Many English majors and PPW Certificate students find internships a profitable way to combine their academic work with practical job experience. An internship develops important contacts that may lead to jobs or at least to decisions about your post-graduation career, gives you a look at the workplace in a communication/writing-related field, and expands your college experience.
Almost all internships are for academic credit, though occasionally one will offer some pay in the form of a stipend as well. Writing, PPW, and Literature majors and PPW certificate students are encouraged to do more than one internship, but they may not do more than two internships for credit, and only one in a given term. Film Studies students can only count one internship (up to 3 credits) as an elective for the major. Students may receive pay and academic credit for the same internship.
+Earn Academic Credit for Your Internship
Requirements: An internship is a great way to earn not only experience but also academic credit toward your English major or certificate. Internships for which you earn any college credits must have an academic component; see more on this requirement below.
For an internship to satisfy a major requirement for PPW or to satisfy an elective requirement for a Writing, Literature, Film, or PPW major, the internship must be taken for 3 credits. Internships not fulfilling a course requirement (i.e. counting toward total graduation credits) may be taken for 1, 2, or 3 credits, with the workload being commensurate with the number of credits. We encourage you to complete multiple internships; please note that Writing, Literature, and PPW students may not do more than two internships for credit toward their major or certificate.
Your internship site must be approved by the English Department in order for you to receive credit. Check with the Internship Coordinator to see if your site has been approved or to arrange a vetting phone call.
Timing: You may only complete one internship for credit in one term; i.e., you may not complete two or more internships per term. Exceptions may be made for students with extenuating circumstances, but you must have approval from the Internship Coordinator and English Advising.
You must be registered for credit at the beginning of your internship; we cannot apply credit retroactively to an internship you’ve been working at for multiple weeks or one you completed the prior semester.
For a 3-credit internship, you must work at least 10-15 hours per week at your internship site (including remote work). Students completing internships for Writing and PPW program requirements must spent at least 50% of these hours in writing-related activities. For Literature and Film Studies majors, in conjunction with an internship “writing” will be considered as any work that involves reading, proofreading, evaluation, and/or editing, technical production, as well as actual composition.
Regarding tuition costs, please be aware that enrolling in your internship for credit costs the same as enrolling in any other credits at Pitt. If you are considering an internship for the summer or any other semester you may be enrolled less than full-time, make sure to consult the Office of Financial Aid well in advance to discuss your coverage.
Read the full English Department Internship Requirements document here.
+Find an Internship
There are many ways to find an internship appropriate for your English program and your interests:
- English Department Internship Database: this curated list includes approved sites where Pitt English students have had meaningful and positive internship experiences. Note: this list does not include film internships.
- Film and Media Studies Site: Film and Media Studies majors can browse a list of appropriate internships on this site.
- Handshake lists many currently available internships. Note: internships on Handshake may not have been approved for English Department internships yet—make sure to check with the Internship Coordinator.
- Pitt’s Career Center offers numerous resources for internship-seekers, including an Internship Prep Program. Make sure to look out for the Job and Internship Fairs hosted by the Career Center each semester.
- Study Abroad Programs with Internship Opportunities:
- Pitt in London during the regular semester, during summer session 1, or during summer session 2
- Pitt in Sydney during the regular semester or during summer term
- International Internship Program: Berlin, Dublin, Paris, or Madrid.
Consultations:
- If you have general questions about internships, contact English and Film Advising.
- To inquire about program-specific internship opportunities or to discuss an internship for which you plan to apply or have already secured, contact the appropriate person:
- Literature, Writing, PPW, and DNID students: Internship Coordinator
- Film Studies majors: Mark Best
- Non-Writing Intensive Internships: Lori Campbell-Tanner
- You are welcome to contact one of the above program-specific faculty members to discuss internship opportunities that intersect with your specific goals; please make sure you have completely read the Internship Requirements before your appointment so you can make the most of your consultation time.
+Financial Assistance for Your Internship
The Department of English and Film Studies Program are grateful for the continued support of our sponsoring partners, which provide grant support for Pitt undergraduates pursuing internships in media, public relations, film, and related fields. You can find additional grant application information here (PDF).
You can find the grant application here.
Flora R. Rathburn Endowed Internship Fund
The Flora R. Rathburn Endowed Internship Fund was established in January 2017 through a gift from Karen P. Rathburn and the Rathburn Family Foundation to support nonfiction majors completing internships with newspapers, journals, and magazines who have financial needs related to unpaid internships or living expenses.
The Rotharmel Memorial Fund
The Rotharmel Memorial Fund was established in December 2012 through an estate gift from Sue Adele Rotharmel of Washington, D.C., to the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. The purpose of the fund is to support students with unpaid internships related to nonfiction writing in the publishing and media industry, with preference for experiences in major publishing centers (e.g. New York City, Boston, and Washington, D.C.) and/or internships at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Daniel Booker Fund
Mr. Booker created the Booker intern program to help support student internships in journalistic reporting and writing at Pitt and in Western Pennsylvania. Students who have published in The Pitt News or other student-run journalistic media approved by the English department are eligible for funding. Preference for the Booker Fund is specific local journalism sites; for 2024 this includes Allegheny Front’s summer internship and PublicSource. If student is selected for one of these internship positions, they will automatically be awarded this grant unless they have previously received an English Department Internship Grant. As such, students do not need to apply for this grant; they will be considered for it as applicants for an internship at Allegheny Front and PublicSource.
Daniel I. Booker is a 1968 graduate of the School of Liberal Arts. He went on to the Law School of the University of Chicago and then to an active law practice with the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the global law firm Reed Smith. From 1991 through 2001, he was the Managing Partner, or CEO, of Reed Smith. He has been recognized as a leading counselor and trial lawyer to businesses throughout the U.S. and is a leader of multiple community, civic, and professional organizations. While an undergraduate at Pitt, Mr. Booker’s principal extracurricular activity was working as a reporter, news editor, and managing editor at The Pitt News. He also worked part time while at Pitt writing for local professional media. He attributes a great deal of his success to his experience collecting, writing, and editing news.
