Internships in Art & Design
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. Internships involve work in a professional setting, that is supervised and trained by practicing art or design professionals in the field and 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
Internship Experiences
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.
RECEIVING COLLEGE CREDIT
To receive academic credit in Studio Art, internships must be art-related and approved by the Department of Art before beginning the internship.
Students must work directly with an art or design professional or with a professional in an art-related position, such as a professional artist, art director, arts administrator, gallery/museum professional, art therapist, art educator, etc. The professional and the company or organization they work for must have a proven track record with credentials and appropriate certification. Students should contact Liz Di Donna (edidonna@fsu.edu) if there are questions, and Aimee Rieger (arieger@fsu.edu) can assist students looking for a quality experience.
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 (140 hours minimum). Longer duration internships, such as full-time summer experiences, should be discussed with the department before applying.
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.
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.
For situations where academic credit is not applicable, students can also apply to earn recognition for their résumé through the Career Center’s Experience Recognition Program (ERP).
INTERNSHIP PROCEDURES
It is strongly advised that students meet with their academic advisor 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 who work beyond the minimum hours stated above may be eligible to take additional internship credits, but these will only count toward elective credit and not for Studio Art major requirements.
How to get & complete and art internship:
STEP ONE: FINDING AN INTERNSHIP
- Meet with the College of Fine Arts Career Center Liaison, Aimee Rieger (arieger@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 should research prospective internship sites, and prepare a resume, a cover letter, and examples of their work to share with prospective internship supervisors.
- There is very often a competitive 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: SUBMITTING THE INTERNSHIP FORM TO REQUEST ACADEMIC CREDIT
Once students have accepted an internship offer, please see that the following documents are filled out and submitted:
- Student Internship Form – to be completed by the student
- Supervisor/Employer Internship Form – to be completed by the employer/supervisor
Deadline for Summer 2025 Semester: Friday, April 6
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:
- Complete all Canvas-based assignments — these include, but may not be limited to the Goal Setting assignment, Mid-Semester Check-in, an Internship Survey, and a Final Report.
- Receive a positive evaluation from their employer via the online evaluation survey sent to them by the Internship Course Instructor.
