EPICS helps you design your ideal career path and take action to make it real. We support students enrolled in five diverse master’s programs focusing on the creative arts, communication, and leadership. Through career coaching, programming and events, professional development, and internship courses, we support students to explore professional experiences and leverage their Northwestern education into a fulfilling and meaningful career.
To learn more about the programs supported by EPICS, please click on one of the following links:
Professional development and experiences are opportunities that involve applying skills you’ve gained while at Northwestern in real life scenarios. Discovering your professional path and opportunities is an ever-evolving process of reflection, research, and strategy that supports your long-term and short-term career goals. EPICS coaches partner with you to develop your career strategy, research opportunities, and provide accountability around your goals toward professional advancement.
When professional development and professional experiences are aligned, it encourages students to develop passion by engaging in authentic experiences that allow them to apply theory to practice.
Professional development support through EPICS can take many forms including one-on-one coaching, workshops, masterclasses, site visits, courses, and more. Professional development is the holistic process which leads to a variety of professional experiences. While jobs and internships are examples of professional experiences, other examples include project-based work, freelance work, mentoring, shadowing, conferences, festivals, involvement in student organizations, and academic research.
EPICS provides empowering and focused career and leadership coaching for your holistic professional life. These one-on-one meetings will be the foundation of your relationship with EPICS. Each individualized 30-minute session is tailored to focus entirely on your needs and goals.
Whether providing space and resources for exploring your passions, purpose, and skillset, offering strategic advice for a successful search for your next opportunity, connecting and leveraging your network, or providing expert consultation on resume development, artistic statements, or other career materials, these meetings are designed to support students at every stage of their professional journey.
Partner with us to make the most of your career! Appointments can be made through Handshake.
Professional Development Opportunities by Program
Requirements for professional development vary by program and students are encouraged to refer to their program of study for specific information. Your EPICS Career Coach can support you with exploring all your options.
- RTVF 490-1: Professional Experience Practicum
- Provides a framework for optimizing MFA students’ professional experiences during summer. Students can secure an externally hosted experience (internship, apprenticeship, fellowship, assistantship, or project-based professional experience related to student’s career interests) or propose an individual career development project that will advance the student’s specific goals. Followed by Professional Experience Capstone in their second year.
- RTVF 490-2: Professional Experience Capstone
- A continuation of the Professional Experience Practicum (RTVF 490-1), where students will pull insights from and integrate their summer experience to develop a personalized career strategy, action plan, and polish key assets that will help them advance their goals prior to and following graduation.
- EPICS 400: Internship Seminar (0 credit elective; offered Year-round)
- This course is a 0-unit option for students to register an internship with the School of Communication that will be officially recognized and recorded on their transcript but not subject to a per-unit tuition fee.
- The 0-unit internship registration process is the same as the process of registering an internship for a higher unit amount.
- MSC 580: Career & Internship Development in Communication
- MSC 580 is designed to support MSC students as they engage in an internship that aligns with their interests, coursework, and goals. Topics and concepts explored include career management and planning, performance management, learning & development, professional engagement and personal branding. MSC 580 is a 1-credit elective course.
- EPICS 400: Internship Seminar (0 credit elective; offered Year-round)
- This course is a 0-unit option for students to register an internship with the School of Communication that will be officially recognized and recorded on their transcript but not subject to a per-unit tuition fee.
- The 0-unit internship registration process is the same as the process of registering an internship for a higher unit amount.
- MSLCE 580: Professional Development (0.5 credits elective; offered in Winter and Spring quarters)
- The MSLCE Professional Development courses are designed to prepare students for a career in the creative industries by complementing the theoretical MSLCE curriculum and the practical application of skills and strategy through self-assessment, reflection, industry engagement, and career opportunities.
- MSLCE 497: Internship Seminar (3 credits; Offered in Summer quarter)
- This course is one of the options for the required experiential learning summer quarter. For more information on the required summer curriculum, please visit your MSLCE Cohort CANVAS Site and navigate to the summer curriculum page.
- Students who elect to complete a summer experience will be enrolled in the online course during the summer quarter. In addition to completing their experience, students will take part in coursework throughout the summer.
- EPICS 400: Internship Seminar (0 credit elective; offered Year-round)
- This course is a 0-unit option for students to register an internship with the School of Communication that will be officially recognized and recorded on their transcript but not subject to a per-unit tuition fee.
- The 0-unit internship registration process is the same as the process of registering an internship for a higher unit amount.
- SAI 580: Career Development in Sound
- This course occurs simultaneously while students are completing their required internship experience or thesis in summer quarter. For additional details about the course and summer experiences, please visit your SAI Cohort CANVAS Site and navigate to the Internship & Thesis Information page.
- Whether completing an internship or thesis, all students will be enrolled in the online course. In addition to completing their experience, students will take part in coursework throughout the summer.
- EPICS 400: Internship Seminar (0 credit elective; offered Year-round)
- This course is a 0-unit option for students to register an internship with the School of Communication that will be officially recognized and recorded on their transcript but not subject to a per-unit tuition fee.
- The 0-unit internship registration process is the same as the process of registering an internship for a higher unit amount.
Registering Your Experience
If you are seeking a professional experience or internship for credit, you’ll need to register your experience in Handshake’s online registration form.
Once you have secured an opportunity, follow the instructions below to complete your Handshake registration.
- Obtain an offer letter on company letterhead containing the following items:
- Start date and end date
- Estimated weekly hours or acknowledgement of 160 hour minimum
- Submit application on Handshake
- For Experience Template, select the appropriate template based on your program and needs.
- Complete application with all requested information
- Upload offer letter
- Upload job description
Once the application is approved, you will be enrolled in the appropriate course based on your program and credit needs.
International students: Submit your CPT application through OISS.
This brief video provides step-by-step instructions to guide students through the registration process.
Alumni Services
EPICS has joined Handshake, Northwestern University’s career management system. Handshake offers alumni access to jobs from employers across the country. As an alumna/alumnus you can create a Handshake profile by going to: https://northwestern.joinhandshake.com/. Through Handshake, alumni can build a profile, create job search notifications, and more. Alumni who graduated prior to 2018 will need to create an account. You will receive a notification from Handshake when your account has been approved.
EPICS career coaches can meet with recent graduates for six months post-graduation. After that six-month period, graduates have limited access to EPICS career coaches and can schedule up to three 30-minute sessions, depending on a career coach’s schedule.
EPICS encourages School of Communication alumni to take advantage of the extensive Northwestern Network available to alumni for networking and mentorship. Alumni have access to Our Northwestern and the Northwestern Network Mentorship Program.
If you have any questions about Handshake or career services for alumni, please contact EPICS at epics@northwestern.edu.
A note about alumni access to Handshake: Click “Sign up for an Account” below the Handshake icon in the blue box and select “Student/Alumni” as the type of account. Alumni and postdocs must enter their name, email address and create a password to request access. Please allow for up to 5 business days for your alumni/postdoc account to be processed