Proposal
Internship
Learning
 Department
of
Communication

Southern
Connecticut
State
University



Your
proposal
must
be
typed
(single
spaced)
and
professional
in
appearance.
It

should
not
exceed
two
pages.

The
proposal
must
be
turned
in
before
you
will
be

allowed
to
register
for
COM
497.
Feel
free
to
ask
the
Internship
Coordinator
for

assistance
if
needed.



THE
QUESTION:
WHAT
AM
I
HOPING
TO
GET
OUT
OF
THIS
EXPERIENCE?



Focused
Flexibility:
It
is
important
that
you
are
clear
about
why
you
are
pursuing
an

internship
while
also
being
flexible
and
open
to
opportunities
that
may
arise.
Once

you
have
hammered
out
your
goals
(however
simple
they
may
be),
think
of
ways
you

could
realistically
achieve
them
through
an
internship.
Drafting
a
Learning
Proposal

is
an
effective
way
to
structure
your
goals
and
what
your
overall
mission
is.
Your

focus
will
be
essential
in
identifying
appropriate
opportunities
as
well
as
in
setting

appropriate
expectations
–
both
yours
and
your
employer’s
–
for
the
internship.



YOUR
LEARNING
PROPOSAL



Now
that
you
have
articulated
your
mission,
you
can
develop
a
learning
proposal.

Your
learning
proposal
should
consist
of
your
mission,
goals,
and
action
plans.
What

types
of
goals
will
you
need
to
attain
to
accomplish
your
mission?
How
will
you

achieve
those
goals?
An
example:







MISSION:

To
increase
my
exposure
to
the
advertising
field
as
a
whole
and

to
develop
skills
that
will
give
me
a
competitive
edge
in
the
industry.



GOALS
 ACTION
PLANS

1.
Learn
more
about
the
different
areas
 Attend
interdepartmental
meetings.

of
an
advertising
firm,
i.e.,
creative,
 Conduct
short
informational
interviews

account
management,
etc.
 with
professionals
of
each
department

to
inquire
about
their
work.
Make
a

point
to
network
with
several

individuals
in
different
departments.

2.
Gain
insight
into
different
career
 During
informational
interviews,

paths
within
a
firm
and
the
industry.
 include
questions
about
individual

career
paths.
Meet
with
Human

Resources
to
talk
about
the
variety
of

career
path
employees
typically
(or
not

so
typically)
pursue.




3.
Develop
project
management
skills
 Assume
ownership
of
a
long‐term


 project
from
conceptualization
to
end

result.



4.
Develop
ability
to
handle
multiple
 Assist
several
employees
with
their


 tasks
under
deadlines.
 time‐sensitive
projects.





I. Your
full
name

Submission
Date
(no
later
than
the
end
of
ADD/DROP
period)

Semester
you
will
be
interning:

fall
20___


spring
20___


summer
20__

Internship
Learning
Proposal


Your
Learning
Proposal
will
be
helpful
in
identifying
specific
opportunities,
designing
your
own

internship,
and
writing
your
cover
letters.
It
can
also
serve
as
the
basis
for
mutual
understanding
and

expectations
between
you
and
your
internship
sponsor.



Once
your
internship
is
completed,
you
can
reflect
upon
your
Learning
Proposal
and
assess
whether
or

not
your
goals
were
accomplished
and
if
expectations
were
met.






Include
the
following
information:

I. Your
full
name

Submission
Date
(no
later
than
the
end
of
ADD/DROP
period)

Semester
you
will
be
interning:

fall
20___




winter
20___




spring
20___




summer
20___

Specialization



II. Internship
Description
including
Tasks,
Responsibilities,
and
Learning
Opportunities.

In
most
cases,
a
student’s
current
employment
will
not
be
eligible
for
use
as
an
internship.
If
I
am

already
a
paid
employee
of
that
organization,
my
internship
contact
hours
will
be
over
and
above

those
hours
that
I
am
working
as
a
paid
employee.



III. Relationship
Between
Internship
and
Student’s
Educational
Goals

Indicate
how
the
proposed
internship
will
help
achieve
your
educational
and
career
goals.
How

will
this
internship
relate
to
what
you
are
learning
in
the
classroom
and
to
your
long‐term
career

goals?



IV. Internship
Objectives

What
do
you
expect
to
learn
or
experience
during
your
internship.
Think
about
what
you
want
to

gain
from
this
work
experience.
List
the
specific
tasks,
learning
objectives,
and
goals
that
will
be

achieved
during
this
internship.
List
skills,
attitudes
and
values
that
will
also
be
developed.
Use

these
lists
to
develop
3‐5
learning
objectives.



V. Evaluation
Plans

Provide
a
description
of
how
you
will
evaluate
the
above
goals
using
means
such
as
oral
reports,

journals,
time
logs,
etc.



VI. Contributions

Outline
your
responsibilities
and
duties.
Decide
what
you
want
to
accomplish
and
decide
how
you

will
accomplish
it.



VII. Specific
Academic
Qualifications

List
previous
courses
and
other
life/work
experiences
that
qualify
you
to
pursue
this
internship.



VIII. Schedule
for
Completing
the
Internship

Include
a
definite
time
schedule.
A
minimum
of
50
hours
of
work
is
required
for
each
credit
(150

hours
for
3
credits)



Schedule
an
appointment
with
the
Internship
Coordinator
in
you
need
assistance

in
drafting
your
learning
proposal
for
your
upcoming
internship
experience.





Department
of
Communication

Prepared
by
Sandra
DiFrancesco,
Internship
Coordinator