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University of Florida

Advertising Internships

Importance of Internships

An internship is an important part of career preparation. Your internship should be used to help you identify a career path in advertising, to gain experience and expertise in what you already like to do, to determine the skill level you need to develop to be successful after graduation, and to build your resume with this advertising experience.

Although an internship is not required for graduation, the Department of Advertising strongly urges students to obtain work experience through at least one or, if possible, two or more internships. Internship credit counts toward the department’s professional-electives requirement and allows sponsoring organizations to comply with federal work policies.

Traditional Internship Versus Advanced Internship

The Department of Advertising offers two internship options for students in the major. ADV4940 – Advertising Internship and ADV4941 – Advanced Advertising Internship. Students seeking a for-credit internship with the most flexibility may consider ADV4940. This internship can be taken for 1, 2, or 3 credits. The primary deliverable for ADV4940 is a series of weekly reports that account for key internship activities and learning.

Students seeking a for-credit internship that is more structured may consider ADV4941. In addition to weekly reports, students enrolled in ADV4941 will complete a series of reflective writing assignments. These assignments will revolve around the current internship experience. They will culminate in a semester-long reflective writing piece that is posted online to a personal e-portfolio. In addition, students in ADV4941 are expected to have regular meetings with the supervisor from their sponsoring organization so they can receive feedback on their performance. ADV 4941 – Advanced Advertising Internship, when taken for three credit hours and when fulfilling weekly hour minimums for the course, can satisfy the immersion experience requirement of the Persuasive Messaging Track for the B.S. in Advertising. Click here for more information on the Agency Track and the Persuasive Messaging Track.

Internship Credit and Hours Information

Students may enroll in either advertising internship option for one credit hour, two credit hours, or three credit hours with 65 hours of service required for each credit hour. One credit hour requires 65 hours of work. Two credit hours require 130 hours of work. Three credit hours require 195 hours of work. Please note that students in the Persuasive Messaging Track who wish to receive internship credit for an immersion experience must enroll in ADV4941 and register for three credit hours. All students must serve on their internships for a minimum of six consecutive weeks working a minimum of three days within each week. Students must plan their weeks around holidays (e.g., Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Spring Break, July 4th, etc.). Internships requiring students to work more than 40 hours per week will not be approved. Students are encouraged to secure in-person internships at the sponsoring organization’s office and under direct supervision. However, given the dramatic shift in workplace locations due to COVID-19, remote internships that involve regular video conference check-ins and under direct supervision will also be accepted.

Internship Policies and Application Forms

Please download and read both the Policies & Procedures (PDF) and Application (PDF) forms before securing an internship. These documents will help streamline your application process.

ADV 4940 – Advertising Internship

ADV 4941 – Advanced Advertising Internship

Steps for Securing an Internship

To secure and complete an internship, here are the steps you should follow:

  • Determine if you are qualified to enroll. Prior approval of the advertising internship coordinator is required before starting the internship. Credit will not be awarded for work that a student completes prior to approval of the internship, or for any work that occurs either before or after the official start and end dates of the semester. To be approved, a student must be a junior or senior and majoring in Advertising who has earned a 2.50 or higher overall GPA, earned a 2.50 or higher professional GPA, and completed specialized coursework in advertising appropriate to the internship. At a minimum, the specialized courses include ENC 3252, MAR 3023, ADV 3008, and at least one other course relevant to the internship.
  • Find a potential internship sponsor. Download and review the entire internship packet and carefully consider your personal objectives. To identify good matches for your interests, monitor various sources of information such as the Job/Internship Database through the CJC Office of Career and Corporate Partnerships. Students may not receive internship credit working for any business that has been operating for less than one year, working for themselves or another student, a sponsor with whom the student is currently employed (unless the internship duties are completely different from normal duties and in addition to normal work hours), student-run organizations, family, a faculty member, or the same internship sponsor for repeated credit across semesters (unless there is a complete change in the internship duties to be performed).
  • Contact internship sponsors and arrange an interview as soon as possible. Internships are competitive! Be prepared to present yourself in a convincing manner. Present your resume and, if appropriate, a portfolio of your work. You may want to take a copy of these internship requirements to answer questions your sponsor may have (see “Requirements for Sponsoring Organization”). Also, consider taking the list of required information that should be included in the “Letter of Acceptance.”
  • Determine which internship class you will pursue. Students can apply for ADV4940 – Advertising Internship or ADV4941 – Advanced Advertising Internship. Students in the Persuasive Messaging Track who wish to receive internship credit for an immersion experience must take ADV4941 – Advanced Advertising Internship and enroll for three credits.
  • Submit ONE PDF FILE that includes your completed internship application and your letter of acceptance. A completed application includes all requested information on all pages, including your signature, date, and UFID on the bottom of pages 2-4. A “Letter of Acceptance” is completed by your internship sponsor includes the following information (from policies document):
  • Written on company letterhead
  • Date that the letter was written
  • Your first and last name and acceptance as an intern
  • The approximate start and end date of your internship
  • The approximate number of hours you will work per week
  • A brief summary of your anticipated advertising related duties
  • Signature and contact information of your supervisor

Email ONE PDF FILE that includes your completed internship application and your letter of acceptance to the internship coordinator, Dan Windels, dwindels@ufl.edu.

Once your application is approved, the Dept. of Advertising will register you for the class. To avoid a late registration fee, students must be enrolled for an internship before the end of regular registration for the appropriate semester. Typically, this deadline is 5:00 p.m. of the Friday prior to drop/add. The Department of Advertising will not request waiver of late fees on behalf of students who have not submitted their application with sufficient time for approval of the internship and departmental registration of the student.

If you have additional questions about ADV4940 or ADV4941 please contact Dan Windels, Lecturer, Department of Advertising, dwindels@ufl.edu