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California State University, Chico

Internships

Hire a Student

Do you need to hire a student or offer an internship?

The Media Arts, Design, and Technology Department is frequently contacted by members of our community seeking to hire students as graphic designers, videographers, sound technicians, public relations specialists, etc.  Email your posting number and information to Professor Tom Welsh at twelsh@csuchico.edu. Professor Welsh will help get the word out to students about your opportunity.

Do you have an opportunity for a student but it might not be appropriate for an internship or you don’t want to post on the JobCat Referral System? Consider contacting a student organization that provides employment opportunities to students under the direction of qualified Chico State faculty or staff:

  • Media Arts, Design, and Technology Group (MadTech Group) is a student-run design group specializing in print, web design, and video production. MadTech provides Media Arts, Design, and Technology students with practical experience while providing design services to the campus and community. Please visit the MADTech Group website for more information.

  • Tehama Group Communications (TGC) is a public relations agency managed by students. TGC offers our campus and community expertise in brand development, web design, social media assistance, graphic design, and promotional video work while giving students from the Media Arts, Design, and Technology and Journalism and Public Relations Departments hands-on experience. Please visit the TGC website for more information.

Remember to plan ahead! Many of our students work to fund their educations while attending school full-time. We may not be able to help with a last-minute request.

If you are not sure whether to offer your own internship or employment opportunity; hire a student from our student-run organizations; or you have other questions, please contact Professor Tom Welsh at twelsh@csuchico.edu.

Internships for Students

Internship Overview

An internship is an opportunity for real-world work experience in a supervised job that is relevant to your studies.  You must enroll in a section of the MADT 489 Internship class at the beginning of the semester to receive academic credit for internship experience. A total of 50 internship hours is required for each academic unit. The section number of each section of the class is equal to the number of units the section earns.

  • MADT 489-01 = 1 unit  (50 hours of work required)
  • MADT 489-02 = 2 units (100 hours of work required)
  • MADT 489-03 = 3 units (150 hours of work required)

How to Find an Internship

Use the following resources:

  • MADT Faculty: Your major advisors, professors, and the Internship Coordinator may know of internship opportunities. Let them know you are interested in an internship and ask that they keep you in mind as they hear of openings on campus, in the community, and beyond.
  • The CSU, Chico Career Center: The Career Center maintains a database of internship opportunities.  Use their web site to perform a search. Drop by their office to see how they can help you.

How to Enroll

  1. Find an Employer. Secure an agreement with a potential on-campus or off-campus employer who will provide the internship. Some organizations need interns every semester.  These include the student radio station, KCSC, and the Orion student newspaper. Other internships are advertised by the department via email as they become available. You can also find internships by visiting the CSU, Chico Career Center. Also, express your interest in internships to your teachers and advisers. They will keep you in mind should they know of employers who need interns, or have a need themselves.

  2. Complete the Internship Enrollment Form. Download and print the form. Fill it out with the person who will supervise your internship and ensure that it is signed by both yourself and your supervisor. 

  3. Submit Internship Enrollment Form to Department Office. Submit the signed internship enrollment form to the MADT department office in THMA 205 prior to the end of semester week 3.  Be sure your supervisor has signed the form or it will not be accepted.  You will be enrolled in the internship (MADT 489) and the course will appear on your Canvas Portal.

  4. Access Canvas Portal for Further Instructions. After you are enrolled, you can access more information on the Canvas accessible through the portal. 

Requirements for Successful Completion

During the internship

  • Keep weekly one-paragraph journal entries with reflections on the experience
  • Complete your Journal using Canvas Portal. See your MADT 489 course on Canvas Portal for more information

At the end of the internship, and before the end of finals week, submit the following:

  • Your evaluation of the internship
  • Your internship supervisor must also submit an evaluation as well as certify the number of hours and weeks you have worked
  • See Canvas Portal for student and employer evaluation forms

Information for Internship Employers

Businesses and organizations are invited to hire Media Arts, Design, and Technology student interns for meaningful work related to their academic options. Please be aware that internships are intended to be supervised experiences in which the student performs professionally-related tasks under the supervision of a more experienced professional.  

All internships should meet the following criteria:

  1. The intern performs tasks that reflect the his/her area of interest (e.g. print-based graphic design, video production, UI/UX, web design, etc.)
  2. The intern performs tasks under the direction of a supervisor with expertise in the intern's field.
  3. A supervisor serves as a mentor to the intern, offering professional feedback, advice, and support.
  4. The employer ensures that the intern works the appropriate number of relative to the unit requirement of the internship (1 unit for each 50 hours of work).

If your internship meets the above criteria, send a short announcement describing the minimum and preferred skills, as well as whether the internship includes hourly pay.  We will announce the internship to our students.

Send the internship announcement to the Internship Coordinator: 

Professor Tom Welsh
twelsh@csuchico.edu

You can also reach out to the overall CSUC student population by advertising the internship opportunity on the Career Center website. This is especially useful for recurring internships, where you wish to hire an intern every semester or every year.