Internships

Sarah Asselta is gaining experience as an intern at the Stony Brook Press.
"I'm able to see how many people and how much work it actually takes to put together a newspaper," she said.

The School of Journalism helps students prepare for real-world internships through a one-credit internship at one of the university’s many newspapers, online news site, campus radio station or television station. The on-campus internship is required for journalism majors.
Students may also take a three-credit off-campus internship as an elective.
On-campus interns meet with a faculty mentor throughout the semester to discuss their experiences and progress. At the end of the semester, mentors help students put together a resume, clip portfolio or reel. Faculty members also help students with interviewing skills and cover letters for future internships or jobs.
Students are encouraged to gain practical experience by interning at an off-campus newspaper, magazine, website or radio or television station. Students can earn up to three credits at an off-campus internship.
Fall or spring internships require at least two full workdays. Summer internships can require more work, but they all provide students with valuable on-the-job training and experience.

More Internship Experiences

• Interning at the New York Daily News
• Discovering a New World: Long-Form TV
• Interning at National Geographic Adventure Magazine
• Working at a weekly newspaper
• Interning at News 12 Interactive
• Interning at the Village Voice

When Liz Cooper made a call last spring to follow up on the internship she wanted for the summer, she learned that her dream position at Capital 9 News Albany had already been filled. But that didn’t stop her from describing the computer skills she had picked up in her journalism classes and her experience working at Stony Brook's on-campus television station.

She landed an internship at the 24-hour cable news station right over the phone.

"All it took was convincing her that I had enough experience and passion," said Cooper, who spent the summer working one-on-one with a veteran reporter.

Mike Kelly got an internship at his hometown newspaper, the Albany Times Union, after the paper’s features department came across his resume and called Stony Brook's journalism school, where professors put in a good word for him.

Ashley Barton successfully applied to the T. Howard Foundation internship program, which places women and minority students at multimedia companies and has begun to work closely with Stony Brook. She spent her summer at Multichannel News, a trade publication, where she pitched story ideas, created online news packages and networked with professionals in the business. Before she left, she was offered a full-time job upon graduating.

April Warren, Josh Seidman, Arielle Brechisci and three other Stony Brook journalism majors spent the summer canvassing Long Island as reporters for Newsday, one of the largest newspapers in the country.

“You were heading out by yourself almost every day,” Warren said. “And learning stuff that you couldn’t learn in a classroom.” The fast-paced work environment also gave the interns valuable training. They often had just one workday to research, report, write and edit stories.

Stephanie Brumsey interned at Aviation Week, a trade magazine, where she said she was “treated like a real journalist” and made contacts within one of the nation’s largest publishing companies.

Barbara Selvin, an assistant professor and the school’s internship coordinator, said internships have become essential in journalism.

“The three most important things employers look for are involvement in a campus news organization, grades and internships,” agreed Associate Dean Marcy McGinnis. “Internships are one of the most important things you can possibly be involved in.”