La Study Away students Weihang Zhao and Kayla Caracci work on set of The Asylum

Internships - A core component of L.A. Study Away 

Students in the program enroll in the L.A. Internship course, where they are paired with an instructor who will serve as an advisor and resource for their internship search and application process. Students are encouraged to apply for positions in their specific area(s) of interest, and may choose to do one or two internships per semester.  Internships are available at a wide range of companies including major studios, production companies, post production houses, talent agencies, management companies, PR firms, advertising agencies, journalism outlets, web-based media channels, industry organizations, and much more.  A longer list of options is available below.

Interns are expected to intern for a minimum of 2 days per week during the fall and spring semesters, and 3 days per week during the summer program.  Interns will receive 4 hours of academic credit for successful completion of their internship(s) and other LA internship course requirements.  

Applying for Internships

The L.A. Study Away Program guides and assists students with the internship application process in several ways:

• Once students are admitted to the LA Study Away Program, the LA Internship instructor will review the student’s application materials and preferred internship/career options, and suggest customized revisions to resumes and cover letters as needed. Students must prepare an internship resume as part of their program application.* 
• The instructor will provide lists of available internship opportunities to the incoming group, as well as online resources for students to conduct their search and tips on interviewing, researching companies, communicating with internship sites, fielding offers, and establishing a work schedule.
• Students meet as a group and individually with the instructor during the course of the semester, and complete journals and readings designed to support the experiential learning process.

*Temple’s Career Center is also available to assist prospective L.A. Study Away students with resumes and cover letters. Please visit the website to make an appointment.

Most companies recruit interns for three different sessions during the year: fall, spring and summer. Recruitment begins as early as 9 months prior to the start of the internship for highly competitive positions. Some internships are offered only during the summer in LA; however, the summer can also be a more competitive time to apply due to the large number of applicants.

 In general, the more competitive internships, such as paid positions with prominent companies, have earlier deadlines.  If you want to apply for these positions, it’s important to get started well in advance of the start of the semester in which you hope to study in LA. This timeline provides a general overview of the internship application timeline, and how it relates to LA Program application deadlines and the applicant review process.

Below is a list of areas of the entertainment industry in which past students have interned.  Note that while specific opportunities vary from one semester to another, there is always a range of companies to apply for in each of the categories below.  Successful placement depends on the student’s qualifications and experience, as well as the quality and timeliness of the application and interview.  While all students in the program have ultimately secured internships, there is no guarantee of placement with any particular company, and paid internships are highly competitive.  Many internships are unpaid in exchange for academic credit.  Students are permitted to do paid or unpaid internships as long as they conform with Temple’s internship guidelines.

Students Have Recently Interned in these Fields:

• Advertising
• Animation
• Broadcast Journalism
• Casting
• Cinematography
• Commercial Production
• Costume Design/Wardrobe Department
• Digital/Web-based Media
• Distribution
• Documentary Filmmaking
• Entertainment Reporting
• Event Planning
• Fashion Design and PR
• Feature Film Production
• Film Festivals
• Film and Television Development
• Graphic Design
• Industry Organizations and Guilds
• Marketing and Branding
• Music production, promotion, and licensing
• Post production
• Print Journalism
• Production Design
• Public Relations
• Reality TV
• Sound Design
• Sports Media
• Studio TV Production
• Talent and Management Agencies
• Visual Effects
• Writing