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Department of Journalism » Print Journalism

Print Journalism Internship Program

In conjunction with New England publishers, agencies, and broadcasters, the School has developed an extensive internship program for print, photo, and broadcast journalism majors.

Internships for superior undergraduates can be arranged with the publishers of weekly and daily newspapers and magazines as well as radio, television, and cable news and public affairs programs. When possible, the student selects a publication within his or her field of specialization. Students may intern either part time during a regular semester or full time over the summer. For more details, see the course description for COM JO 411/412 or COM JO 413.

Internships are also available year-round to broadcast journalism students at both public and commercial radio and television stations, and at Internet news organizations.

All candidates for internships with credit must have junior standing. All broadcast journalism internship candidates must have junior standing, be enrolled in or have completed COM JO 351, and have a 3.0 grade point average in their COM courses.

Washington Journalism Internship

Students are provided with internships in the D.C. bureaus of national news organizations including the Wall Street Journal, NBC News, National Public Radio, Fortune Magazine, People Magazine, Congressional Quarterly, and Fox News. Working side by side with national journalists, students can make contacts with potential future employers and earn bylines in national publications.

Political Reporting

A course in political reporting is taught by Washington Journalism Center Director Professor Linda Killian. Regular seminars in the legislative process, money and politics, and political feature writing are also given by national journalists Kevin Merida of The Washington Post, Fortune Magazine's Jeffrey Birnbaum, and Richard Cohen of the National Journal. Weekly brown-bag lunches bring students together with newsmakers, editors, bureau chiefs, and such reporters as Nightline's Ted Koppel. Special events include visits to the Newseum, meetings with editors and tours of the newsrooms of The New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today, and attending a taping of NBC's Meet the Press.

The Washington Journalism Center is a joint program of Boston University's Department of Journalism and the International Programs Division. Students earn 16 academic credits for the semester. Tuition and fees are the same as those at Boston University's Charles River Campus.

The BU Washington Center, where participants in the Washington Journalism Center live and work, has a fully equipped newsroom, library, computer lab, student lounge, and classroom facilities as well as fully furnished apartments. The fall semester runs from early September to mid-December. The spring semester goes from mid-January to early May. Visit our website: www.bu.edu/washjocenter.

Boston State House Program

This program, open to seniors, post-graduate, and graduate students, offers the opportunity to report on state government, with students filing reports for client newspaper and broadcast organizations throughout the state, receiving instruction in political and public policy reporting and participating in internship assignments with leading Boston-area media.

The program will be under the immediate supervision of a full-time faculty member with extensive experience reporting on political affairs. Patterned after the remarkably successful Washington Journalism Center, the State House program is designed for students who wish to stay closer to home or those with a special interest in the Massachusetts political scene.

Science Journalism Graduate Internships

Each student is expected either to take a position as an intern during the summer between the second and third semesters or to complete a supervised directed study in science writing. All internships are supervised and must be approved by the director.

Interns are expected to do meaningful work that develops their skills in research, writing, or editing. Within these limitations, students are encouraged to seek summer jobs that meet the internship requirement. Supervisors are asked to submit a written evaluation and grade following the completion of the internship.

Recent graduates have landed positions at Time, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, Discover, Science, and PBS’s NOVA documentary series.