Internships and Careers in Journalism at AU School of Communication

"American University opened a whole new world to me - a world I'm still exploring. When I came back to campus as a commencement speaker for the School of Communication, I was impressed - but not surprised - by the quality of students attracted to AU SOC. They're smart, ambitious, and sophisticated because of their experiences at AU, and I'm proud to be a part of that tradition.”

– David Gregory, BA '92 -- Moderator for NBC News' Meet the Press

Graduate Fellowships

SOC offers prestigious merit-based awards to full-time journalism graduate applicants in partnership with the organizations below. MA candidates receive a scholarship for a designated number of academic credits plus a stipend and an opportunity to pursue professional projects on a part-time basis with some of the country's finest news organizations. Read more.

The following graduate students have been awarded SOC's named fellowships for 2012-13:

Luz Lazo - The Washington Post
Lydia Beyound - Investigating Reporting Workshop
Paul Abowd - Center for Public Integrity
Rachel Marcus - Center for Public Integrity
Heather Caygle - BNA

Investigative Reporting Workshop

In recent years, much of the traditional American media, in a drive to cut costs and maintain profits, has slashed the capacity to do investigative journalism. This has happened just as the forces of technology and globalization are combining to make government and powerful private institutions less transparent, and thus, less subject to public scrutiny and oversight. The Investigative Reporting Workshop, a project of the School of Communication at American University, addresses this fundamental issue for democracy in two important ways:

Conducting significant investigative journalism projects on a national and international scale.
Researching and experimenting with new models for creating and delivering investigative projects.

The Workshop was formally approved by the university in the Spring of 2008, and began publishing original projects in the Spring of 2009.

Mentoring Program

SOC’s unique mentoring program is bridging the gap between the classroom and the professional world as students prepare for future careers in communication. Whether it is counseling mentees on their future career goals, sharing tips to improve resumes and portfolios or helping students land internships and job opportunities, professional mentors are an invaluable source of knowledge and experience for students. Read more.

Internships

Internships are a way of life at SOC. The School of Communication offers undergrad and graduate students the opportunity to get course credit for one internship but most students have two or three, thanks to faculty and alumni who share their professional contacts.