An internship can begin at any time during the semester. You can intern on a part-time or full-time basis during the fall, spring, or summer term, and you can extend an internship over more than one semester. You can even serve more than one internship at the same company or at different ones. 

Some internships are paid; some are not. Whether you receive pay (and, if so, how much) is strictly a matter of negotiation between you and the internship company or organization. 

Internships may be taken for credit or no credit. To qualify for credit in English, your internship must involve primarily writing, editing, research and/or training. English 496 and 528 offer variable credit depending on the number of hours worked and the nature of the internship. Minimum requirements include an internship journal, a progress report, an annotated bibliography, and a final report with samples of work produced during your internship.

Internship projects at Fortune 500 corporations, small companies, government agencies, and university offices have ranged from editing manuscripts for publication, to creating user manuals and online documentation for software products and services, to providing tutoring and training workshops.

It's never too early to start planning for an internship. But we suggest the following strategy:

• Enroll in Technical Writing (English 308 or English 526)
• Enroll in Technical Editing (English 403 or English 527)
• Familiarize yourself with the most current word processing and desktop publishing software programs
• Join NIU's student chapter of the Society for Technical Communication
• Attend the meetings of the Chicago chapter STC