The Arts, Communication and Design cluster is a broad category that contains lots of different career paths including the visual and performing arts, writing, publishing, film, TV, marketing, PR, advertising, and the ever-evolving fields of design, multi- and immersive media, just to name a few. While diverse in nature, all these roles require a creative bent, attention to detail and can be found in just about every sector and across industries.
While major firms within these fields may have specific hiring programs to attract interns as a pipeline for full-time talent, the vast majority of roles in these areas are posted on an as needed basis and being connected to other industry professionals makes a difference in getting your foot in the door.
Where UMD Alumni Are Working & Have Interned
Info from the graduation survey
- Discovery, Inc
- Voice of America
- The Washington Post
- University of Maryland
- SiriusXM
- HBO
- Marriott International
- National Geographic
- NBCUniversal
- Edelman
- HBO Max
- Next Day Animations
Career options if you have a...
- Media and Entertainment: Actor, Sales Manager, Announcer, Assistant Producer, Promotions Assistant, Broadcast Engineer
- Arts Management: Art Gallery Manager, Community Outreach Coordinator, Museum Curator, Arts Fundraiser
- Marketing/Advertising/PR: Account Executive, Brand Management, Media Relations Specialist, Content Marketing Coordinator
- Writing & Publishing: Copy Editor, Editorial Assistant, Technical Writer
- Journalist
- Author
- Public Relations Manager
- Arts Management
- Actor
- Marketing Manager
- Faculty
- Scientific Writer
Vault - Firsthand Career Guides
Requires login to Vault - Firsthand, available via your Handshake account.
Arts, Communication & Design Careers on YouTube
Ways to Gain Experience
Student Organizations
Campus Programs
- Design, Cultures and Creativity Living Learning Community
- Do Good Institute Impact Interns
- WMUC College Park Radio
- Capital News Service
- Studio A
- The Stamp Gallery
- The Mixed/Augmented/Virtual Reality Innovation Center (MAVRIC)
- Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities
Professional Associations
- Marketing/Advertising/PR
- Arts Management
- Media and Entertainment
Upcoming Events
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All UMD College Park undergraduates, graduates, and alumni are invited to attend the Fall Career & Internship fair, the largest recruiting event of the semester.
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Our largest recruitment event of the semester is also available virtually!
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Connect with employers and industry professionals who value cross-cultural experiences and international interests.
Connect with Alumni in Terrapins Connect
Tips for Finding a Job & Internship
- A portfolio or other forms of online presence will be necessary to showcase your skills within these industry areas. Whether you have a UMD campus Portfolium account or your own through Wix, SquareSpace, Clippings.me, SoundCloud, or simply use LinkedIn, be sure to capture your work and have it ready to share.
- Be sure to include class projects and part-time work, and volunteer experiences related to your area of interest on your resume. Employers want to see all the work you may have done related to professional skills (writing, podcasting, graphic design, filmmaking, digital marketing, etc.). See a few of our resume samples for Art Majors and PR/Comm majors.
- There are great internship pipeline programs to help students get their foot in the door, including those who seek to increase diversity within their industries: T. Howard Foundation, Emma Bowen Foundation (run by a UMD alumna), Multicultural Talent Pipeline Forum, Building Leaderships and Creators, etc.
- Continue to build and sharpen your technical skills through LinkedIn Learning.
- Check out and attend annual boutique career fairs run by the University Career Center that are open to students of all majors interested in these fields: Communication & Media Career & Internship Fair, Performing Arts Career & Internship Fair, Visual Arts Reverse Career & Internship Fair.
- Job Boards
- Marketing/Advertising/PR
- Writing/Publishing
- Entertainment