For nearly 50 years, the American Society of Magazine Editors has sponsored the Magazine Internship Program—a ten-week program for rising college seniors at magazines in New York and Washington. Since the program was founded in 1967, some 1,800 college students have worked as ASME interns. More than 250 have gone on to successful careers in print and electronic journalism.

Magazine Internship Program 2013

Click to download our information sheet and promotional poster
The application deadline is December 1, 2012

How to Apply

Applicants must have completed their junior year of college by June 2013. Only full-time students with a grade point average of at least 3.0 within their major will be considered for an internship.

Your application must include:

• A completed application form. The application form will be available by the end of October. Check back soon.
• A one-page cover letter (addressed to Nina Fortuna, Director, ASME) explaining why you are interested in magazine journalism; why you want to participate in the Magazine Internship Program; and what qualifies you to be an ASME intern. The selection committee wants to know how your course of study has prepared you to be an ASME intern and how you plan to use the skills and insight you gain from participation in the Magazine Internship Program not only to advance your career but to benefit the publications where you work your senior year
• A letter of recommendation from an educator who can attest to your abilities and experience
• A letter of recommendation from an intern supervisor or employer who can attest to your abilities and experience
• A current resume
• No more than 10 clips from a college newspaper or magazine or from a newspaper or magazine where you have interned or worked that demonstrate reporting skills as well as an interest in and knowledge of a range of topics
• A nonrefundable processing fee of $25. Checks should be made payable to MPA/ASME

All application materials must be submitted by email to asmeinternship@magazine.org. If your attachments are larger than 10 MB combined, please send materials in separate emails. The nonrefundable processing fee should be mailed with a copy of your application form to Magazine Internship Program, American Society of Magazine Editors, 810 Seventh Avenue, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Application materials and processing fee must be emailed and postmarked on or before December 1, 2012.

Applicants will be notified by email of the selection committee’s decision in mid-March 2013.

What Schools Should Do

Journalism departments and career-guidance offices are asked to recommend no more than two students for the Magazine Internship Program. (Students do not need to be nominated by a college or university to apply, but applicants recommended by journalism departments or career-guidance offices are given preference over students from the same school.) Letters of recommendation should be included in each student’s application email. To ensure geographic diversity, only one student is usually accepted from any college or university.

Internship Dates

The Magazine Internship Program Orientation begins on Wednesday, May 29, 2013, at ASME in New York. All ASME interns are expected to attend orientation, including interns assigned to magazines outside of New York. Orientation concludes on Friday, May 31.

ASME interns begin work at their assigned magazines on Monday, June 3; the Magazine Internship Program concludes on Friday, August 2.

Finances and Housing

ASME interns are temporary employees of the magazine they are assigned to. ASME interns are paid a minimum of $350 a week before deductions.

ASME interns are responsible for their own travel, housing, meals and personal expenses. ASME arranges group housing at New York University dormitories. Interns are strongly encouraged to live at NYU. ASME also provides housing information for students assigned to magazines in Washington.

Housing costs for the length of the Magazine Internship Program are approximately $2,800 at New York University (costs are comparable in Washington). A three-week deposit is required when housing is reserved for the summer; payment must be made in full before the scheduled move-in date.

Application materials must be emailed to:
asmeinternship@magazine.org

Processing fee should be mailed, with a copy of your application form, to:
Magazine Internship Program
American Society of Magazine Editors
810 Seventh Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10019