Have you (or your parents!) begun to wonder what you'll do with this degree in English once you get it? Contrary to popular opinion, the options are many. You may well be surprised at the range and variety of career fields that welcome prospective hires with the demonstrated ability to analyze, organize, and clearly express their ideas in writing.

Or perhaps your goals are already clear but you're looking for a way to enhance your resume and give yourself that step up in the search for your first job?

Either way, Rhet 495 The English Department Internship Program could be among the most important classes of your academic career, providing you with practical knowledge, "real world" experience, and invaluable contacts.

The links at the top of this page will lead you to a wealth of information about this program and the opportunities which it can afford you. It is to your benefit to take the time to familiarize yourself with all of the available options so that you can make the very best use of the eight credits of internship experience available to you. Don't be quick to prejudge what is possible for you and what is not -- ingenuity and determination have opened avenues to their futures for many BU English majors before you, and the same ingredients could work for you as well.

There are some differences between taking Rhet 495 during the regular spring or fall semesters while in residence here in Binghamton, and taking Rhet 495 during the Summer or Winter Sessions. Chief among these differences is the manner of securing the internship placement.

In any semester it is possible for a student to take the initiative and locate their own internship position and then have their plan and their application approved by the Program Director, after which they may be registered for Rhet 495. During Summer or Winter Session, students are always responsible for securing their own placement (for help with this process, click on "Find Internship" at the top of this page). During the regular academic year, it is more usual for students to apply to the English Department Program by the application deadline (check the program home page for current deadline information). Students accepted into the Internship Program will be tentatively placed by the Program Director, with every effort being made to secure a placement in the student's first choice field of interest. Once the student receives word of their tentative placement, the student arranges for an interview and then the student and sponsor decide whether or not to proceed with that placement.

Students, of course, pay tuition on the credit hours they are earning whenever they are receiving credit for an internship, but it is not uncommon for students to overlook this when planning for a summer or winter session internship. Available options are discussed in more detail under Frequently Asked Questions; to connect directly to the question which addresses this issue, click here.

For the answers to a host of common questions about the Internship Program, please click on "FAQ's " at the top of this page.

English majors in good standing who display initiative and maturity are eligible. In an instance where more than one student is in competiton for the same position, preference can be given to students with senior standing (those who will have completed 88 credits by the end of the semester in which they are applying).

Typically students accepted into the Internship Program have had solid recommendations and a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students with a GPA lower than that who are interested in an internship would want to present evidence to the committee in their letter of intent as to why that GPA is not a good indicator of their potential for this opportunity.

Interns from the English Department Program have earned the program an excellent reputation among our repeat sponsors. Our aim is to uphold this reputation by placing students we can be proud to have representing the program and the University.

The English Department Program was conceived as a program specifically for seniors, students whom it was felt were nearly ready to enter the work force, and the expectation remains that students accepted to this program will feel ready to undertake the duties of an internship semester without the support of weekly class meetings. Freed from the necessity of attending weekly class, English Department interns are able to devote more time on site allowing them to get a good sense of the field they are exploring and most importantly, resulting in them being present on site for a substantial enough portion of time to be considered "part of the team," rather than just an observer, and thus gradually they are offered professional level work to do at the internship. The combination of our pre-screening process and the number of hours spent on site have made English Department interns in demand with our repeat sponsors.

During the Spring and Fall semesters, interns are expected to work 14-16 hours a week for a four credit internship. Summer and Winter Session Interns work 50 hours on site per credit hour, or 200 hours for a four credit internship.

Because most summer and winter interns are working at a distance from Binghamton, and in consideration of the slightly shorter time requirements during the summer/winter, spring/fall and summer/winter requirements differ slightly.

Spring/fall interns are required to check in with the Internship director within two weeks of the start of the semester and again at mid-semester, but other than that, they are expected to work independently. The Internship Director holds regular office hours, during which interns may drop by to discuss any questions or concerns. She is also readily available by e-mail.

Summer/winter interns are required to keep a journal of their first ten days on site and to mail a copy of that journal to Prof. Gelineau at the end of that ten day period. They are also asked to check in by e-mail at the mid-point of their internship. Additionally, summer/winter interns are asked to read a total of ten articles related to your field and prepare an annotated bibliography summarizing your reading. The first three entries of this bibliography should accompany the journal; the remaining seven are due with the final project.

At the end of the semester (whether spring, summer, fall or winter), each intern will complete one of the following projects: a 10 page evaluation paper; a 10-page research paper using MLA style citations; a 20-30 minute videotape (tape should be edited and include footage which analyzes and explicates your experience); or a portfolio and 6-page essay. FINAL PROJECTS ARE DUE ON TUESDAY OF THE LAST WEEK OF CLASSES FOR SPRING/FALL INTERNS AND ON THE FINAL DAY OF WINTER SESSION CLASSES FOR WINTER TERM INTERNS AND ON THE FINAL DAY OF SUMMER SESSION III CLASSES FOR SUMMER INTERNS. Successful completion of the project and a positive letter of evaluation from the sponsor form the basis for a grade of P.

Follow the hot links here for further information on the Annotated Bibliography and the Final Project. You will also find clarifications of frequent questions about requirements on the FAQ's page, which can be reached through the link at the top of this page.

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