Internships add a valuable dimension to your education and, looking ahead, to your career. They provide practical experience and useful skill building along with opportunities to explore potential career paths. Employers look for candidates who have worked in professional environments, and the contacts you make at an internship can improve your job prospects after graduation.
If you want to earn either 2 or 4 credits for a semester’s internship, you’ve come to the right place. There are a few steps you’ll need to take prior to accepting an internship offer, and a few more steps in order to earn those credits.
First, The Big Picture
These instructions and forms pertain to internships for both undergraduate and graduate students while you are studying in Boston. Internships while on Study Abroad (including Los Angeles) are handled by those programs. You can do a 4-credit internship while based in Boston, and another 4-credit internship while studying abroad, but only 4 of those credits will count towards your major. The other 4 will be applied to your general elective credits.
Internships for credit may be taken in the fall, spring and summer semesters and must have a connection to film or television. An internship that qualifies for credit can take many forms. You can work on a TV show or an independent film. In development doing script coverage for a production company. Edit digital shorts to enhance a company’s marketing. Help select entries for a film festival. Support a casting director. And the list goes on. If you have any questions about whether an internship qualifies for credit, it’s best to check in advance with Faculty Internship Professor Sheila Sitomer ssitomer@bu.edu before you get too deep into the process.
You are responsible for finding your internship. There are resources to help you in Step 3 below. In order to earn 2 credits, you’ll need to intern at least 100 hours in one semester; for 4 credits it’s at least 200 hours in one semester. The internship must be completed by the last day of class. You’ll receive either a Pass or Fail for this course based on the reports you submit to Prof. Sitomer during your internship and the written evaluation from your internship supervisor.
There is no retroactive credit for internships you have already completed but didn’t register for, so it’s important to follow all the steps outlined below to receive credit.
Passing the course automatically qualifies you for successful completion of COM CO575, the zero-credit professional experience required of all COM undergraduates in order to get their degree. (One note here: You will incur tuition charges for credit-bearing internships. You can do an internship to fulfill the zero-credit COM CO575 requirement without receiving academic credit; in that case, you will only be charged a small registration fee. You can find the COM CO575 form here. Fill it out and submit it to your faculty mentor for approval.)
The course number for an undergraduate internship is FT493 or FT494. For a graduate internship it’s FT953 or FT954. But you will not register for an internship on your own. Once you and your internship supervisor submit the necessary paperwork to Prof. Sitomer and you have completed the prerequisites (undergraduates only), she will ask Film & TV Department Administrator Kellie Innes to register you.
Graduate students who intern in the summer will be enrolled in CO599S, a placeholder course that incurs only a small registration fee. Then, in the fall semester, you’ll be registered in the appropriate internship course section and your credits from the summer internship will show up in your fall record. If this causes a course overload for the fall semester, please check in with COM Graduate Affairs at comgrad@bu.edu.
International students who are interning in the U.S. must work with ISSO. Request that CPT forms be sent to Film & TV Department Administrator Kellie Innes at innesk@bu.edu. She will sign them.
That was the big picture. Now follow the steps listed below.
The Internship Process
- As of Spring 2026, undergraduates at all levels may take an internship for academic credit, and there is no longer a COM GPA requirement.
- Successfully completed COM FT 201 & COM FT 310
Get fully read in on the process.
While you are responsible for securing your internship, there are campus resources that can help you discover some of those opportunities. COM Career Services is a good place to start. They’ve compiled a list of some of the more prominent internship opportunities for COM students. (note: Film & TV organizations have a habit of changing names and ownership, so make sure you’re contacting the current company). It’s also a good idea to ask Career Services if they have any feedback on an internship you’re interested in. Students fill out surveys about their experiences after they complete their internships.
The Film & TV Department’s weekly newsletter lists internships and jobs in each issue. BU also maintains a database of job and internship opportunities on Handshake: https://bu.joinhandshake.com.
BU’s Center for Career Development has some good advice on interviewing, internships with stipends, and professional dress. Your academic advisor and faculty advisor can also be of help.
IMPORTANT: You’re not ready to commit to the internship. Keep reading.
Fill out the application and email it to Prof. Sitomer at ssitomer@bu.edu. If you are an undergraduate, include a current transcript (it can be an “unofficial” transcript) with your name and BU ID # on it. If Prof. Sitomer has any questions, she’ll be in touch with you.
Fill out the Confirmation Form with the supervisor at your internship and email it to Prof. Sitomer at ssitomer@bu.edu. If your internship supervisor requires a letter from the university stating that you will receive academic credit (in lieu of compensation) for your internship, Prof. Sitomer can provide that to you. VERY IMPORTANT: If your internship supervisor wants you to sign a document such as an NDA (Non-disclosure agreement), an Employee Agreement, or any other type of contract, don’t sign it until you have provided it to Prof. Sitomer and she’s had an opportunity to review it and give you feedback.
Prof. Sitomer will let Film & Television Department Administrator Kellie Innes know that you are now authorized to be registered for your internship. You’re now ready to commit to and begin your internship! This course will take a few days to show up on MyBU Student. Look for either FT493 or FT494 if you are an undergraduate, and FT953 or FT954 if you’re a graduate student. Make sure the number of credits is correct. Note: if you are a graduate student doing a summer internship, you’ll be enrolled in CO599S, a placeholder course that incurs only a small registration fee. The actual internship course with your credits will show up on MyBU Student in your list of courses for the fall semester. Note: If you are an international student on a current F-1 student visas, you are are eligible to submit your CPT requests on the ISSOPortal under “Request Center” after your registration is completed for the internship course. For more information, visit the ISSO Website or contact isso@bu.edu. IMPORTANT: Most internships go very well and both the student and internship supervisor are satisfied. However, if you encounter any issues during your internship that are causing you undue stress or discomfort, please bring them to Prof. Sitomer’s attention.
Halfway through your internship, you must email a report to Prof. Sitomer. This is a fairly brief summary of the structure of the company, your responsibilities, and very important – how the experience has been so far for you. Get the details in the Mid-Semester Report Guide.
By the last day of your internship, and definitely by the last day of classes, you must email a final report to Prof. Sitomer. This is more in-depth than the mid-semester report, and its focus is different. In very broad terms, you want to take the experience you had at your internship and expand upon it. For example, it could be your understanding of how this area of the industry operates. Or, a deep dive into the people who work in that area, the content they create and the audience they hope to reach. Or, what you discovered about your skills and talents, and how you intend to follow up your internship with further research, training, coursework or another internship.
The final step in the process requires your internship supervisor to fill out and sign an evaluation of your internship. You then read it, sign it, and email it to Prof. Sitomer by the last day of classes. In order to receive a Passing grade, you must submit the mid-semester report, the final report, and receive a satisfactory evaluation from your internship supervisor.
You’ll be doing your fellow students (and future interns) a big favor by letting them know what you thought of your internship. Well, thankfully there’s a form for that. This is not a requirement to receive a passing grade or academic credit for your internship. But, it will greatly assist other students in their internship searches. Here’s the brief survey from COM Career Services.