Internships

An academic internship is a carefully monitored work or service experience that enables students to apply, build, and learn skills in their chosen music industry field. Academic internships require students to set intentional learning goals and actively reflect on what he or she is learning. The internship employer provides a candid assessment of the student's performance at the end of the internship. While most academic internships are unpaid positions, some organizations offer stipends, meals and other job-related perks.

All of our students are required to complete one 2-credit internship before graduation. Academic credit is earned during the semester in which the internship takes place by enrolling in REMU-UT 1037 Internship/Career Skills for the Music Entrepreneur.  

Note: Academic credit cannot be granted retroactively for internships completed in a previous semester.

The length of an internship may vary; however, we encourage internships to be structured to coincide with the semester calendar (fall, spring, January-term, summer) to enable students to register for, and earn, academic credit.

We ask that businesses strongly consider compensation for student internships in order to be competitive and fair. As students must pay for their credit hours, we do not consider an appropriate compensation a bonus, but a reasonable expectation. The level of compensation depends on the kind of work to be completed and how much expertise you are expecting the student to come in with. And of course anything that resembles a part time job should be along those lines as far as compensation. The government has some fairly strict guidelines for unpaid/token payment internships, which are based on the following criteria from the Department of Labor:

• The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment.
• The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
• The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
• The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.

For additional government guidelines and standards on internships/trainee programs, businesses should check out the Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor. And in the second table we detail what the student has to pay for the course credit.  Our goal is to try and at least seek as much compensation towards that as possible: 

Internship opportunities are available year-round; however, the application process generally adheres to the following timeline:   

• Fall Internships: Companies post and start accepting resumes mid to late summer
• Spring Internships: Companies post and start accepting resumes mid to late winter
• Summer internships: Companies start accepting resumes early to mid spring

Students, you should start researching companies in the middle of the semester prior to when you plan to intern.

While many internship positions originate from employers, we encourage you to investigate opportunities on your own that are tailored to your particular career interests. Start by thinking about the fields that excite and interest you, the type of work you want to do, and what type of things you want to learn.  You are encouraged to research online and review the emails that our Faculty Services Administrator, Ayanna Wilson, sends out. To find the internships in your email from Ayanna, search for "INTERNSHIP OPP" and all internships Ayanna has posted can be reviewed. These internships are sent only to our internal REMU listserv.

Once you decide you'd like to intern for the semester, you can fill out the Internship Advising Form to receive guidance regarding the process.

You are encouraged to make an appointment with the Institute's Internship Faculty Advisor, Lauren Davis, for guidance on the process, assistance in identifying potential internship opportunities.  Also make sure you're connected with the Wasserman Center for Career Development to get help with your resume's and cover letters. 

That number is up to you and your internship supervisor.  The total hours you work allows you to register for a certain number of credits, if you wish. But please remember, you only need 2 credits to fulfill the internship requirement. All academic internships are based on a 14-week academic semester.

Fall, spring, and summer semesters:

# Credits   Minimum Hrs/Week   Minimum Total Hrs/Semester

          1                    6                          84
          2                    8                         112
          3                   10                        140
          4                   15                        210
          5                   20                        280 
          6                   25                        350
          7                   30                        420
          8                   35+                      490

REMU-UT 1037 Internship/Career Skills for the Music Entrepreneur is offered every semester. Once you have secured an internship, fill out the Internship Enrollment Form. Upon approval, you will be registered for the class on Albert.  

Please note:

• You should fill out the Internship Enrollment Form ONLY if you have secured an internship.
• Effective Fall 2016, you must have secured an internship to be enrolled in the Internship course.
• The deadline to register for the course is the add/drop period, after the second week of classes. 
• After the second week of classes, you can enroll only after getting special approval.
  

For the summer semesters: 

• You may register for REMU-UT 1037 Internship/Career Skills for the Music Entrepreneur through the end of the first week of classes.

Note: You MUST register for Internship credits during the semester in which you are completing the internship. You may not seek retroactive credit for prior work experience. 

Internship/Career Skills for the Music Entrepreneur meets several times a semester and offers advice, group discussion and assistance for your internship and career plans.  All requirements for the class will be found on NYU Classes, where students will be expected to upload assignments, including a current cover letter and resume.