Internships

Internships: A Link to the Professional World
Deciding which jobs to pursue after graduation with an English degree requires advance work: conducting interviews with people in professional positions, researching career choices, and experimenting through internships.

The English Department offers a flexible-credit (three or six) internship course for English majors and minors to ease the transition to the professional world. Students enroll in the course, English 493, while working 14 or more hours a week in an internship that involves writing. Whether they are working at a magazine, a non-profit, an association, a law firm, a theatre, a film company, or a large corporation, interns gain the experience that future employers will require, and make valuable contacts. Its large cultural and business base makes Chicago an ideal environment in which to find an internship.

Internship credit is available in fall, spring, and summer.

Prerequisites for the course:

  1. Grade point average of 2.5
  2. English 160,161, 202 (Media and Professional Writing), 240 and either ENGL 241, 242, or 243
  3. Consent of the instructor

Transfer students must complete their first semester at UIC prior to obtaining an internship.

Students must contact the English Department Coordinator, Linda Landis Andrews, during their internship search. She will review your internship packet (compiled in English 202), which will include a polished cover letter, focused resume, and two interesting samples of writing for the public (interview, press release, report, blog, feature story).

Once chosen for an internship, students will register for English 493. Assignments in this course, which meets for an hour each week during the semester, include weekly progress reports, an information interview, readings, a PowerPoint presentation, and a mock interview at the Career Center. Students also will learn business communication so they can be effective in putting forth their ideas and contribute effectively to future employers.

UIC English majors have proven to be successful competitors not only for internships but also, as alums, for jobs in the Chicago area.

LAS Credit Offering:
Another internship option for 1-3 hours of elective credit is LAS 289 Internship Course. Please contact Lauren Gallagher, Assistant Director of Career Development and Internships by email at LASinternship@uic.edu or by phone at 312.996.0425.

For additional information about LAS Career Development Resources and Program offerings, please contact:

Gina Anselmo, Director of Career Development and Major Exploration at ganselmo@uic.edu