Internship
The School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM) at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) provides a unique experience for its senior students to help them gain real world experience, apply practical knowledge, and transition into the workplace. GCM students provide valuable skills to employers in various areas, including but not limited to: premedia, press, post-press, document design, estimating, sales, marketing, digital media, asset and business management. We sincerely appreciate the involvement of employers in our internship program.
GCM’s internship program requires students to complete 300 hours of paid work. Students are eligibile to start an internship as soon as they have successfully completed the pre-requisite courses: GCM 220, GCM 375 and GCM 370. While students typically find placements during the summer between their third and fourth year, students can begin their internship as early as the Winter term (beginning in January) of their third year.
In third year, students prepare for internship through a series of classes and briefings. The internship will be evaluated in WKT 608. Many companies continue to employ interns part-time throughout fourth year and hire them full-time after graduation. GCM helps students find internships through our annual Career Fair and current job listings. Students can complete an internship in Canada or abroad, wherever they are legally permitted to work.
Internships are a great way to gain industry experience, make valuable connections, and earn some money! You can find all relevant information in the official GCM Internship Handbook below, or contact us at gcminternship@torontomu.ca.
One of the experiential learning highlights of the GCM journey is completing a paid internship. Students find themselves in a wide variety of work placements, such as magazine publishers (pictured above).
GCM Connect & Collect (GCMCC) Points
Connect and Collect lets GCM students record connections with industry and immediately collect credits towards required internship hours. All you need to do is upload a photo of yourself at an industry event and you can start collecting.
You can start collecting points the moment you walk through our doors, until your internship begins.
1 Connect & Collect point = 1 internship hour (up to a maximum of 60 hours)
- GCMCC Points are earned in a GCM pre-approved event that engages with our industry.
- Earning points is dependent on the event.
- Points can be used to top up your hours worked.
- You may use up to 60 GCMCC points for the equivalent of 60 hours.
Yes, completion of an internship is a requirement to graduate the GCM program.
Exception: outbound semester exchange students that are exempted from internship.
To be eligible for an Internship, you must have (at a minimum) completed the courses below:
This means if you complete these pre-requisite courses in the Fall tern of your third year, you could complete an internship as soon as the Winter term of your third year.
You are only eligible to complete internship once the requirements listed under the question above "When can I start my internship?" are met.
WKT 608 is the GCM Internship course. Course description: "The GCM internship enables GCM students to obtain relevant workplace experience from an approved company in the graphic communications industry. Internships are typically completed in the summer or fall following the third year of studies. This course will be taken once students complete their internship. It is meant to help synthesize the internship experience as well as prepare students for their career upon graduation."
The grading consists of one required assessment – a report to management - that reflects on your internship and a menu of additional assessments from which you can choose.
You cannot participate/enroll in WKT608 until you have completed your 300 paid internship hours logged through FIT.
- GCM Career Fair
- Recruitment websites (Indeed, LinkedIn, FreelyConnect, etc.)
- Word of mouth and tapping the hidden job market (networking)
- Personal referrals
- GCM Job Board / Opportunities posted on D2L Internship
- TMU Career Boost & TMU Magnet
No – expand your search to include – contracts, part-time, co-op/co-operative positions. However, GCM is not a co-operative program, and student placements are not eligible for the Ontario Co-operative Tax Credit.
- Within the last week of your placement, you and your direct supervisor will receive a wrap-up survey link from FIT.
- You and your employer will confirm how many hours you have earned during your placement.
- Once both are submitted, you will receive a notification from FIT that says “INTERNSHIP COMPLETE”
- You will then be eligible to enroll in WKT608
- If you are a Canadian citizen planning to work outside Canada, or an international student wanting to work in Canada, you need to contact TMU International
- TMUI will guide you through the visa process
FAQ for Employers
GCM hosts a Career Fair in the spring, free for employers to interview students for summer internships. See our website for dates and information.
If you have a position to be filled outside of the Career Fair timeline, please send the position in PDF to the GCM internship coordinator to be posted to our job board.
No, we are an internship, not a co-op. However, see above for Canadian government grant opportunities.
Students must earn a total of 300 hour paid work integrated learning hours to meet their graduating requirements. There are government grant opportunities available through many programs that companies can apply for subsidy.
We allow students to work full time on site from May to August, part time and remotely throughout the school year. Students must complete a minimum of 300 hours. Start and End dates are up to the employer and agreed to by the student.
A single department within a company can hire no more than 3 GCM interns to work at the same time in the same location.
Employers must meet the minimum wage requirements in Ontario and follow Ontario ESA. Compensation will vary depending on the scope of work, organization size, and the level of responsibility involved. Average range for GCM internships is $20-$25/hr paid in regular installments.
If you are unsure as to whether the internship position you are looking to fill is suited to a Graphic Communications Management student, please do not hesitate to contact GCM’s Internship Coordinator at gcminternship@torontomu.ca.