Job Opportunities for Students

Job Opportunities for Students

News and Public Relations

The Office of News and Media Relations hires Student Assistants. Learn how to create and distribute news and feature stories for the news media and the campus community. Write, edit and proofread. Assignments vary, but may include producing multimedia packages on campus news, faculty research and student life; creating web content; working with the Digital Content Team on social media content and strategy; researching issues or topics; assisting on video shoots; providing photo or social media support of events and performing occasional light clerical duties. We’re also open to your ideas, so bring them. Ten-12 hours per week. Outstanding opportunity for students considering a career in public relations or journalism. Both work/study and non-work/study students are encouraged to apply.

Contact Melinda Rose at melindarose@umass.edu. Please submit a resume, cover letter and three writing or digital content samples.

Video: Media Production Assistants

The Office of News and Media Relations hires Media Production Student Assistants. Learn how to produce short-form videos used in UMass Amherst social media accounts, the university website and occasionally distributed to external partners. Student Assistants perform a broad range of tasks including assisting on video shoots, shooting video and recording audio for video production, and editing video. Work with other students on large student-focused projects. Camera skills, both video and still, are preferred. It’s also helpful to know how to use Photoshop, Premiere and the Avid editing system. Ten-12 hours per week. Outstanding opportunity for students interested in video production and editing. Both work-study and non-work-study students are encouraged to apply. (position filled, fall 2022)

Application Instructions: Contact Melinda Rose at melindarose@umass.edu. Please submit a resume, cover letter and three samples of your video work.

Social Media Brigade

The UMass Amherst Office of News and Media Relations is looking for student workers to support strategic communications initiatives on various social media platforms. Students can expect to work 10-12 hours per week. Both work/study and non-work/study students are encouraged to apply. 

This is an opportunity to tell the timely and relevant stories of UMass students, faculty and staff. We are looking for students to work with the Digital Content Team to integrate the student perspective and voice while producing and executing social media content for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.

Duties include:

  • Produce content, including photography, video, and written communications for use on various websites and social media platforms
  • Report on community issues or opportunities
  • Provide feedback on digital strategies from the student perspective
  • Attend campus events, often at night and on weekends, and send photos and text to News Office staff
  • Commit to regular office hours to work on assignments and projects

Qualifications:

  • Interest in or experience with digital communications
  • Exceptional social media game
  • Demonstrated photography or video experience
  • Strong written communication skills
  • An awareness of on-campus events and activities and an eye for what will perform well with students on social media

Application Instructions: Please submit a cover letter and at least three content samples to Louise Coburn at louisecoburn@umass.edu.

Your content samples might include:

  • An Instagram or Snapchat story you’ve created featuring at least four pieces of content. (This can be in video format or shared as a series of screenshots.)
  • A sample of your video and photography work. (This can be shared as a link to your portfolio or to social media posts you've previously created.)
  • 1-2 writing samples

Internships

Interns develop a variety of skills while working with communication professionals who promote the achievements of UMass Amherst, explain its policies and enhance recognition of its accomplishments as a national research institution and the state's flagship public university.

Through an internal communications program and cultivation of local, regional and national media, the Office shares information in a timely and accurate manner, leveraging the latest technologies. In collaboration with other campus communicators, our results offer points of pride vital to the success of fund-raising and student recruitment strategies, and create the foundation for improved alumni, legislative and community relations.

Interns work at least 15 hours per week, and with approval of the Field Experience Program can earn academic credit. Internships can also emphasize a particular disciplinary interest, such as science writing and communications.

Duties include:

  • Helping to prepare a daily summary of news coverage about UMass Amherst and trends in higher education.
  • Writing and editing news and feature stories for the news media and the campus community (through the Inside UMass web pages). Interns gain experience covering events and conducting interviews with faculty, staff and students. Writing assignments include stories on grant announcements, awards, public events, research results and profiles.
  • Editing and proofreading the work of others.
  • Working with digital media team to produce social media content on a variety of platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat).
  • Executing basic social media photo assignments (RSO/events coverage, beauty shots)
  • Preparing and posting items on two database-driven websites.
  • Creating tip sheets that promote faculty expertise in a timely fashion.
  • Updating the Expert Sources database.
  • Helping to prepare and post short-form and social media videos.
  • Providing support for special events, such as news conferences and award ceremonies.
  • Preparing and distributing hometown news releases.
  • Researching institutional issues to help the staff respond to news media queries.
  • Assisting with basic office support as needed.

Orientation

The Office Manager provides an orientation regarding policies and procedures. This includes setting up a schedule, gaining password access to a computer and learning to operate office equipment such as telephones and fax machines.

Supervision

The Executive Director of News and Media Relations supervises the intern, providing daily assignments and guidance. In addition to this regular interaction, the Executive Director and intern meet approximately every two weeks to discuss progress on major assignments and skills development, and to offer feedback. The intern also benefits from the experience and advice of other staff members. For instance, students focusing on Science Writing and Communications work closely with the office's Science Writer.

Contact: Melinda Rose at melindarose@umass.edu.

Student Photographers

The UMass Amherst Office of News and Media Relations is seeking a student photographer to support both the UMass news team and the digital content team. Students can expect to work 10-12 hours per week. Both work/study and non-work/study students are encouraged to apply. (position filled, fall 2022)

This is an opportunity to help illustrate the timely and relevant stories of UMass students, faculty and staff. The photographer will be given photo assignments to support news content and will also be expected to contribute photographs and short video for the digital content team’s needs on the UMass social media platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat).

Duties include:

  • Photo assignments from associate director to illustrate new releases and stories
  • Photo assignments from the digital content team to supplement social media coverage of events or daily campus life for social media content
  • Providing photo and video support for the digital content team as needed
  • Producing high quality news or social media images in a timely manner

Qualifications:

  • Strong communication skills and reliability
  • Minimum one year experience taking photos for different purposes and platforms
  • Strong interest in photojournalism
  • Ability to handle a DSLR camera for both indoor and outdoor photography
  • Strong news sense
  • Responsiveness to questions and requests
  • Comfortable working with a variety of people
  • Ability to deliver photos on time
  • Knowledge of basic photo editing and resizing
  • Experience capturing basic b-roll video footage with a DSLR preferred, but not required

Please email a resume, cover letter and link to an online photo portfolio (a Flickr or Instagram is OK) to Louise Coburn at louisecoburn@umass.edu.