Students in UK’s School of Journalism and Media are required to complete at least one internship for graduation. Typically, students will do this JAM internship in one of their last two semesters in the school, after they’ve established a foundation of conceptual knowledge and skills through multiple courses within their major. 

For students, the purpose of the JAM internship is to both put to practical use the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their major and to acquire additional skills. They must also be supervised by someone who already has those skills. JAM 399 interns MUST be supervised by media or communications professionals. Therefore, while a situation where a student would be the sole communications person within an organization might be an appropriate part-time job, it would not normally qualify for internship credit as there would be no supervision by a professional with those same skills.

We cannot approve internships for JAM 399 credit if the student will be the only person involved in the communications aspect of the organization or if the student will be supervised by another student. The supervisor must be a media or communications professional. 

We also do not generally approve sales positions for JAM 399 credit, except in cases where the student will be making calls with a sales professional or be meeting with a sales professional on a frequent basis. Sales positions where the student worker calls in to a main office to report on progress are very good work experience, but they are not internships.

The JAM internship is also an opportunity for the student to “test” a profession, to see if this is a career path they want to pursue after graduation. We recognize that most jobs involve some amount of clerical work, but we do not give JAM internship credit for positions where the majority of the student’s time is spent making copies, filing, answering telephones, etc. The JAM internship experience must be a professional experience.

For prospective internship placement sites, we hope and believe that you will find our students to be enthusiastic, energetic and eager to apply their skills and learn more about your particular field. We hope that you will benefit from the experience just as much as the students themselves.

To be considered as a JAM internship placement site, please answer the following questions. We will review your proposed placement with appropriate faculty in the school, let you know of any questions we have, and notify you when the internship has been approved for JAM credit. At that point, we will publicize the internship to our students and add it to our listing of internship sites. 

Each student pursuing an internship must complete a contract with their site supervisor. This contract allows for the specific internship experience to be customized to the student’s interests and abilities and the employer’s needs. Please answer the questions in the survey linked below in terms of the baseline experience an intern would gain with your company.