Internships
Internships serve as a valuable stepping stone for students, providing you both with experience in a field of interest, and personal connections within that field. JPCatholic students’ internships have sometimes even resulted in a full-time job offer!
You may be eligible to participate in a 90-hour, 3 credit internship starting in your Junior year, and a total of three internships can be completed by graduation. Seniors may also apply to participate in our Los Angeles Internship Program to get closer to internships in Hollywood.
Whether you are a media, business, or humanities student, we strongly recommend you complete at least one internship and take advantage of the resources from faculty and the Career Services office.
Dates to Remember
| Week 3 | Submit Internship Letter of Intent |
| Week 6 | Internship Application Deadline Students are strongly encouraged to apply to internships 1-2 quarters in advance |
| Week 9 | Submit JPCatholic Internship Paperwork |
View Internship Paperwork
You may view the internship application paperwork below. However, internship paperwork must be completed and signed digitally through DocuSign. Printed or emailed copies will not be accepted.
See PaperworkSteps to Register for an Internship
1. Verify your eligibility:
- Must be a junior (90 units) or higher
- Must have available space in your class schedule and degree plan (elective space)
- Meet with the registrar’s office to verify
- Must be able to commit 9+ hours per week to an internship experience
- Must have transportation to the internship site (or, explore local and remote internships)
- An internship may be taken for credit up to 3 times
2. Meet with the Professional Connections Office to go over JPCatholic’s internship requirements and structure
- Internship opportunity will provide 90+ hours of work within a quarter
- Internship opportunity furthers your academic & career goals based on your degree
- Internship opportunity follows all legal requirements for a paid or unpaid internship
3. Complete the Internship Letter of Intent (LOI) form before the deadline
4. Invite a faculty member to oversee your internship
5. Apply for internships. Students should plan to apply for internships at least two quarters in advance if possible.
6. Meet for interview with direct boss or hiring manager
7. Secure internship offer, and confirm faculty advisor
8. Meet with your faculty advisor to discuss:
- Learning outcomes
- Assignments (measuring learning outcomes)
- Final reflection paper
9. Complete student portion of Internship Paperwork through DocuSign. Once submitted, the paperwork will go to your faculty advisor, the Director of Professional Connections, the company internship representative, and the registrar (Pro tip: complete the student portion with your faculty advisor while you are meeting with them, then have him/her sign during that same meeting)
10. Ensure that all parties sign off on your internship paperwork by the deadline
11. Verify registration for internship credit with the registrar’s office
Where have students interned?
Featured Internship Connections
Drive Studio
Drive Studio is a motion graphics design agency located in San Diego county, with clients including FIFA (World Cup), National Geographic, and Fox Sports. Over the past decade, JPCatholic has continually sent students to intern for Drive, with many becoming full-time employees.
AMGI Studios
Colin Brady, a visiting professor of JPCatholic, co-founded AMGI Studios after a career in animation and VFX that included Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, The Hunger Games, and Hugo. AMGI is an animation studio in Los Angeles that specializes in using motion capture for animation, and their projects include the music video for “My Universe” by Coldplay and BTS. JPCatholic has sent several students to AGMI for internships, some of which turned into full-time employment.
Yellow Line Digital
Yellow Line Digital is a social media marketing agency based in San Diego and helmed by Prof. Joe Szalkiewicz, who integrates students into the company through a hands-on course called “Digital Agency Workshop”. Since its founding in 2012 by JPCatholic faculty and alumni, roughly two-thirds of all employees have been JPCatholic students or alumni. JPCatholic has a partnership with Yellow Line Digital to provide students as interns, and to give students/alumni first chance at applying for open positions. Yellow Line has run social media campaigns for over 100 companies and organizations, including five Archdioceses and the Vatican.
Moving Picture Institute
Over a dozen JPCatholic students and alumni have interned with MPI. Students accepted to MPI's selective Hollywood Career Launch Program have been placed in internships at companies including RPM Casting agency, Pastime Pictures, and Millennium Media. Several students have also interned with MPI Original Films, including on the set of MPI's feature film One Second After.
How do students get internships?
Students identify internships through a variety of avenues. Some opportunities come through faculty connections, others through the Professional Connections office, and sometimes students find them on their own initiative. Just as with any employment opportunity, it is the student’s responsibility to apply to the internships and make themselves an attractive candidate.
The Professional Connections office is a great resource for students throughout this entire process, and the primary method for support is one-on-one career counseling meetings.
- Email Maria Fennell to set up an appointment (mfennell@jpcatholic.edu)
- Your meetings will take place in-person or over Zoom, and Maria will work with you to discuss your desired internship/s and advise you throughout the application process. Faculty may also be involved throughout this process if they serve a role in the connection.
- To officially register for an internship for credit, students must submit all necessary paperwork with the Registrar’s office by the listed deadlines. Learn More
Internship FAQ
An internship is a significant learning opportunity that offers you insight into a professional setting and advances the goals of your degree. In an internship, you will be directly overseen by a company representative to facilitate your learning. Internships can offer insight into the fields of business, media, visual arts, teaching, ministry, and more.
- An internship is a crucial opportunity to learn from a real-world environment, and can help you discern whether a career path is right for you.
- Some internships are only open to current students earning academic credit, so they will not be available to you after graduation.
- Internships provide you with industry experience, which can qualify you for additional jobs in your field.
- Internships can provide professional connections that benefit you down the line.
- In some cases, internships can lead to full-time employment. Companies that have offered JPCatholic students full-time employment after internships include Drive Studios, Akimbo Studios, AMGI, Yellow Line Digital, Family Theater Productions, and more.
Juniors and Seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA may register for internships.
Yes. To receive 3 credits of internship (equivalent to one class), students must complete a minimum of 90 hours at their internship within the quarter. Usually, this means spending at least 9 hours per week with the company for 10 weeks. If a student completes at least 180 hours at their internship within a quarter, they are eligible to receive 6 credits. Students may do up to 3 internships for credit (maximum of 9 credits) during their time at JPCatholic.
Internships count as major elective credit. Students interested in doing an internship for credit should meet with the registrar’s office to make sure they have space in their degree plan.
In addition to the internship hour requirement (at least 90 hours at the company), students are required to check in regularly with a JPCatholic professor who is overseeing the internship. These brief meetings can be in-person or virtual, and should be at least every two weeks. Students will need to submit proof of achieving learning outcomes to their professor throughout the quarter, as well as a final reflection paper and hour log at the end of the quarter. Full information about this is included in JPCatholic’s internship paperwork.
Students should seek out and apply to intern opportunities that align with their career goals. Internships can be found on job boards, on company websites, or by working directly with a company to create an internship. Students should also collaborate with the Professional Connections Office when seeking internships. The Professional Connections Office works with JPCatholic's intern partners, and can let students know about available intern opportunities with partner organizations.
*Students should check with the Professional Connections Office to ensure intern opportunities will qualify for credit at JPCatholic.
Yes. Students can receive academic credit for paid or unpaid internships. Internships at for-profit companies that are paid less than minimum wage are considered unpaid internships, and have more legal restrictions. Students should meet with the Professional Connections Office to discuss unpaid internships further.
Yes. Internships can be in-person or remote. However, students in California are not permitted to do internships that are based out-of-state (whether remote or in-person), since California does not participate in NC-SARA. Internships that are based outside of the United States can be permitted.
Some companies require students to be receiving credit from an academic institution in order to participate in their internship programs. Other internships do not require participants to be receiving credit. Students can do internships without receiving credit from JPCatholic if the company permits. However, most students benefit from receiving credit for their internships because it allows them to be enrolled in fewer classes while they are interning.
Los Angeles Internship Program
JPCatholic’s strategic location in Southern California is an important component of the education, particularly for students pursuing a career in entertainment media.
Upperclassmen can have the opportunity to experience the Los Angeles entertainment industry firsthand in our immersive L.A. Quarter. These 8 weeks open up a host of new opportunities for internships, networking, and experiencing life in the entertainment capital of the world.
Our students have interned at world-class production companies and organizations across the industry, gaining valuable skills, acquiring insights on their field, and obtaining full-time job offers after graduation.
Learn More