Our students connect and collaborate with their peers, network with arts professionals and engage with Kansas City's arts community.
Prepare your Professional Path
Connecting students to internships is a high-impact practice linked to increased persistence, degree completion, and post-graduation success. Internships contribute to personal and professional development, fostering skills like teamwork and communication. They offer insights into workplace culture, networking opportunities, quicker job placement, higher starting salaries, and leadership development.
Students participating in internships gain real-world experience, acquire and adapt skills, explore various career paths, and establish professional networks. Internships can count toward Media, Art and Design majors or minors; consult with an advisor regarding academic credit early on. For internships relevant to your degree, communicate with the internship coordinator.
Your Internship Coordinator
Mel Zhao
Assistant Teaching Professor of Media, Art and Design
Email
What Are the Requirements?
If you're earning academic credit, the expectation is 50 work hours per credit hour of internship. For a three-credit internship, that equals 150 hours over a semester. If no academic credit is involved, work hours and duration can be negotiated with the employer.
Get a faculty member to sponsor your internship. Contact and discuss your internship idea with your preferred sponsored faculty before the semester in which you plan to complete the internship.
With your faculty sponsor, determine the amount of credit hours to be earned for the internship. Each credit hour earned is equivalent to 50 internship contact hours. To earn three credit hours, approximately 150 internship contact hours must be completed. A three-credit-hour internship will amount to approximately 10 hours per week over the course of a semester.
Submit the internship agreement (PDF) to the department office no later than the second week of classes.
Crafting an outstanding resume and cover letter is essential. UMKC Career Services offers support in resume and cover letter development to enhance your internship applications. Additionally, honing interview skills is vital for success when invited to interviews.
Placement Sites for Professional Experience
Federal Researve Bank of Kansas City
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
What Our Students Are Saying
"As a Digital Content Intern at Kansas City PBS, I have been tasked with enhancing the online visibility and engagement of the YouTube channels for Kansas City PBS and Flatland, Kansas City PBS’ news source. My experiences assisting with studio broadcasting, researching and implementing online growth tactics, and attending a variety of meetings have been huge learning opportunities for me. I have been a part of a super welcoming and cross-functional team, and continue to grow a tremendous amount through the relationships I have built and the range of opportunities I assist with."
Josie Newman, '24
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