Eloise Greene, Internship Coordinator
A variety of internship experiences is possible in all departments and programs of the Park School. Students intern in commercial, nonprofit, and government sectors. Internships are normally taken during a student's junior or senior year, but freshmen and sophomores may apply for one internship credit. All internships are pass/fail. One internship credit represents sixty or more hours at the internship over the course of a semester.
Students may enroll in fall, spring, and summer session internships. A summer session internship requires an additional tuition payment beyond the regular academic year. Students may have a total of twelve internship credits, and no one internship may be taken for more than six credits.
Information on discretionary internships, including policy and application, is available at https://www.ithaca.edu/rhp/internships.
The satellite programs at Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and London, U.K., have their own application processes, and are administered separately.
An independent study/project offers students the opportunity to pursue historical, critical, empirical, and/or creative research in communications under faculty supervision. Areas of investigation are described in the course listings for each department. One credit of independent study/project requires 45 hours of faculty-supervised work, which is performed by the student outside of the classroom setting. Therefore, a 3-credit independent study will require a minimum of 135 hours of student work during a semester. An independent study/project is not permitted to supplement the work in another course; it is more typically appropriate to serve as a substitution for a required course that a student is unable to take due to legitimate and verifiable circumstances, and if the student has no other options for taking the required course and staying on track for graduation. All independent studies/projects must be approved by the chair of the department in which they are offered and by the dean's office.
Stephen Tropiano, Associate Professor and Director
The Park School offers an internship-centered, semester-long program in Los Angeles. The junior- and senior-year program is open to all majors and minors in the Park School. Students have the opportunity to intern at a wide variety of organizations in the fields of radio, television, cinema, photography, journalism, public relations, advertising, and corporate and nonprofit communications. Los Angeles internships are for 6 credits in the fall and spring semesters only, and for 3 to 5 credits in the summer.
In addition to internships, students take required and elective courses in several communication areas. All classes are held at the James B. Pendleton Center, and students live in College-provided housing. Tuition is the same as on the home campus, and housing costs are similar to off-campus housing costs in Ithaca.
The Los Angeles program allows students to experience the cultural diversity of the Los Angeles environment and to make valuable contacts, including many with Ithaca College alumni, in the Los Angeles professional communications community.
Additional information is available from advisers or the dean's office.
The Park School participates in the London Center program through course offerings and selected internships. Students interested in studying at the London Center may obtain information from the Office of International Programs.
International Programs
Juniors and seniors majoring or minoring in the Park School may participate in the academic program offered at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. In the exchange agreement, up to five students from the NTU School of Communications spend a semester at Ithaca College, and an equal number of Ithaca College students may attend classes, taught in English, in Singapore. For more information about the program, contact the Office of International Programs, 214 Center for Health Sciences, 607-274-3306.
Park School students also have the opportunity to participate in the Washington Semester Program, which is an internship-centered program in the nation's capital designed to meet the academic and professional interests of students from a variety of majors. In addition to a 6-credit internship, students enroll in two semester-long courses and up to three 1-credit academic seminars. The Washington Semester Program also provides programming for students to experience the richness of Washington's cultural and political life. For more information about the program, contact the director of the Washington Semester Program, 607-274-3314.
Washington Semester Program
Communication plays an important role for students in a number of disciplines. To serve these students, the Park School offers several minor programs:
Details of these programs, including enrollment restrictions, are given under the respective department listings.
The number of seats available for some minor programs may be limited. Students normally apply after their freshman or sophomore year. Students must apply to be accepted into a minor. Most minors in the Park School have an application deadline each semester; applications and deadlines are available at the dean's office, 607-274-1021.
A course that fulfills a requirement for a student's major and minor programs is counted toward the major. The minor discipline determines whether the requirement is to be waived or how else it must be fulfilled. Course duplication will be considered an issue only when a required course is specified by number and title in both the major and minor.
Students should consult the undergraduate course offerings (in Homer Connect) for specific information on the schedule of all courses for the semester. In addition to the courses listed in this catalog, others may be offered on an experimental basis. Descriptions of experimental courses, minicourses, selected topics courses, and other special offerings are available from the dean's or department offices the week before registration begins each semester.
Undergraduate Course Offerings in HomerConnect