Graphic Design Internship GRA4940
The Graphic Design Internship course provides Graphic Design Students with experiential learning opportunities at Museums, Galleries, Studios, Branding Agencies, and Design Firms. Our students gain real-world experience, develop valuable relationships, and insight that will help them begin their transition toward a professional life.
Internship Process
It is the student's responsibility to find a sponsor/host for the internship. below please read the list and link to possible sponsors that have worked with us in the past.
A 3-credit internship in graphic design requires 144 hours of internship work – 10/15 hours per week during the Fall or Spring semesters, or 20 hours per week during the Summer semester. You must work as a graphic designer (print or digital) under the supervision of another creative person. It must be an established place of employment. After submission of your signed and completed application/contract to Prof. Pease, your contract/ case is evaluated individually by a committee.
Grading Policy for Art + Art History Internships
Evaluation by the supervisor on the job – 50% of the grade
Journal and log – 25% (FIU Faculty)
Final report – 25% (FIU Faculty)
Internship Requests Deadline Dates
Deadline dates are flexible.
Contact Prof. Silvia Pease with any questions at spease@fiu.edu /
You cannot start your internship without a contract. You must enroll in the class on the semester that you will end the internship.
Steps to follow
1. Prepare your portfolio
Create or update your portfolio website with at least 10 examples of your work.
2. Find an internship sponsor
Contact potential internship sponsors. Your sponsor should work in design or a related field and be able to provide professional supervision, teaching, and guidance. On-site internships are preferred, but online internships may also be considered.
3. Complete the internship contract
Complete Page 1 of the enclosed contract and have both you and your sponsor sign it. Include:
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Your internship schedule (maximum 15 hours per week)
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The tasks and responsibilities you will complete
Send the completed and signed contract to spease@fiu.edu.
4. Committee review
The internship committee will review your contract and application for approval.
5. Enrollment in GRA 4940
After your internship is approved, your advisor will notify you and enroll you in GRA 4940 – Internship.
6. During your internship, pls. complete and document your internship hours
You must complete 144 internship hours. Keep a record of:
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Daily tasks and activities totaling the hours worked
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screenshots of work completed In one word document.
7. Write your final reflection
At the end of the internship, write a 500-word minimum essay reflecting on your overall internship experience and what you learned.
8. Obtain your supervisor's evaluation
Ask your internship sponsor to complete Page 2 of the contract and include the evaluation with your final materials.
9. Submit your final materials
By the end-of-semester deadline, submit 3 word documents:
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Internship hours log and Screenshots or examples of your internship work
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500+ word reflection essay
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Contract pages 1 and 2, including the Supervisor evaluation
Check the GRA 4940 Canvas course for additional instructions, deadlines, and required meetings with the professor supervising your internship.
Browse more opportunities!
Here’s a curated list of 25 top websites offering remote jobs
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These sponsors have worked with FIU students in the past.
You may contact them for future opportunities.
ICA Institute of Contemporary Art Miami
Florida Opera
Adrienne Arsht Center
Graphic Design and Artist/Event Management
Fairchild Gardens
Animation, Social Media Design, and Digital Media
VISCAYA internships
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises
Digital Media, Editorial, Art & Design, and Animation
Pérez Art Museum Miami PAMM
Graphic Design
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Graphic Design, Digital, Product Marketing and UX Design
Norwegian Cruises
Smithsonian
Graphic Design, Digital Media, and Marketing
The Bass Museum of Art
Graphic Design, Social Media, Art & Museum Education
The Patricia & Phillip Frost Museum of Science
Graphic Design and Digital Marketing
The Wolfsonian
A wide variety of museum operations and practices
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Graphic Design and Digital Media
Walt Disney Studios
Graphic Design and Animation
Zimmerman Advertising
Creative Art, Graphic Design, and Social Media Design
AC Graphics
Printing production design
MOAD
Art and design Museum
Linkedin (create a free account/search jobs/internships)
aiga.org (jobs/internships)
indeed.com (jobs/internships)
Join Handshake @FIU
You may contact the career specialist Ms. Clotilde Picart Laguer to assist you with the resume content. cpicartl@fiu.edu
FIU's career website
Browse other Out-of-State Opportunities
Converse
Graphic Design, Digital, Marketing
Hallmark
Graphic Design, Illustration
Google
UX (User Experience) Design
Museum of Modern Art
Curatorial, Exhibitions & Programs Production
Pixar Animation Studio
Art, Animation
Tesla
Graphic Design, Video and Photo Production, CMF Industrial Design
The Metropolitan Museum
Curatorial, Digital, Design, Imaging
Warner Bros.
Social Media, Marketing, Creative Development, Digital Media
Whitney Museum of Art
Curatorial, Graphic Design, Marketing
Testimonials
Thalia Monier
“I was able to work on big projects like the Aerial Vision family guide booklet, the Birthday Card Gif and the Home is Where the Horror is Gif. All this work took very long to make mainly because we needed to make sure that everything was perfect before sending it out, so through my process a lot was changed which opened space for new ideas. I specially had a lot of fun doing motion design and designing merch for the store, I got to also learn to create the mockups. Overall, I think I got the best out of my internship, I was able to learn and experience how to create big projects. I was very proud with my works and collaborations when they were published or printed, seeing them come to life was amazing!” Thalia Monier, Internship at the Wolfsonian, 2022.
Gabriela Martinez
"I am very grateful to have been able to intern for the non-profit organization, Miami EdTech…While interning at Miami EdTech I have been able to use my creativity in an array of ways including web design, prototyping, UI/UX design, illustration, photography, motion graphics, videography, and marketing. I was also able to attend events where I networked with people working in the industry and attended events where I saw the impact Miami EdTech has had on the community.”
“During my internship I helped the team in creating our very own NFT which later appeared on the NFT market called Opensea. Through this experience I’ve been able to build a better understanding of how NFTs are not only made but also how they work.” Gabriela Martinez, Internship at Miami EdTech, Spring 2022
K’deja Correa
“I got to do so much and honestly got the first-hand experience of being a Jr. book designer even while working remotely. I may not have gotten the opportunity to design a cover, but I am proud to have worked on the mechanicals for Her Honor (trade paperback), We Are the Brennans (trade paperback), and the hardcover & ARC for Growing Up Biden, the story of Valerie Biden…I saw first-hand how typography can make or break an impactful book cover.… Having these meetings and shadowing our in-house team as they design covers has helped me gleam how to dissect the material. I have also picked up a few tips and tricks on setting type and how intensely exhausting it can be to fix the onslaught of rivers in type. I can say confidently, I have grown abundantly better at using InDesign… One of the last and most impactful aspects of my internship has been our Lunch & Learns. This is where all our interns virtually meet for lunch with a colleague in Macmillan… I really took this internship in stride despite the initial hiccups I faced in the transition period. As well as being able to say I now have a slew of connections that I made at the company.” K’deja Correa, Internship at Macmillan, Spring 2022.
Shairymar Negron
“I worked as the student graphic designer for the Plasma Forming Laboratory (PFL) at Florida International University’s (FIU’s) College of Engineering with Dr. Arvind Agarwal’s team...Some of the most impactful projects I had the opportunity of doing were project 3, which was the Trifold Design for the Soft Matter Mematics Laboratory brochure (as well as the first project that had been printed), project 5, which was a cover for the Advanced Materials magazine, projects 11 and 12, which were the banner and magazine booklet for the AMERI Conference event held in March, and lastly project 15, which was fixing the PFL team members’ profile images that are in the PFL website…This experience has left me with a lasting impression of the graphic design field. As each project was completed and experience gained, I felt that I was able to increase the quality of my work...The printing projects also helped me with how to format the jpeg and pdf document for them to be ready to print. Additionally, the collaboration process also helped me with better communicating and visualizing the designs throughout each project.” Shairymar Negron, Spring 2022.
Jessica Gil
“This Spring semester, as a senior I was able to land an internship with Florida international University. I was hired as a Creative Media Assistant who would work with Campus Life at Biscayne Bay Campus. Our team produces designs that promote club events for SGA (Student Government Association), BSU, (Black Student Union), Panther Power, and countless more. Projects range from apparel designs, flyers, posters, and stickers to name a few…It was my first time also having access to Adobe Stocks and Envato Elements which allowed me to grab elements such as fonts, illustrations and images to help quicken my pace. Usually as student designers, we have to use what we have at hand, so I was used to drawing my own graphic elements for my design. This opportunity has also opened the door for me to gain more experience in the design field as they offered to keep me for the rest of the year! So my learning has still not stopped and I have more knowledge to obtain to get me ready for my first full-time job as a graphic designer.” Jessica Gil, Spring 2022
Mathew Escalera
" My research was life-changing, thanks to the FIU Graphic Design Internship program! I researched the Black Lives Matter posters in the campaign from around the world from 2013 until 2020. This site hosts my visual research work: "PLACARD PROJECT"
Over the years, BLM has been rising and so has the ingenuity of placards. People of various races express themselves and demonstrate their support for the black community. They are coming together as one to send a clear message to the world that something has to change. People march on the streets making sure their voices are being heard and physically expressing their true emotions. The messages on the placards and posters are being seen by millions of people all over the world. As you move from page to page, each year there was a specific spark that caused a major outbreak in the BLM movement." Mathew Escalera, Research Internship in Design, Spring 2020.