Internships

Experience in the media industries and professional theatre is essential for students who hope to pursue jobs in those fields after graduation.  Internships enable you to enhance your skills and knowledge and network while acquiring valuable work experiences in a professional setting.  Internships for academic credit are available in the spring, fall, and summer semesters.  FTT can guide you to resources that will help you find the internship best suited for you.

To begin your search

START EARLY!  We encourage students to do their first internship the summer after their sophomore year.  Meeting with the FTT Internship Coordinator no later than the fall of your sophomore year is strongly encouraged, but you can also make an appointment as a junior or senior.

Visit the Meruelo Family Center for Career Development's website for an overview of the internship search process.

Although FTT does not “place” students in internships, we work closely with the Center for Career Development and other contacts to help students find appropriate internships.  We also have an email newsletter that alerts students to internship opportunities and career advice; contact the FTT Internship Coordinator to be added to the list.  You may also want to consult the resources available on the Media Industry Club website.

We encourage first-time interns to pursue opportunities at local media outlets and arts organizations. Internships at national media outlets are generally highly competitive and require applicants to have a certain level of experience.  If it is your dream to intern at a major studio or network, start by applying for an internship with a local production company like NewGroup Media or Miles Media or on campus with Notre Dame Studios or Grotto Network. You can also inquire about opportunities with NDtv. FTT shares a close relationship with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, the University's professional theatre. FTT students are regularly accepted to NDSF's Apprentice Program, where they work side by side with career professionals as actors, stitchers, carpenters, board operators, teaching artists, and run crew.

FTT majors have recently interned at CBS News, Discovery, NBC Sports, AMC Networks, Disney, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, FX, Lionsgate Film & Television, CenterStage Theatre (Louisville), NBCU, Whitehouse Post, and 87North, as well as a variety of television and film production companies in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.

Funding an internship

Students can receive a stipend to help offset travel and living expenses for a full-time, unpaid summer internship through grants administered by the Center for Career Development.  For more information about the application process, visit the Center for Career Development's website.

Academic Credit

FTT students may earn academic credit for approved unpaid internships during the fall, spring, and/or summer semesters.  The number of credits earned for these experiences may vary from one to three credits, depending upon the responsibilities and time commitment involved, as well as the number of previous internships.  Some experiences may qualify as a Major Internship, which can be taken once for three credits and fulfill one FTT 30000-level elective.  The Major Internship is a graded course.  During the summer, this course is numbered FTT 45999 to reflect its tuition-waiver status, but it still only counts as a 30000-level course.

Regular and supplementary internships qualify for one credit.  1-credit Standard Grade internships can be combined with two other 1-credit Standard Grade courses to count toward FTT elective requirements.  1-credit S/U internships cannot count toward FTT elective requirements.  Although the number of these internships is not limited, only one credit can be applied to the graduation degree.

Therefore, FTT majors may count a maximum of four internship credits toward graduation if one of those internships is a three-credit internship that can be counted as part of the major.  Additional internship courses can appear on a student's transcript, but the hours earned will not count as part of the 120 credits required for graduation.

Students must apply for an internship course by completing an application form. Internships are not approved retroactively. 

Students enrolled in any FTT internship course must complete all documented requirements of those courses to receive credit.  These requirements may include minimum work hours and time cards to document those hours, midterm and final progress reports, a project completed beyond the regular internship duties, and a final reflection paper.

For more FTT internship information, contact:

Christine Becker
Associate Professor and Internship Coordinator
Department of Film, Television, and Theatre
B035 DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 631-7592
fttintrn@nd.edu