Internship in Visual Arts

Pursuing an internship in Visual Arts enables you to apply skills and knowledge you have learned in academic and studio courses in a real-world setting. An internship also allows you to network with professionals and gain insights into the practice of your intended occupation prior to graduation.

Eligibility

All Bachelor-level majors in the Department of Visual Arts and students enrolled in the Art History Minor may earn academic credit for an internship when the internship relates to the program of study to which the internship applies.

For example, students enrolled in the B.A. in Art with a concentration in either Digital Arts or Graphic Design are eligible to receive credit in that program if the internship experience involves skills associated with their fields. Students enrolled in the Art History Minor are eligible to earn credit in that program for an internship requiring art history skills and knowledge.

B.F.A. students are not required to complete an internship, but they may earn academic credit when the internship relates to their focus area. To earn internship credit, you must enroll in ART 4850 Internship in the Visual Arts.

To be eligible to enroll in this course, you must first secure approval of the Internship Learning Agreement Form. In this form, you must detail how your intended internship involves specific projects or activities where you will apply skills connected with your program of study in a real- world setting.

Prior Requirements

To be eligible to enroll in ART 4850, students must have successfully completed at least one upper-level class in their program of study. However, to benefit the most from the internship experience, students are advised to complete most 4000-level courses in the program of study prior to starting the internship.

Note: that Art History Minors must have successfully completed at least two upper-level art history courses prior to enrolling in ART 4850.

Timeline

Students may not independently enroll in ART 4850. Request enrollment in the course following these steps:

  1. Apply for internships associated with the program to which the internship will apply.
  2. Once you have secured a suitable internship, fill out the Internship Learning Agreement Form (PDF)
    with the required information.
  3. Recommendations for completing a successful Internship Learning Agreement Form:
    • Read the form carefully.
    • Fill in the form completely in all the required fields. Please type the form and proofread it carefully. 
    • Complete the section titled “Student Duties and Responsibilities While on the Worksite” together with the site supervisor. In this section, provide as much information as possible about specific projects and activities, or the kinds of projects and activities that you will be engaging with during the internship experience. 
    • In this section, also provide a tentative work schedule, including work hours. Keep in mind that you must complete 120 hours before the end of the semester. Please indicate whether the internship is on site, remote, a combination of these, and, if so, how much time each will be. If remote, indicate how you will report your progress to your site supervisor. 
    • In the second box, where you are asked to indicate your learning outcomes, explain what you think you will have learned by the end of the internship experience. Explain also how you will use skills and knowledge acquired in your academic courses during the internship experience, and how these skills will enable you to accomplish your learning outcomes. 
    • Both you and your site supervisor must sign the form after the form is fully filled.
  4. Email the signed form to the Instructor of Record listed for ART 4850 Internship in Visual Arts, for the semester when you wish to complete the internship.
  5. After the Instructor of Record and the Department Head approve the form, they will
    register you for the course.

Deadlines & Requirements

Enrollment Deadline

The absolute deadline to email the completed Internship Learning Agreement Form to the Instructor of Record is the last day of drop/add of the semester for which you are enrolling. However, keep in mind that processing the form may take a few days. Thus, it is highly recommended that you submit the form at least seven days prior to the first day of class or earlier.

End of Semester Requirements

Note: that ART 4850 is worth three credits, and the internships require 120 hours of work during the semester in which the student is enrolled for ART 4850.

In order to receive a passing grade and credit for ART 4850, you must submit documentation of your internship experience (multiple journal entries, photographs of in-progress and completed projects, narratives about the projects, and more.). Your site supervisor will also submit an evaluation of your work. All these components must be received by the last day of class to be eligible for a passing grade.

Therefore, it is important that you plan to complete 120 hours of work, all projects and activities, and the documentation associated with the internship prior to the last day of the semester

Contact

For internship related questions, contact the Instructor of Record listed for ART 4850 Internship in Visual Arts for the semester you are registering. You will find the name of the Instructor of Record in the UNG Course Schedule.