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Professional Writing Internship

Employers favor candidates who have some internship or on-the-job experience. We encourage English majors to complete a professional writing internship during their senior year. All students in the professional writing concentration complete at least one internship. The internship may be in any field, with the primary job duties of writing, editing, and document design.

Who is Eligible

  • Any junior or senior who has taken one or more professional writing courses: ENGL 365 or ENGL 366 (Technical Writing), ENGL 462 (Special Projects in Professional Writing), ENGL 472 (Professional Writing), ENGL 473 (Professional Editing), or ENGL 474 (Document Design).
  • In certain cases, if you have not taken any of these courses, but have relevant work experience, you may be able to sign up for internship credit. This is determined by the Internship Coordinator.

How it Works

  • Register for ENGL 463 (Professional Writing Practicum), which awards 3 credit hours for the internship experience. You ususally register for 463 the same semester you work at your internship, but some students complete internships in the summer and schedule 463 in the fall. 
  • Contact our Internship Coordinator to set up a meeting to discuss your interests and career goals.
  • The Internship Coordinator will recommend potential employers.
  • You apply for the internship. You will have to submit a resume, and remain in contact with prospective employers through the interview and hiring process. The more positions you apply for, the better the chances are for securing an internship.
  • You spend a minimum of 45 hours over the course of the semester doing work associated with the internship (writing, editing, document design, social media posts, etc.).
  • Some internships are paid, while others are unpaid. Both are valuable experiences.
  • You will collect work done during the internship and create a portfolio. Your portfolio will include a report describing your internship, products created in the position, and an analysis of these products.  Your portfolio will be due at the end of the semester. 

For more information, contact Shelly Leroy at englishinternships@louisiana.edu or read our Internship FAQs.