Welcome to External Programs, Internships & Career Services
External Programs, Internships, & Career Services (EPICS) provides personalized guidance, comprehensive resources, and opportunities for School of Communication graduate and undergraduate students to explore their career interests and develop meaningful connections with alumni and industry professionals as they prepare for life beyond Northwestern.
How do we do this?
- We demystify industries and career paths
- We foster an environment that promotes serious play, resiliency, and confidence
- We program events and create content that foster a collaborative environment for students to explore potential lifelong interests ranging from creative fields to health professions
Upcoming Events
- May202026
SoC Honors Convocation
5:00 PM
30 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208Annual celebration of excellence for School of Communication students and faculty.
- May282026
Dialogue with the Dean: Stephanie Burns
6:00 PM
1949 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208Dean E. Patrick Johnson will engage in dialgoue with Stephanie Burns.
Stephanie Burns (C91) leads global legal and public policy for Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), which includes PlayStation 5, PlayStation Plus, PlayStation Studios, and PlayStation Network. Burns also leads SIE’s environmental, social, and governance function.
Prior to joining SIE, she spent more than 15 years at Amazon, where she most recently served as vice president and associate general counsel of the legal team supporting consumer devices and services, including Fire TV, Ring, Fire Tablet, Kindle, Astro, Project Kuiper, and Amazon Kids. During her time at Amazon, she also served as vice president and associate general counsel for Worldwide Operations. In that role, Burns led the legal support for customer fulfillment and logistics, drone delivery, robotics, Prime Now, and its product and social responsibility and sustainability initiatives.
She was also the general counsel of StubHub and led their legal and government relations teams. Burns currently serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including ChIPs (which supports the advancement of women in tech, law, and policy), the California Chamber of Commerce, the Law Advisory Board of Santa Clara University School of Law, and the Board of Advisors for Northwestern University's School of Communication.
A tech and IP lawyer by training, Burns earned her J.D. and is a graduate of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law. She also holds a B.S. degree from Northwestern University, where she majored in radio/television/film.
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- Jun052026
SoC I EPICS: New Play Festival - Dramatic Writing & Radical Resistance
3:00 PM
1920 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208Join our discussion on dramatic writing and radical resistance with Heidi Schreck, Haruna Lee, & Ike Holter | moderated by Zayd Dohrn.
Handshake
EPICS is integrated with Handshake, Northwestern’s central career services hub. Through this platform, students can access job and internship opportunities, schedule career appointments with EPICS staff, and stay updated on career events and workshops—all to support your career planning and job search.



