consultants, contractors, or faculty members. The internship needs to be with an organization, not an individual.
• Students may not intern for themselves, a family member or relative, a friend, a significant other, a current ASU student, or any person that they have a relationship with that may be deemed as a conflict of interest (such as a coach, future in-law, or any person who reports directly or indirectly to any of the above).
• Internships focused exclusively on manual labor (for example: working on a farm doing the work of weeding, planting, etc.). There must be additional projects and learning opportunities.
• Employers needs to be a legally established/incorporated and insured business or non-profit (not an uninsured sole proprietorship).
• Although marijuana (cannabis) is legal in the state of Arizona, it is not legal under federal law. To ensure compliance with federal law, Cronkite Career Services will not post internship or work opportunities at companies that may possess or come into contact with marijuana products. Additionally, Cronkite Career Services will not support internships for credit or non-credit where a student may come into contact with marijuana products (including work with a company’s clients, attendance at marijuana conventions, etc.). ASU complies with the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act of 1989.
• Employers a part of or associated with the adult entertainment industry.
• Employers require an initial payment or investment or account balance or similar fiscal requirements with the organization itself serving as an umbrella or parent corporation. These investments include, but are not limited to:
  • requirement to attend unpaid orientation
  • requirement to attend unpaid trainings
  • direct payment of a fixed fee
  • payment to attend orientation or trainings and/or purchase, rent, or deposit for a starter sales kit, samples, or presentation supplies
• Employers hiring for multi-level marketing positions. Additional practices that may lead to exclusion from employer recruitment activities at Arizona State University include, but are not limited to:
  • fraud
  • misrepresentation
  • bait and switch tactics
  • breach of confidentiality
  • substantiated complaints by or harassment of Arizona State University students, alumni, or staff
  • requiring personal information (e.g. bank account and/or social security numbers) when not part of the hiring process
  • any practice or conduct which in the sole and absolute discretion of Cronkite Career Services is unacceptable

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication advocates for all students to be paid throughout their internship.

• The rate of pay for a student’s internship complies with federal, state, and local minimum wage and overtime laws. Housing cannot be the sole form of compensation.
• If the company is unable to provide an hourly wage, then a monthly or semester financial stipend should be considered.
• Cronkite Career Services does not accept commission-only internships.
• If offering an unpaid internship, the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act guidelines (https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm) must be met.
• Through the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), unpaid internships for public sector and non-profit charitable organizations, where the intern volunteers without expectation of compensation, are generally permissible. However, those organizations are still expected to provide a learning experience that benefits the intern. Attention to detail must be taken to ensure that if an internship is unpaid, it falls clearly within the legal guidelines that make it a learning experience and not a job.
• For-profit companies interested in employing an intern are required to comply with the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which governs minimum wage requirements in for-profit organizations.