Talented writers, editors and work-world professionals who mentor our students are the backbone of the Minor in Professional Writing. Since 2003, we've partnered with 150+ Columbus-area businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and university units to offer interns the hands-on writing experience essential for developing professionals.
Our workplace partners know that students from the Minor in Professional Writing are both prepared to produce a wide range of pieces and committed to offering their best work to the hosting organization. Before our students start internships, they have taken 3-4 professional writing courses, and they have passed a rigorous application process and portfolio review. The Coordinator of the Minor in Professional Writing works closely with prospective interns to hone their skills and recommend the best match between students and workplaces.
Writers, editors, and other professionals at our partnering sites take their mentoring responsibilities seriously and, in turn, receive meaningful contributions from qualified writing students who are eager to learn more on the job. Since the program began, hundreds of Minor in Professional Writing interns have shared their talents and skills with 150+ workplace partners across organizations, industries, and businesses.
Talented writers, editors and work-world professionals are the backbone of the Minor in Professional Writing.
Explore what a partnership looks like
Browse our other partnerships and projects interns have contributed to consider how a professional writing intern might contribute to your business.
Since 2003, we've partnered with 150+ Columbus-area businesses, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and university units. Below are just a few of our partnering organizations who have hosted students.
- Creative Spot
- Versatile Words
- Columbus Museum of Art
- Ohio Travel Association
- Team Fleisher Communications
- Ohio State Wexner Medical Center Marketing and Communications
- Ohio State College of Education and Human Ecology
- 2nd and 7 Foundation
- Heritage Ohio
- Local Matters
- Godman Guild
- Disability Rights Ohio
- Xcelerate Media
- AdVon Commerce
- M+A Architects
- J.P. Morgan Chase
- 614 Media Group. / 1870 Magazine
- Great Lakes Publishing
- Ohio State Center for Automotive Research
- Affinity Consulting Group
- Ohio State Urban Arts Space
- Ohio State Athletics Communications
- Benefactor Group
- United Way of Central Ohio
- Ohio State Bar Association
Minor in Professional writing students can contribute to writing projects in the fields of marketing and communications, internal documentation, feature and magazine writing, and grantwriting/fundraising.
Reach out to the Coordinator of the Minor in Professional Writing to discuss writing and writing-related tasks you would wan interns to complete. You will create a general job posting interns can view as they interview with the Coordinator.
Our students have...
- Written grant proposals for the Columbus Museum of Art
- Responded to constituent inquiries for Ohio state legislators
- Developed communication materials and promotional initiatives for Mid-Ohio Foodbank’s Operation Feed campaign
- Created client storyboards, scripts and visuals for e-learning projects for Xcelerate Media
- Developed marketing materials and blog posts for Creative Spot
- Written and recorded program and fundraising promotions for WCBE, a Columbus NPR station
- Created the script for the City of Columbus Martin Luther King Jr. Day televised celebration
- Researched and edit content of multimodal textbooks at McGraw-Hill
- Composed press releases and promotional materials for the Ohio Environmental Council
- Scripted and produced videos for Ohio State's Chief Information Officer
- Assisted with social media, generated blog entries and designed dancer profiles for BalletMet Columbus’s online presence
- Assisted with print and online publications and media relations at the Ohio State Bar Association
- Composed online and print articles for Disability Rights Ohio, an organization that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities
- Developed preview articles and game-day entries for Ohio State sports teams’ events for SportsRappUp.com
- Assisted with annual arts festival and produced content for Greater Columbus Arts Council’s monthly newsletter and web site
Host an intern
Professional writing interns are available any semester--fall, spring or summer--for 8 hours per week, if the internship is not paid. The Coordinator reviews all applicants' writing portfolios and then vets and interviews all applicants to ensure writing and editing skills as well as commitment to the program.
After this internal review, the Coordinator will connect you with a possible intern match based on your needs, as well as the student's interests, goals, and field of study. You have the opportunity to interview the potential intern for yourself as well.
If you host an intern, we can offer you
- A part-time worker (8 hours per week) with good writing skills one semester at a time.
- Careful efforts to match you with an intern whose major or prospective field is related to your industry or mission.
- Support and communication throughout the internship. The program coordinator, Yanar Hashlamon, will reach out with formal requests for feedback twice during the semester but is always available via email for informal discussion about mentoring.
- A companion class for interns, where students continue to learn about workplace writing and further professionalize their skills. Read more information about the companion class.
We ask that our workplace partners commit to the following actions in order to host a writing intern:
- Designate one person to be our intern’s primary supervisor for the entire term.
- Provide your intern with meaningful writing and writing-related assignments, including research and editing. (Most interns finish with at least 2 longer-form publishable pieces.)
- Give on-going feedback about writing progress in your industry to the intern.
- Complete a contract together with the student.
- Evaluate the student both at the mid-point and end of the term on a short form provided by the program.
- Conduct one in-person performance review with the student in Week 5-6 of the internship (agreed to on the contract).