An excellent way to launch a career in performing arts is through an internship. Internships, sometimes known as field-based learning, give students the opportunity to gain work experience and develop their skills. An internship may involve working in a theatre as an assistant to, or under the supervision of a: production director, dramaturg/literary manager, business manager, choreographer, or designer. Internships also provide an opportunity to begin to develop a professional network.

Students pursuing an internship must have a faculty sponsor. The sponsor will support the student in making the internship a strong learning experience. With their faculty sponsor, the student must complete a Learning Agreement. The Learning Agreement is found on-line at the Career Center's website: www.careers.wustl.edu. Copies of this agreement must be filed with the faculty sponsor, the site supervisor, the departmental administrative assistant and the Career Center.

Every internship must have a site supervisor. It is expected that the site supervisor will:

• Establish who will be responsible for supervising the student intern
• Identify what expertise and skill enhancement are offered to the student
• Establish responsibilities, projects and goals for the intern
• Develop a formalized work schedule
• Conduct a thorough orientation session with the intern
• Upon completion of the internship, write an evaluation of the intern's work

Students may not receive more than 3 units of internship credit in any semester. Students may count no more than 6 units of internship credit toward the 120 units required for graduation. Internship credits do not count toward major or advanced unit requirements. Because faculty are not involved in detailed supervision of the student’s work during an internship, internships are offered for credit/no credit grades only. Internship credits therefore count towards the maximum of 18 units of credit/no credit units that may be applied toward graduation requirements. All internships are offered with a 296 course number.

Student interns working for 3 units of credit are expected to work no less than 110 hours, and no more than 150 hours on the internship. A student intern may work approximately 8 to 10 hours a week for a 14-week period, or work a shorter duration with a corresponding increase in hours. A student intern may be expected to keep a journal of their experience. Upon completion of the internship the student must write a paper, which is a serious reflection of the internship experience as it relates to their education, in order to receive credit.