Practicums and Internships
ENG 4449 English Practicum (1-5 credits) is for students who want to add a work experience "class" to their nearly full semester course load. Applicants should have a 3.25 overall GPA or 3.5 in the major.
ENG 4449 English Internship (6-12 credits) is for students who want to spend the equivalent of two or more classes in a semester working. Applicants should have a minimum 2.5 overall GPA.
One practicum or internship credit = 40 hours of work, so a 3-credit practicum = 120 hours of work, or 8 hours per week in a regular 15-week semester. A 12-credit internship = 480 hours, or 32 hours per week over 15 weeks. Please keep in mind summer sessions are 6 weeks, and the full summer semester is 12 weeks. It is up to the student, supervisor, and placement to determine how work hours are managed, so there may be some flexibility in hours per week, and some opportunities may only last part of a semester. Students must keep a time log and make sure that by the end of the semester, the total number of required work hours are completed.
Requirements:
- A signed agreement in place between the site and Mansfield University.
- A job position including description of duties. See the department chair for current opportunities.
- A work schedule you create in coordination with your Site Supervisor.
- A Faculty Advisor, who will oversee the academic side, meet with you regularly to discuss the experience and help you resolve problems, and arrange one or more site visits.
- Academic work: typically, a time log, progress notes, job artifacts, and a portfolio. At the end, you will earn a grade, just like any other course.
We strongly recommend that all qualified junior and senior English majors undertake a practicum or internship (you may choose only one). While most are unpaid, both offer the opportunity to gain valuable work experience. Employers also prefer college grads who have completed practicums and internships.
Below, meet twenty recent Mansfield University English major interns!
Kelly Cammidge, BA English - Professional Writing
Summer Internship
In Summer 2021, Kelly is undertaking a six-credit internship with Marie Domenech in three different units: the Office of International Student Services, the Office of Community Service, and the Dr. Margaret Launius Women’s Center. Kelly is gaining experience planning and producing professional documents, including correspondence and acceptance letters for international students. She is also creating and updating international orientation handouts, assisting the coordinator with loading events to the campus calendar, and developing content for the new MU mobile app.
Rachel Fisher, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
In Spring 2020, Rachel interned in Mansfield University Marketing. Rachel corresponded with students and faculty to obtain information about student clubs and organizations as well as student scholarships. She then edited descriptions for the MU website and compiled contact information for ease of use. She wrote several email blasts with information for students. She also edited MU visiting scholar reflection essays.
Sarah Bogdan, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
In Fall 2019, Sarah interned in Mansfield University Marketing. Sarah wrote and published press releases regarding the Highmark Graduate Award, her own student abroad semester, and MU’s 2019-2020 visiting scholars from China. She also collaborated with MU division leaders and site developers, creating plans for Web content and using the CommonSpot CMS to edit web pages. Her many site redesign projects included Student Life, Campus Ministry, Student Activities, Fraternity and Sorority Life, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. She also assisted with the Dream Big campaign.
Joe Crance, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
In Fall 2019, Joe interned in Mansfield University Marketing. Joe wrote and edited press release articles, highlighting significant achievements by MU students and staff. He updated over thirty web pages, streamlining content to provide a better user experience, and by integrating content, he was able to eliminate extraneous and outdated material. He also developed over a dozen personas for staff to identify and meet site visitor needs. Joe also conducted training sessions on professional web page development. Joe collaborated with nine different organizational units, including Student Affairs.
Megan Wolfe, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with International Office
In Fall 2019, Megan interned in the Mansfield University International Office. Megan tailored messaging to recruit prospective international students, updated content for the Web, and collaborated with Student Life & Living staff while planning, researching, writing, designing, and editing professional documents. Megan also assisted with domestic new student orientation, creating messaging to encourage newly accepted and deposited students to register for orientation. She also helped create a professional agenda for the January 2020 orientation.
Rachel Clark, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Bradford County Heritage Village and Farm Museum
In Spring 2018, Rachel interned with Bradford County Heritage Village and Farm Museum. She developed print and online materials related to the museum’s upcoming two-year exhibition on medicine in Bradford and surrounding counties. The internship, part of which was on site and part independent, helped lay the groundwork for the unveiling of a new exhibit during Farm Days in May 2018. Rachel wrote articles and developed a website, social media presence, and promotional materials for the museum. She also copy- and content-edited existing documents, publications, and web information as well as created and copy edited new materials to advertise and promote the museum and its major new exhibition.
Josh Hastings, BS Communication - Organizational Communication, Minor in Creative Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
In Spring 2018, Josh interned in Mansfield University Marketing, editing content for the art, communication, chemistry, education, and geoscience departments. Josh worked with department chairs to pinpoint what each page's focus should be. He made sure that the pages represent the departments well, such as focusing on the art department's design and appearance in addition to their content.
Nikki Ezbiansky, BS Communication – Public Relations, Minor in Professional Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
In Spring 2018, Nikki interned in Mansfield University Marketing. Nikki edited content for the political science, history, psychology, philosophy, sociology, social work, liberal studies, and biology pages for the Mansfield University website. She worked on the site while keeping prospective students in mind and tailoring content to their needs, using techniques she learned in ENG 3404 Writing for the Web.
Lizzie Stiadle, BA Music, Minor in Professional Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
In Spring 2018, Lizzie interned in Mansfield University Marketing. She edited the music, business administration, health sciences, criminal justice, and world languages and cultures program pages. Lizzie sought to balance consistency across pages with the uniqueness of each program’s attributes. She tailored content for multiple audiences, including international students.
Logan Henry, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with 171 Cedar Arts Center
In Fall 2017, Professional Writing major, Logan Henry, completed an internship with a community arts center, 171 Cedar Arts Center in Corning, NY. During her time there, Logan copyedited 171's new website, created a style sheet for future use, added classes to their site, copyedited marketing materials, and wrote blog entries. She also had the opportunity to take an Oil Painting class and write about her experience on their website.
Caroline Keener, BA English - Professional Writing
Internship with The Daily Review
In Fall 2017, Caroline interned with The Daily Review in Towanda, Pennsylvania. The Daily & Sunday Review is an award winning, seven-day daily serving readers in all of Bradford County and parts of Sullivan County. The Review is also home to the specialty publications The Farmer’s Friend, Bradford County Living and Bradford County Biz. During her internship, Caroline wrote several stories for the newspaper, including articles on the Sayre School Board, breast cancer prevention, Towanda community investment, and the state police presence in Wyalusing.
Adam Setzer, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Arc of Chemung
In Spring 2017, Adam had a practicum with The Arc of Chemung. The Arc was founded as a nonprofit in 1953 to meet the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Chemung County, New York area. The organization aims to provide quality support and increased opportunities via education as well as community acceptance and participation. In his practicum, Adam researched housing options in the Elmira area and used Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and other resources to create an online housing manual in clear language that is user friendly for people with special needs. He also researched and compared similar sites.
Alison Hurlbert, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
The focus of Alison's Spring 2017 practicum in Mansfield University Marketing was on improving Mansfield University's web presence. Over the course of the semester, Alison worked closely with colleagues to expand her skills in web writing and digital media editing. She also performed usability testing with three groups (current students, faculty and staff, and prospective students) and studied their interactions with the Mansfield University website. She submitted reports to Marketing and also presented her key findings at the annual Showcase of Student Scholarship.
Kylie Ortity, BA English - Professional Writing
Internship with Make-A-Wish Foundation
In Fall 2016, BA English major Kylie Ortity had an internship the semester with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The goal of the organization is to grant the wish of every child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition. On average, a wish is granted every 34 minutes in the United States. In her full-time internship, Kylie worked with events staff preparing for events and silent auctions. She also prospected donors from the Mid-Atlantic area, which includes all of Maryland, Delaware, and Northern Virginia.
Lyss Trostle, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
In Fall 2016, Lyss Trostle had a practicum in MU Marketing. She commented, "I copy edit documents and the website for the university, including the style guide and department web pages. This practicum has helped me develop skills in copy editing and has improved my writing abilities. Being an English major with a concentration in Professional Writing, the practicum directly relates to my major and has prepared me for a potential career in copy editing."
Kate Haywood, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Mansfield University Marketing
In summer 2016, Kate Haywood had a Copy Editing practicum in MU Marketing. Her responsibilities included copy and content editing of existing documents, publications, and web information. She reviewed information for grammar, spelling, clarity, and message cohesion tied to the university’s mission, vision, Academic Promise, MU2020, and marketing campaigns. She drafted copy for new projects, edited and presented materials, and rewrote content as necessary. Her other duties included preparing correspondence for internal and external entities; scheduling meetings; conducting research; seeking story information from the campus community and storyboard material; and performing office duties, such as scanning and filing.
Melissa Walker, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Tioga County Partnership for Community Health
In Fall 2015, Melissa Walker had a practicusm with the Tioga County Partnership for Community Health. She attended workgroup meetings, recorded and transcribed minutes, assisted in website development, and created materials that showcased the organization's value to the community. She even helped create a new mission statement for the Be Your Best You workgroup! "My time spent with the Partnership has been extremely valuable," commented Melissa, "and I can confidently say I’ve successfully assisted the Partnership with its goal to promote and improve the health and wellbeing of Tioga County."
Paige Kisner, BA English - Professional Writing
Practicum with Author Nancy Rue
In Fall 2015, Paige Kisner had a practicum with author Nancy Rue. Paige assisted Nancy by doing research, posting blog entries, and testing soon-to-be-released courses. Paige also created a Facebook page for Nancy’s anti-bullying campaign and created content daily for 20 weeks.
Kirsten Demonstoy, BSE English
Internship with Mountain Home Magazine
Kirsten describes her internship: "As an English Education major looking to supplement the “teaching” part of my education, this summer [2007] I’ve been doing an internship with Mountain Home Magazine, a local publishing company based out of Wellsboro, and I’ve been having a fabulous time! I never realized just how many steps are involved in getting a document put together and put on newsstands. The laid-back atmosphere suits me, and the editors and staff are extremely knowledgeable about publishing programs, sales and distribution, and journalistic writing. Everyone here has gone out of their way to guide, teach, and assist me in assigned tasks like copy editing, using publishing programs, the interviewing process, and, of course, writing, which has undoubtedly been my favorite task. I’ve been able to apply the writing skills and literary knowledge I’ve learned from Mansfield University English professors to my writing assignments, and I’ve received very encouraging feedback. The best part about my internship thus far, I must say, has been seeing my work in print for the very first time. I would highly recommend that English students, both BA and BSE, take advantage of an internship with the folks at Mountain Home, or with any publishing company for that matter, because the knowledge and experience gained will be an invaluable experience."
Katherine Kounovsky, BA English
Internship with Penguin Books
Katherine describes her internship as follows: "During the summer of 2005, I interned at Penguin Books in New York City for precisely ten weeks, and I’ve got to say that it was the most rewarding educational experience of my life. I worked for a senior editor, and my job mostly consisted of reading unsolicited manuscripts and rejecting or approving them. Of course, there were parts of my job that weren’t so glamorous. Making copies of 400-page manuscripts, delivering contracts to different departments, running errands in general--these are the things that people typically don’t mention when they’re bragging about their job. I didn’t mind them, though. I viewed them as my part in helping a well-known and respected publishing house run. All in all, I would recommend that any student do an internship in publishing or otherwise. You learn how a business works. You’re exposed to a world that’s completely different from the collegiate one and asked to function in it. But most of all, you learn more about who you are and what you want, and any experience that can show you something more about yourself is definitely worth doing."