Spending time abroad while doing something you love sounds ideal. It sounds even more unreal if you can do it while earning academic credit for your degree! Well, it’s true. Most universities offer you credit for doing an internship or training program. Whether you intern in your own country, or overseas. Here are the steps to keep in mind so that you can get some credits for doing an internship with a media company.

Step 1: Talk to your professor or faculty dean

Usually, you can earn anything between one and six credit points for an internship. This means you don’t have to enrol in as many formal classes. Instead, you’ll earn academic credits by doing an internship or training program. Talk to your relevant class’s professor, or to the dean of your study field or faculty. Find out whether you can do an internship in your media field while earning credits. If you get a positive answer, ask them what the procedure for this would be.

Step 2: Find out which companies will assist you in getting credits

Next, check with the company you want to intern for or train with whether their program offers credits. They will tell you whether they’ve had to do it before and what you need to do. Sometimes, the university gets in touch with the company itself about your internship. This helps a lot, as they can handle the needed admin beforehand. Africa Media has helped many of our alumni to get six college or university credits. Chat with one of our team members if you want to find out more about this. 

Step 3: Make sure that your university offers credit for the specific internship

Now it’s time to make sure that the specific training program you’d like to do qualifies for credits at your uni. Some institutes have certain requirements for companies offering internships. So, when talking to your professor, ask if the program you’re interested in would qualify for credits.

Step 4: Find out what your uni’s requirements are to get the necessary credits

Ask your uni for the things you need to provide from your internship to get credit for it. This can entail a required number of hours worked, specific assignments or a work plan. Your internship supervisor might have to verify that you’ve met all the criteria. For instance, your uni might ask your supervisor to sign a document after your internship. Sometimes, your supervisor even needs to submit a written evaluation of your work as an intern or student. Make sure about what’s needed long enough before the starting date of your internship. This will ensure that you have everything you need to earn your credits.  

Step 5: Double-check the limitations and rules

There is always some fine print involved when working with universities and companies. Therefore, make sure that you know about each rule and limit involved in the internship you want to do. See if there’s a limited amount of credits you can earn. Alternatively, there could be a minimum amount of hours you need to spend working or training. Some internships are paid, some unpaid, and some even need an enrolment fee. Double-check with your professor and the company you want to intern for. Have all these details sorted in order to get the academic credit you need. 

Finally, all that’s left to do is to start packing for your internship! You now have the opportunity to spend time abroad – or, at least, away from uni – while earning credits. What’s more, you’ll gain valuable career experience while maybe even travelling to another country. All the more reason to sign up for the best training programs you can find. Why not check out one of our programs as a way of getting credit for your degree?