Internship & Careers Overview

Internships

The Communication Department at George Mason University encourages and supports students who wish to complete an internship in a range of communication related positions, while earning academic credit. Internships act as a bridge to the workforce by offering students opportunities to gain valuable work experience, and obtain the tools needed to enter a professional environment.

The internship program pairs career management course work with the internship learning experience. Communication majors and minors spend approximately ten hours each week during the semester working with a sponsored on-campus or off-campus organization. Interns perform communication related supervised work. Positions can be paid or unpaid. The course can be taken a second time for academic credit.

The Washington, D.C. region has a wide range of internship opportunities. Students can work with a large corporation, small company or association. Communication internship related fields include: journalism, social media, marketing, public relations, sports, health, science, government, politics, public policy, education, research, human resources, administration, radio and television production.

Past and present internships include: the White House, the U.S Congress, national and local radio and television broadcast facilities, major and local newspapers, magazines, public relations companies, major sports teams, public school systems, George Mason University, industry corporate headquarters, non-profit organizations, national associations, foundations, health organizations, political campaigns, military organizations, and many national and local government organizations. Mason students are highly regarded by area employers.

Careers

Our alumni have gone on to have successful careers all over the world. In every concentration, students have followed their passion! There are many different ways you can pursue your dreams too! Talk to your professors who have information about the career you want to pursue, join campus organizations, and work as an intern!

For information on how to find a job, please visit Career Services.  

Intern of the Week

At certain times during the semester we will post a short article of our chosen Intern of the Week. This will highlight the student and company or organization for which they are interning. The Intern of the Week will be featured on the main Communication Department website and its social media accounts.

COMM 450 (Internship) Course:  0-6 credits

Comm 450 offers an opportunity to receive on-the-job training through an approved experiential learning program. The focus of the internship is for students to work on projects that develop skills and/or apply theory in various areas of communication (interpersonal, organizational, public relations, media production, journalism, mass media, sports, health and political communication). Internships can be virtual, on-campus or off-campus, and positions can be paid or unpaid. Course credit is variable from 1 – 6 semester credit hours.

COMM 450 class sessions are used to share internship experiences and assist students with any internship issues. Coursework includes career management and development, writing your resume and cover letter, practicing interview skills, reflecting by writing journal entries. Selected classes have industry professionals provide first-hand guidance and offer meaningful transition information.

To be eligible to register for COMM 450, a student must be a declared communication major or minor, have completed a total of 60 hours of college credit, have successfully completed 15 hours of communication credit, and have earned a 2.5 GPA overall. Register for Handshake with GMU Career Services. The department can possibly assist students in identifying eligible internships. Sixty percent of the internship grade is based on site supervisor evaluations, and forty percent of the internship grade is based on course engagement and assignment completion.
In order to receive academic credit for an internship, the student is obligated to complete the following:

  • Complete intern work hours that correspond to the # of semester university course credits
  • Attend several virtual class sessions
  • Complete all career development & management assignments
  • Submit an end-of-course reflection report
  • Present an oral report to the class on the internship and experiential learning

Note: All COMM 450 students must be communication majors. However, if you do not meet the minimum credit or GPA requirements but still would like to apply for the internship course, please contact Associate Chair, Dr. Xiaomei Cai at xcai@gmu.edu, or the internship coordinator. Exceptions to the above eligibility criteria are considered on a case-by-case basis.


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Internship Locations

Department of Communication majors have successfully interned at these companies:

  • Washington Commanders
  • Washington Nationals
  • Washington Wizards
  • Washington Mystics
  • Washington Spirit
  • Washington Capitals
  • DC United
  • Miami Heat - Arena Video Productions
  • The Washinton Post
  • USA Today
  • Gannett Co, Inc
  • Fairfax County Times
  • NBC Television
  • Fox 5 Television
  • ABC Television
  • CBS Television
  • DC 101 Radio
  • 106.7 radio - Sports Junkies Show
  • PBS
  • Voice of America
  • US House of Representatives
  • US Senate
  • US Secret Service
  • US Army
  • City of Fairfax
  • Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
  • French Embassy
  • Marriott
  • Sage Communications LLC
  • Degy Entertainment
  • CGI, Inc
  • Merritt Group
  • Merrill Lynch
  • Booz-Allen Hamilton
  • Raytheon Technologies
  • Northrup Grumman
  • Lockheed Martin Corporation
  • Dulles Airport
  • American Red Cross
  • American Heart Association
  • Sodexo
  • CARP Research Lab
  • Manassas City Public Schools
  • Fairfax County Public Schools
  • Alexandria City Schools
  • George Mason University