Career Services

Need someone to look over your resumé or portfolio? Wonder what the interview questions are which most frequently trip up job applicants? Want to find a part-time job in your area of interest while a student at USC? Our career services director can help you with all of that.  The director plans and organizes yearly job fairs on campus, holds workshops for career development and serves as a resource for students seeking and interviewing for jobs everywhere. 

Graduate Assistantships

Opportunities for graduate assistantships are available for both our doctoral degree and master’s degree students. Most doctoral graduate assistants work in either research or teaching positions; master’s degree graduate assistants serve in many capacities (e.g., assisting faculty with large classes, writing and editing newsletters, supporting communication efforts in other departments on campus). All positions provide a stipend and potential tuition supplement.

Undergraduate Scholarships

Our departmental scholarships are awarded automatically during the admissions review process. No separate application is required for consideration.

Internships

Internships connect the classroom to the work environment, providing students an inside look at professions they are pursuing.  Our students have landed internships at broadcast giants — CNN and ESPN, at major publications; The Wall Street Journal, Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Fortune Magazine; and major advertising and public relations agencies. Some internships are for class credit, some for pay and some for both credit and pay.  We work with you to achieve the best opportunity for your goals.

Mentor Match

Get early career advice and start building your network.  Mentor Match pairs area alumni with students interested in the fields of work alumni practice. This year-long program gives students the chance to develop professional connections with alumni and to gain coaching from industry leaders.

Study Away Opportunities

Learning often happens in traditional classrooms, but it also happens outside of them. At the College of Information and Communications, we believe in creating opportunities that open doors to new cultures, perspectives and experiences. In 2025, students traveled to France to experience the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the most prestigious advertising and brand communication festival in the world. Faculty also led a trip to France and Switzerland where students engaged in environmental communications, studying the effects of climate change on the Alps. Two other groups spent a month in the cities of Barcelona and Madrid engaging in cultural opportunities designed to help navigate future employment with international companies. The programs in Barcelona and Madrid have no program fee, making them affordable for a greater number of students.

Practicum

To gain professional experience and observe management at work, all of our Master of Mass Communication degree students complete a practicum during the last semester of their degree program.  Sponsoring organizations treat practicum students as regular full-time employees of the organization.  Our students are encouraged to use the professional practicum as an opportunity to experience working and living in locations across the United States or internationally.  

Research/Travel

Undergraduate students have a role in the research capacity of the university.  Undergraduates, working with a faculty sponsor, may apply for the  Magellan Scholar and compete for up to $3000 to fund their research project, including travel costs. 

Travel funds are available for our doctoral students to present their research at regional, national and international conferences.  In addition, doctoral students who are first authors on research findings are eligible to apply for Graduate School Travel Grants to assist in funding their travels.  Our master’s degree students also may apply for limited travel funds through the school for both academic and professional conferences.  

Student Professional Organizations

The first step in your career begins while you are still in school.  Many students begin networking and connecting with faculty and professionals in their field by joining the student chapters of professional organizations. Find out what professionals are doing; let them see what you can do.  The Student Advertising Federation and the Public Relations Student Society of America are two of our largest student chapters. Student chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists and National Press Photographers Association have both won national chapter of the year awards from their national organizations.