STUDIO ART INTERNSHIP GUIDELINES

ELIGIBILITY

Students must be current Studio Art majors (either BA or BFA program) in good academic standing and have a minimum “B” average in Studio Art courses. Students must have completed all Foundations coursework (ART1000, ART1201C, ART1203, ART1300C, ART1602C, ART2204C) and be admitted to Upper Division status (52 earned credit hours) before beginning an internship.

WHAT IS AN ART INTERNSHIP?

“An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.”

– National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). 

Internships are one-time hands-on work or service experiences: 

• Related to the student intern’s major or career goal and employers must provide ongoing  professional development and mentorship,

• Involves work in a professional setting, 
• Supervision provided by practicing art or design professionals in the field,
• Guided by predetermined learning outcomes, such as course objectives, student’s written goals, and employer’s stated expectations, which the intern engages in and reflects upon throughout the experience. 

An internship is designed to provide the student with experience in a career setting; some are paid, and some are voluntary, unpaid activities. 

The internship is a reciprocal arrangement: Students exchange their work in return for on-the-job training and work experience. Therefore, the on-the-job supervisor should make available a professional learning art or design experience/opportunity. If a student is already employed in an art or design-related job, the department cannot grant internship credit to continue that same activity. Students cannot duplicate the same internship for credit in the future.

Examples of art internship experiences: 

• Assisting a professional artist with production and post-production of artworks, managing websites, and social media
• Working under a design professional in creating briefs, assets, or graphic communications for print or web
• Assisting in a gallery or museum in exhibitions, art handling, development, or promotion & marketing
• Working with a professional art educator developing and delivering lessons to students

RECEIVING COLLEGE CREDIT

• To receive academic credit in Studio Art, all paid and non-paid internships must be art-related and approved by the Internship Course Instructor and the Chair of the Department of Art before beginning the internship.
• Students can complete an internship over 14 weeks during the spring, summer, or fall semesters. Most internships consist of receiving three (3) credit hours in exchange for 10-12 work hours per week during a given semester. Longer duration internships, such as full-time summer experiences, should be discussed with the department before applying. 
• IMPORTANT: By signing up for an internship experience, students enroll in ART 4943: Internship in Creative Art course and will be assessed tuition and fees based on the credit hours in which students are enrolled. In addition to participating in the internship, students will also be required to participate in a class and complete class assignments. Students will receive a Pass/Fail grade for the course based on class assignments and supervisor evaluation.

INTERNSHIP PROCEDURES

Note: It is strongly advised that students meet with their academic advisors to understand how receiving internship credit will affect course and graduation requirements. Internship credit does not take the place of studio lab courses, and only three (3) internship credits can be applied toward Studio Art major requirements. Students may take additional internship credits (with prior approval), but these will only count toward elective credit and not for Studio Art major requirements.

STEP ONE: FINDING AN INTERNSHIP

• Meet with the College of Fine Arts Career Center Liaison, Anissa Ford (asford@fsu.edu). She will walk students through NOLENETWORK and Career Center job and internship databases.
• Finding an internship is similar to finding a job. Students will want to research prospective internship sites, and students will need a resume, a cover letter, and examples of their work to share with prospective internship supervisors. 
• There is very often a competitive n application process for internships with larger companies, and if this is the route students choose, consider applying to at least a few. 

The FSU Career Center is a wonderful resource for help in finding internships, preparing submissions, and conducting mock interviews to prepare for the interview process. 

STEP TWO: FILLING OUT & SUBMITTING THE INTERNSHIP FORM

Once students have found an employer, please see that the following documents are filled out and submitted: 

1. Student Internship Form – to be completed by the student (link to online form)
2. Internship Employer Form – to be completed by the employer/supervisor (link to online form)
   

The deadline to submit forms is the last day of classes prior to the internship semester. Forms received after this date may not be processed until Drop/Add, and late registration fees may be assessed. No internship requests will be processed after drop/add. Keep in mind that it is not guaranteed that an internship that the department has not vetted will be approved, so it is in the student’s best interest to communicate their intentions with the department, their advisor, and the career liaison and submit their application promptly.

Deadline for Summer 2022: Friday, April 8

Deadline for Fall 2022: Friday, August 12

After approval, it will be vetted by both our Academic Advisor and the Department of Art Chair. Students will be notified once the internship is approved and students are registered for internship credit hours. At the beginning of the internship semester, an email will be sent to students with class information and the syllabus.

STEP THREE: SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THE INTERNSHIP AND COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

In order to successfully complete the internship and receive a passing grade, students need to:

1. Complete all Canvas-based assignments — these include, but may not be limited to the Goal Setting assignment, Mid-Semester Check-in, and a Final Report.
2. Receive a positive evaluation from their employer via the online evaluation survey sent to them by the Internship Course Instructor.