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Internships

Internship Structure

The internship component of the MA in Sound Arts and Industries is the culminating experience of the program, where students apply what they have learned in the classroom in an experiential format. During the summer quarter, students complete a minimum of 80 experiential learning hours through an internship while also enrolled in an internship seminar course. While students are responsible for securing their own internships, they do so with the guidance and support of an EPICS career coach. This hands-on experience not only reinforces classroom learning but also provides industry exposure, giving students a valuable edge in their professional development.   

Internship Requirements

  • An internship must involve a minimum of 10 hours per week over the 8-week summer quarter, totaling at least 80 hours.
  • Internships should be supervised and take place within a role and organization directly related to the MA in Sound Arts and Industries curriculum.
  • Students will enroll in SAI 581 Internship Seminar, which runs concurrently to provide structure and guided reflection during the internship experience.
  • Students working 10–19 hours per week will earn 1 credit; those working 20–29+ hours per week may be eligible to earn up to 2 credits. 

FAQs

When can I complete my internship?
For-credit internships are completed during the summer quarter. Students are also encouraged to pursue additional internship experiences during the fall, winter, or spring quarters, and may enroll in a non-credit internship course during those terms.

Where have students done internships and/or gone on to work after the program?
Students have varied interests within the sound arts and industries. Below is a list of organizations and companies where students have completed internships and/or gone to work after finishing the program:  

  • 2112/Fort Knox Studios
  • American Public Media
  • Anthem Recording Company
  • Audacious Machine Creative
  • Brainvolts Lab at Northwestern University
  • Chicago Jazz Philharmonic
  • Chicago Recording Company (CRC)
  • Comma Music
  • Earhole Studios
  • Earlens
  • Electrical Audio (EA)
  • Experimental Sound Studio (ESS)
  • Fair Worlds
  • Footsteps Foley
  • iO Theatre
  • Jackbox Games
  • Jellyvision
  • The John Walt Foundation
  • Knowable
  • Mystery Street Recording
  • Metropolis Coffee
  • NFL Films
  • Night Bird Studios
  • Noisefloor
  • The Northwestern Center for Native American and Indigenous Research
  • Periscope Post and Audio
  • Ravinia Festival
  • Rounder
  • Saavn
  • Shure, Inc.
  • The Bunker Studios
  • The People’s Music School
  • The Truth Podcast
  • Utopic Films
  • Vanderbilt University Music, Mind, and Society and the Music Cognition Lab
  • Vox Media
  • Warner Media
  • Warner Music (Atlantic Records Division)
  • Watchdog Media
  • WFMT
  • Wildwood Picture & Sound
  • Working Narratives
  • And with various sound artists, as sound artists and creators, and within academic institutions. 

What if I’m not interested in an internship?
For students who are not interested in completing an internship or who may be at a point in their careers where an internship is not viable/desirable, thesis options are available. Students select a research topic and secure a thesis advisor, completing the thesis over the summer quarter while enrolled in the SAI 582 Thesis course.