Undergraduate Internships

CMU English undergraduate internships provide a breadth of professional experiences, help establish connections outside the University, and deepen students' portfolios of work.

Students in the Department of English are strongly encouraged to seek professional internships throughout their undergraduate years and during their summers. Opportunities in public and media relations, editing and publishing, newspaper and magazine writing, healthcare communication, technical writing, public service organizations, and online content creation illustrate both internship possibilities and paths of employment recent students have taken after graduation.

• Where Have Our Students Had Internships?
• How to Find an Internship
• Pursuing Internships for Academic Credit
• Funding an Internship

Where Have Our Students Had Internships?

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of CMU and the transferrable skills our students develop in the Department of English, their internships cover a wide variety of industries and fields.

Below is a small selection of the internships our students have held in the past five years.

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How to Find an Internship

The Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) is an excellent resource to find internship opportunities. One of the most popular way our students find internships through the CPDC is by using Handshake, CMU's online recruiting platform that will allow you to explore, find, and apply to job and internship opportunities, connect with great companies, and learn about your career options.

We also encourage you to connect with alumni through CMUniverse and LinkedIn to learn about internship opportunities and other professional experiences that may interest you.

Additionally, a recent alumna of the Department of English founded The Writing Academy (TWA), which provides real-world experience to writers of all kinds through mentorship programs, career workshops, and alumni panels. This official CMU student organization helps students learn more about their respective industries/fields and gain experience while providing CMU alumni to the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with student mentees.

Dietrich College also offers an expansive Pittsburgh Summer Internship program (PSIP) which provides financial support and resources to connect Dietrich College undergraduate students to their first internship experience at a non-profie, start-up, or small business in the Pittsburgh area.

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Pursuing Internships for Academic Credit

You can learn more about pursuing internships for academic credit by reading our Department of English Undergraduate Student Internship Policies & Procedures information sheet.

If you have questions about pursuing an internship for credit, please contact Laura Donaldson, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs and Academic Advisor, at ldonalds@andrew.cmu.edu.

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Funding an Internship

For unpaid internships, the Department of English does not offer guaranteed funding.  However, there are several opportunities to apply for funding.

Students may be eligible to apply for internship funding awards administered by the English Department. Please reach out to Laura Donaldson, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Programs and Academic Advisor, at ldonalds@andrew.cmu.edu for additional information. 

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Learn about Professional Writing alumna Yoori Kim's Pittsburgh Summer Internship Program experience with NEXTPittsburgh during the summer of 2022. Yoori is now employed full-time at IBM.