Internships
PVA Internships prepare you for success in the job market.
An internship is your chance to take what you’ve learned in the classroom and put it into action. At the College of Performing and Visual Arts, students can complete a 3-credit internship—equal to 135 hours of real-world experience. Whether you’re working with a theatre company, design firm, gallery or arts organization, you’ll build your skills, make professional connections and see what it’s like to work in your field. You’ll also get support from faculty and staff to prepare, apply and find the internship that matches your goals.
Preparation
Complete these steps when you are a sophomore or incoming transfer student.
Read over this entire internship page to make sure you know the entire process and all of the policies.
Meet with a faculty member to talk about internships.
- Music Business & Recording Arts students (contact the following faculty members)
- Sarah Off [Music Business students]
- Socrates Garcia [Recording Arts students]
- Graphic Design students
- Theatre Management Interns
Contact the Center for Arts Entrepreneurship for career-related needs.
Application
Complete these steps in the semester prior to your internship.
Search Handshake for Opportunities tagged as PVA Internship & view our PVA Internship List.
Meet with faculty member(s) for guidance and approval (see names above in the step 2 preparation area).
Once you are hired with an employer, email your faculty member(s) about the job opportunity to receive approval. Be sure to cc your employer in the email so that everyone is aware of the conversation.
Notify/Email your academic advisor of your internship acceptance. Then, register for your Internship Credits during registration for the following semester.
- Music students: MUS 392
- Art students: ART 492
- Please note: Graphic Design students cannot sign up for ART 492 until they have the release form, located in the ART 492 Internship Packet, signed by the faculty advisor.
- Theatre Management Internship students: THEA 398/498
Internship Coordinators
Sarah Off
Associate Professor of Violin & Music Business, Center for Arts Entrepreneurship Director
Socrates Garcia
Professor of Music, Director of Music Technology
Mark Fetkewicz
Emeritus Faculty & Graphic Design Internship Coordinator
Rand Harmon
Associate Professor of Theatre Studies & Arts Entrepreneurship
Internship Highlights
Through a partnership with the National Repertory Orchestra, UNC Music Business Students have the opportunity to learn and work with one of the nation’s premier summer music festivals.
“Partnering with the NRO is extremely exciting. UNCO and I have a lot of admiration for the NRO because of what they have done, the opportunities that they have given students across the United States and the world. Their artistic presence within the community and their integrity in the music industry is incredible. To have the honor and the pleasure of this partnership is pretty cool.” —Dr. Sarah Off
Past Internship Partners
- Budweiser Events
- Adidas
- HP
- Quiksilver
- National Repertory Theatre
- YMCA
- Cosmopolitan Magazine
- Athena Project
- The Music District
- Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra
- Central City Opera
- Union Colony Civic Center
- 7S MGMT
Frequently Asked Questions
As a general rule of thumb, no. If you feel that this could be possible due to uncontrollable circumstances, you need to speak with your internship coordinator/faculty advisor.
Your faculty advisor/internship coordinator approves your internship (whether via email or through approval form). Your academic advisor DOES NOT approve internships.
It depends on the student and their level of experience as well as the approval/guidance from your faculty member. However, most students complete their internship in their last 2-3 semesters in college.
Fall, Spring, or Summer.
Music: you should email the instructor listed for the course to ask for an override.
Art: Email your academic advisor and cc your internship coordinator/faculty advisor to ask for an override.
You cannot register retroactively for internship credit.