Pre-Graduate School Internship

To participate and earn academic credit (CMS 164M, 264M or 364M), you must currently be a UT-Austin undergraduate and plan on undertaking the internship prior to graduation. Participation is contingent upon finding a graduate student mentor and/or faculty member willing to supervise in your chosen field of study. The internship is open to undergraduates in all UT colleges and schools.

Beginning in AY 2006-2007, travel grants for some IE Pre-Grad interns and their graduate student mentors will be available; the purpose of these grants (which will range from $100-$500) is to enable interns to attend an academic/professional meeting or conference with their mentors.

The objective of the IE Pre-Graduate School Internship is to connect undergraduates with faculty and veteran graduate students in their field of study to explore those unique aspects of graduate study that make it distinct from the undergraduate experience (e.g., conducting research, writing for scholarly audiences, participating in seminars, serving as teaching and research assistants, publishing articles in professional journals, becoming members of scholarly organizations and learned societies, preparing for an academic or professional career, etc.). In most cases the intern will work primarily with the graduate mentor and secondarily with a faculty supervisor.

Internships are arranged by Dr. Richard Cherwitz, Professor of Communication Studies and Founder of the IE Program, and are based on the ability of the student to find and gain the consent of a faculty member and/or graduate student willing to supervise the internship. Internship projects, assignments and tasks are determined through negotiation between students and faculty members; internship contracts ensure that there is both structure to and accountability for the experience. Professor Cherwitz, who served as Associate Dean of the Graduate School for seven years, and Ruby Morua Olmanson, Director of the Pre-Graduate School Internship, will hold workshops and meetings, allowing all interns to share their experiences and to learn about: graduate study, obtaining admissions and funding and creating career possibilities.

Internship activities include but are not limited to: observation of undergraduate teaching done by graduate student teaching assistants, attending graduate classes, seminars and departmental research colloquia, undertaking a research project (similar to what you might engage in as a graduate student), attending meetings of graduate professional organizations, journal groups, lab sessions and other academic gatherings for graduate students and faculty, discussing your discipline, graduate study and career development with faculty and graduate students, observing graduate student/faculty interactions (where permitted), attending state, regional or national conferences run by the discipline's professional organizations. There are, of course, many other possibilities; you and your mentor/supervisor should work out the specific details of your internship. Whatever activities you choose to do, you must submit a written report of the internship and what you learned at the end of the semester. In addition, your faculty supervisor and/or graduate student mentor may require specific written assignments for various parts of the internship. During the internship semester, Professor Cherwitz and Johanna Hartelius will arrange a time when all nterns can meet to discuss their experiences and share information pertinent to pursuing graduate study.

NOTE: There are no strings attached to internships. Participation does NOT guarantee admission for graduate study. In addition, the relationship among the undergraduate, faculty supervisor and graduate student mentor can be very informal; while a particular faculty member or graduate student will serve as the internship supervisor, the internship might involve contact and work with several faculty members and graduate students.

PROCESS: In order undertake an internship a student must first contact Professor Cherwitz via email or call his office at 471-1939 and then complete the IE Pre-Graduate School Internship contract (print Adobe Acrobat page and forward to address on form) prior to enrolling.

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For recent articles about the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Pre-Graduate School Internship, see: UT Banner Feature, Austin American-Statesman, Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington Post, On Campus, Daily Texan, Black Issues in Higher Education (pdf), Journal of Hispanic Higher Education (pdf), College & University (pdf), Peer Review, and the Dallas Morning News. Please see other articles and information about the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Program.