MARKETING DEPARTMENT STUDENT INTERNSHIP
FAQS
What does an internship involve?
Marketing internships usually are about 1 ½ to 2 days a week
during a semester, or about 170 contact hours during the summer. You’ll work on marketing related
projects under the supervision of a full time marketing manager. About 60% or more of your time must be
spent on marketing-related activities; the rest can be in support
activities. Students intern at ad
agencies, sports facilities, fortune 500 corporations, retail establishments,
non-profits, hotel and restaurants, even right here at La Salle University.
What sorts of activities do internships entail? Students
on internships engage in a host of marketing-related activities: marketing analysis, marketing research,
helping prepare sales presentations, going along on formal sales presentations,
preparing marketing plans, working at promotional events, competitive analysis,
working with advertising campaigns, preparing advertising media schedules,
working with non-profit agencies’ advertising and marketing efforts,
working with the marketing of La Salle’s athletic and academic programs
and other activities. Internships
are designed to be experiences beyond
Do I get academic credit for internships?
Internships can be done either for credit or non-for-credit. For credit internships have general
requirements: you must have completed BUS 204 and one MKT 300 or higher
course. Some internships
have additional requirements such as minimum GPAs or additional marketing
courses. Approved, for credit
internships receive 3 hours of general elective credit (internships can’t
count as a course towards the marketing major). Unless the sponsor requires students
receiving course credit, students who don’t need the credit do not need
to register for the course.
What about getting credit for internships that
haven’t been approved? For internships that aren’t set up
by the department, approval is on a case-by-case approval. If they meet our requirements,
we’ll approve them. For an
overview of what’s required to be approved, click here.
What are non-credit internship opportunities? There
are several: many firms offer internships that provide great experiences. Non-credit internships are appropriate
for students who want experiences with a particular firm or industry, for
students who do not yet qualify for a for-credit internship, and for students
who do not need academic credit.
What’s important is the quality of the experience. The marketing faculty can help you
assess which is best for you.
Do I need to be registered for the internship while
I’m actually doing it? No, we can be flexible for internships
completed during the summer, or those that wrap across semesters.
What are the requirements to be able to do an
internship for credit? You need to have completed BUS 204 (Intro
Marketing) and at least one 300-level marketing elective. We also require at least a 2.5 GPA under
most circumstances and some internships require higher
GPAs.
Can I get academic credit for internships that
I’ve all ready taken? No, approval must be obtained before you start the
internship.
Are internships paid? Yes,
some are. Some are full time summer
internships, others are part time.
Some of the full time, summer experiences are job feeder programs that
use the summer program to see how well the student perform; successful students
are often offered full time jobs upon graduation. Minority students with good grades (B
average or better) and who have at least two summers remaining before graduating
should explore the Inroads program (www.inroads.org).
If my internship is for credit, what work do I have
to do along with the actual internship responsibilities? You keep
a weekly log, you complete a written assignment (a well-written, 10-15 page
paper) covering the marketing, professional development and career opportunity
areas of your internship.
How important is having an internship? If you
have existing job experience in areas that you’re pursuing upon
graduation, then an internship may not add much value to that experience. If not, then an internship may be the
tipping point on getting a good job upon graduation.
What’s the procedure to get an internship?
You’ll meet with me, we’ll go over different internship
options depending on your interests, and if there are potential opportunities
you’ll submit a resume and interview with the sponsor.
I’m interested, what’s the next step? If you
meet the requirements and are interested in doing an internship in 2006 summer
or fall semester, please stop by my office (304B College Hall) and fill out an
“Internship Interest Form.”
You can also click this link, print the interest form and leave it on my door. You can also come by during my office
hours or schedule an appointment; you can also talk with any marketing faculty. You need to speak with us during the
registration period as interviews for summer and internships are starting
now. Students who are planning on
taking the internship for credit will need to be approved to register for the
course.
Contact:
Dr. David Jones, Chair, Marketing Department. 304 B College Hall, jonesd@lasalle.edu,
215-951-1035