Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2010

Technical Communication Internship Requirements in the Academic Economy: How We Compare among Ourselves and across other Applied Fields

Gerald J. Savage ; Marcea K. Seible Illinois State University

Abstract

This article reports a study of internship requirements in technical communication programs compared with three established professions and one emerging profession that have certification or licensing requirements for practitioners. The study addresses three questions about technical communication internship programs: 1) Are internships offered as a way to fulfill program academic credit requirements? 2) If internships are offered, are they required or elective? 3) What are the minimum/maximum academic credits allowed for internships toward fulfillment of program requirements and the number of workplace hours of internship required? To answer these questions we focused on three elements of internship program management: academic credits, workplace hours per academic credit, and total workplace hours required. Our findings indicate that there is considerable disparity for these factors among programs in our field and that we lack criteria similar to those used in established professions for internships.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2010-01-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.40.1.d
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Open Access
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Topics
technical communication
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (7)

  1. Parks (2026)
    Internship Practices in Technical and Professional Communication Programs
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Liu (2026)
    Bridging the Gap: A Comparative Study of Students’ and LSPs’ Perceptions of Tra…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Bay et al. (2022)
    Remote TPC Internships: Infrastructures for Success
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Tanner et al. (2019)
    Testing the Test: Expanding the Dialogue on Technical Writing Assessment in the…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Kramer-Simpson (2018)
    Moving From Student to Professional: Industry Mentors and Academic Internship C…
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Show all 7 →
  1. Bay (2017)
    Training Technical and Professional Communication Educators for Online Internsh…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  2. Bourelle (2014)
    New Perspectives on the Technical Communication Internship: Professionalism in …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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CrossRef global citation count: 9 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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