CTVA INTERNSHIP INFORMATION & REQUIREMENTS
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INTERNSHIP QUALIFICATIONS, CREDIT AND UNITS
To be qualified for a CTVA internship you:
- Must be a senior in the semester that you want to enroll in the internship course (have 90+ units)
- Must be in good academic standing
- Must have completed the required lower-division CTVA major courses
- Must be in a CTV A major area of emphasis
You must find an internship BEFORE you receive permission to enroll into the internship class. This means you should start looking for an internship as early as the semester before you would like to intern.
Once you find an internship, email Professor Sipos (julieann.sipos@csun.edu) a PDF of:
- your current CSUN degree progress report,
- the name of the company and internship supervisor and
- the course in which you want to enroll: CTVA 494 A&B for 3 units (135 hrs) or CTVA 494C&D for 6 units (270 hrs).
Professor Sipos will email qualified students instructions on enrolling along with an eligibility letter to send to your supervisor.
Please don’t email the CTVA Office staff or go to the CTVA Dept. office. The CTVA Internship Enrollment Process is done entirely online and the course is run through CANVAS.
Please note internships credit is NOT available for opportunities that are on campus.
HOW TO FIND AN INTERNSHIP
Apply for an internship as if you were job hunting. You may wish to start by looking online at the studio and network sites for available internships.
Call or email the company(ies) you are interested in directly, ask for the internship director, and find out the procedure for securing an internship position. Some may require a resume or other documentation.
Contact the Career Center (818-677-2320) to make an on-line appointment to have someone assist you in procuring an internship in your area of interest.
You may also feel free to contact the professor at julieann.sipos@csun.edu should you have additional questions, concerns and/or ideas about where you might like to intern around your personal areas of interest.
Students who have had internships are very good resources for referrals. Talk to your fellow CTVA majors. They may supply you with useful contacts.
Because an internship is where you are auditioning for a career, once you secure and begin an internship, is should become your priority over part-time jobs and other classes.
*Please note: Some studios and networks ask students during the interview process to provide proof that they will receive college credit. Please contact Professor Sipos via email to requesting a letter of proof of qualification to enroll in the internship course. Be sure to attach a PDF of your current DPR.
LOCATION OF INTERNSHIPS
You may perform remote, in-office or hybrid internships in observation of Los Angeles County health and safety guidelines. Unless you are working in a fully remote modality, due to insurance issues, internship providers must include Los Angeles County as an address of record; and any work you physically perform must occur in the greater Los Angeles area (approximately the area from Ventura to Long Beach).
Most internships are non-paid positions, although paid internships are becoming much more common especially at the largest studios, networks and production companies. You must either be paid for your internship, be earning credit in exchange for your labor, or both.
INTERNSHIP HOURS
Course #: 494A/B
# of units: 3 units
Minimum # of hours required: 135 hours (divided by 15 weeks is 9 hours per week)
Course #: 494C/D
# of units: 6 units
Minimum # of hours required: 270 hours (divided by 15 weeks is 18 hours per week)
Be thoughtful about the number of units you register for. You will receive credit only for the number of units for which you have registered regardless of the time you spend at your internship.
The 3-unit CTVA 494A/B is repeatable, however, as the maximum number of CTVA internship units a student can take is six, you may only take CTVA 494 C/D once.
THE INSURANCE ISSUE
Student may NOT start their internships before the semester begins. Major studios/networks/production companies require that the student be enrolled in an internship class to be an intern. This means that the student must be enrolled in the class at the start and during the exact time of the internship. Again, this is an insurance issue. Many of these organizations only allow persons who are clients, employees, guests or interns on their property. It’s also a labor law issue. Except in the case of public broadcasting, no one can volunteer or work for free in the entertainment industry. Everyone must either be paid or receive educational credit.
Some smaller companies or organizations may attempt to skirt labor laws and risk a lawsuit. CTVA WILL NOT approve internships with companies that don't abide by insurance and labor laws. CTVA students can ONLY intern with bona fide companies offering college course credit.
ONLINE INTERNSHIP ORIENTATION SESSIONS
A mandatory, half-hour orientation session for students interested in enrolling in CTVA494 is now available for on-line review here via myCSUNBox: https://mycsun.box.com/s/jy9bl0vtu0t7mi3slr23kxl4b16zh9cw
In order to initiate the enrollment process, you must download, complete and sign the CTVA494 Orientation Completion Certificate also located in the folder and e-mail it to Professor Sipos at primary purpose for the orientation is to provide information regarding internship placement, timing and career guidance. You need only attend this session once.