Internships in Marketing
MKT 4382 - Undergraduate Internship Requirement
Nature and Purpose of the Course
Marketing students in the Rawls College of Business are encouraged to complete an internship course. In this setting, students can apply classroom concepts in a workplace setting. For Marketing majors, this course is MKT 4382.
The purpose of the internship requirement is to help students reflect on their learning while in a full-time educational employment position. This reflection should lead to:
- Greater understanding of business processes when taking future courses.
- Opportunities to practice academic learning.
- Increased professional skills.
- Integrated learning about how specific projects relate to larger business goals.
- Further ability to match career/employment choices with personal interaction styles and abilities.
Students must set up an internship and have it approved by the department before they will be allowed to register for the course. The steps in this process are:
Internship Approval Checklist
- Confirm eligibility for MKT 4382
- At the time of registration for MKT 4382, the prospective intern must:
- Be in good academic standing with an overall GPA of 2.85 or the approval of the Internship Committee.
- Have completed MKT 3350 and one other marketing course with a GPA of 2.5.
- All specified parties must approve the internship agreement in writing prior to the beginning of work.
- May not be taken during the student's final semester at Texas Tech University.
- Internship credit will not be given for part-time employment or for current positions.
- Find an internship
- Apply for an internship
- For more background information, students may read the internship manual online.
- Student downloads and submits an internship application.
- Student receives an email with approval/denial decision.
- Applications for the internship class will not be approved for an internship that is completed - students should apply after obtaining an internship but before beginning work.
- Students completing a summer internship will register for the internship course in the first summer session, but must apply for department approval before they begin working at the internship.
- Register for MKT 4382
- Perform internship duties
- Complete the MKT 4382 course requirements
- Turn in (mail, e-mail, or fax) a single page listing your name, the company where you did your internship, the name of your supervisor (with address and phone number), the date you were employed, the projected final date of the internship, and a paragraph describing your internship duties.
- Call or e-mail Dr. McDonald to set a predetermined time to discuss how things are going with the internship. This is still early enough to make any necessary adjustments to your program.
- Have your supervisor send or fax (on company letterhead a letter) giving your grade and a statement describing your performance. This letter accounts for 50% of your final course grade. This letter can include supporting documentation from any area supervisors you worked under, as well as anything else the supervisor feels is important. NOTE: IF THE COMPANY USES ITS OWN INTERNAL DOCUMENTS FOR ASSIGNING A GRADE, PROVIDE A COPY OF THAT EVALUATION.
- Final paper is due. This paper (normally 20-25 pages) should have four parts:
- Part 1 - A complete description of all your duties and assignments during the internship (THIS MAY BE DONE IN DIARY FORM).
- Part 2 - An analysis of how these duties and assignments related to your academic course work in marketing.
- Part 3 - Your evaluation of the internship itself. Should TTU continue to work with this company on internships? Why? What could be done by TTU to improve the internship for future students? You may add any information to the section that you believe may be important for the instructor to know.
- Part 4 - A statement to your supervisor giving your evaluation of the internship. Be sure to state if anything is needed to improve the internship. You are also strongly encouraged to you send a copy of Parts 1, 2, and 4 of your paper to your company supervisor, along with a "thank you" note for the firm's contribution to your academic program and advancement.
- Meet with Dr. McDonald during office hours to pick up your final paper, discuss your internship, and get your final grade.
- Evaluation
- 50% Determined by the firm's supervisor in charge.
- 50% Determined by the supervising faculty member on the basis of the final written report.
- Daily Journal
- Students are encouraged to keep a daily journal of their activities during the internship, giving an overview of the project(s) on which they work and the learning derived from the work. This journal will serve as the basis of the required fina paper.
- Students should begin keeping an internship journal as soon as they begin working. Your entries may be daily at the beginning of the internship. As the internship evolves and your responsibilities stabilize, students might make less frequent entries. At that point, students should maintain at least one journal entry for every week of work. This weekly journal entry should include at least one learning outcome for that week.
- The journal is meant to be more than a log of the tasks performed. The objective of the journal insures that students think about what the tasks performed, examine the lessons learned, and consider how the internship relates to your classes and personal career goals. Again, the journal can serve as the basis of the required final paper.
- Internship Documentation Form
- Fax to the attention of Dr. Bob McDonald at 806.742.2199
- Mail to this address:
Dr. Bob McDonald Rawls College of Business Administration Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
79409-2101 - Send an email to bob.mcdonald@ttu.edu
- Written Report
- Part 1 - A complete description of all your duties and assignments during the internship (THIS MAY BE DONE IN DIARY FORM).
- Part 2 - An analysis of how these duties and assignments related to your academic course work in marketing.
- Part 3 - Your evaluation of the internship itself. Should TTU continue to work with this company on internships? Why? What could be done by TTU to improve the internship for future students? You may add any information to the section that you believe may be important for the instructor to know.
- Part 4 - A statement to your supervisor giving your evaluation of the internship. Be sure to state if anything is needed to improve the internship. You are also strongly encouraged to you send a copy of Parts 1, 2, and 4 of your paper to your company supervisor, along with a "thank you" note for the firm's contribution to your academic program and advancement.
While there are numerous avenues through which a student could secure an internship, business students are encouraged to work with the Career Management Center in the School of Business to begin their internship search. The CMC and Marketing Department offer an Internship Night in early February for summer internships.
The career advisors, through workshops and individual appointments, assist students with all aspects of their internship and career search - resumes, networking, company research, interviewing and more.
Please visit the Career Management Center's web page or their office in Rawls 169 for more information on their resources or students may talk with Dr. Bob McDonald.
Once a student has set up an internship, they may submit an application to have it approved by the department for MKT 4382.
To apply:
Please note:
Q: How will I know if an internship will work for MKT 4382?
The easiest and most direct way is to fill out the application and read the decision. If an internship is appropriate, it will be approved.
Students will receive an email directing them to a web page to view the decision on their application. Once their application is approved, the student will be eligible to add the course on TECHSIS. The section and unique number for which they are approved will be listed on the decision web page. Students will only be able to add the unique number for which they were approved. This course has no closing limit for registration.
Students must work at least eight consecutive calendar weeks of full-time employment to fulfill the internship requirement. The work involved must include at least three (but may include more) of the following work areas: Corporate Structure, Developing Marketing Plans, Developing Sales Plans, Sales Training, Marketing Research, Employee Selection, Store Management, Resource Buying and/or Vendor Relations, and International Operations. Other areas can also be added with the approval of the faculty member in charge.
Students with approved applications will be notified via email. After receiving notification, students need to complete the following steps:
At the completion of the internship, your supervisor must send a letter on company letterhead that includes your final grade, along with a statement describing your performance. Remember this letter accounts for 50% of your final course grade. This letter can include supporting documentation from any area supervisors you worked under, as well as anything else the supervisor feels is important.
These forms can be returned in any of the following ways:
It is recommended you have an extra copy made for your own records, if possible, so if somehow the original is misplaced, you will not need to track down your supervisor and have them complete it again.
A final written paper, usually 20 to 25 pages, is due at the end of the semester. This paper will include four parts:
Marketing Internship Coordinator
Dr. Bob McDonald
Rawls College of Business Administration
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-2101
806-742-3432
bob.mcdonald@ttu.edu
Career Management Center
Tammie King, M.B.A.
Director
(806) 742-4531
tammie.king@ttu.edu