Undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of English and Technical Communication have several co-op and internship opportunities.

While both internships and co-ops allow students to apply what they have learned in the classroom, there are some differences between the two, particularly in terms of the period of employment and the salary paid. Internships are usually offered for one semester, either in the spring or fall semester (14-16 weeks) or in the summer semester (8 weeks). Co-ops require working multiple semesters (generally two to three semesters and one summer, providing the student with 7-12 months of work experience). Some internships are paid, and some are voluntary. Co-ops are always paid.

At Missouri S&T, in addition to the internship and co-op opportunities offered by the Career Opportunities Center (COC), our department offers unique internships with on-campus departments, local businesses, and government agencies.

English majors in the teaching certification program get actual classroom experience through a semester of student teaching arranged with Rolla Public Schools and other public schools within 30 miles of the campus.

Our technical communication curriculum includes an internship course, TCH COM 380, worth 3 credit hours. Students may use this course to meet an elective requirement for either the bachelor's or master's degree in technical communication. In this course, the student works off-campus for an outside organization but also meets with the program director twice a month and completes a lengthy report at the end of the course. The student may work as a volunteer or a paid employee of the sponsor.

B.S. and M.S. students in technical communication are strongly encouraged to complete at least three hours of internship as part of their degrees. The internship experience is an important part of a student’s preparation for employment after graduation.

Students in our department have had internships recently with Sprint, Phelps County Regional Medical Center, Phelps County Community Partnership, and various departments on campus.

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