TMD Internships
Internships are periods of practical experience in a textile or
textile-related field. This experience supplements the coursework and gives you
valuable experience in a career. It might also be useful to let you understand
what you don't want to do when you graduate. It is unrealistic to do an internship without some background knowledge
gained from coursework, so internships are carried out in the junior or senior
year. For some areas of internship there are preferred course prerequisites.
An internship requires three things: you (the student), a placement and a faculty supervisor. An internship will often begin with two of these, followed by finding the third. So, if you are interested in an internship you could approach the appropriate faculty member (see areas of specialization below) who would suggest places to apply. Or you could find a placement, and then ask the faculty member to supervise it. Or a company might call the department to advertise an internship opportunity, and you could respond to the announcement.
Once these details are settled, the forms start flying....
First, you need to complete the Internship Application form.
As soon as possible, you, the employer, and the faculty member fill out and sign the internship contract (a guide and liability check for the employer), and the internship learning contract (which details your duties, hours, responsibilities, number of credits, and how you will be graded for the experience.) You should also speak with your academic advisor about the number of credits that you should earn for the internship.
The you can actually register for the course. For in-semester internships, you will need a permission number from the instructor to register for TMD 461 and/or TMD 462, the course codes for internships. For summer internships you need to fill out the "directed study form". Consult the faculty areas of specialization below in making your choice.
The list of summer internships below give an idea of the places TMD students have interned in the recent past.
Summer 2012 Internships:
Camille Griswold Green Envy, Newport RI |
Jenna Centopani Giorgio Armani, NYC
|
Diana Villareal Camille Bridal Couture West Hartford, CT |
| Elena Ostergren
Women’s Wear Daily, NYC |
Laura Foray Cut on your Bias, NYC |
Samantha Markel Gennaro, Inc. Cranston, RI |
Samanta Santore Donna Karan, NYC |
Kyle Bowen David Yurman, NYC |
Laura Ryan Scorpio Accessories LLC Warwick, RI |
Sandra Farfan Vera Wnag, NYC |
Samantha Fox Tommy Hilfiger, NYC |
Kayla Pistorio Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Buffalo, New York |
Stephanie Roland Gucci, NYC |
Kezia Gamba Susan Miller & Susan Son NYC |
Leslie Govalet Draper, Canton, Mass. |
Carly Camac Kimberly Ovitz Design, NYC |
Marissa Horner Jones Group White Plains, NY |
Samantha Fass World Marketing, Inc New York City |
Stephanie Cavataio Anthropologie (Visual Merchandising), Short HIlls, NJ |
Samantha Lusniak Good Housekeeping Magazine New York City |
Vannessa Vanasse PONO by Joan Goodman NYC |
Amelia Dias America's Cup, Newport, RI |
Nicole Vento Kiton, New York City |
Haily Cowan Jordan Caterers Cheshire, Ct |
Jocelyn Fraser Nordstrom, Burlington, Mass. |
Shelby Carroll Smith Optics Marshfield, Mass. |
Kayla Whittemore Louis, Boston, Massachusetts |
Sarah Templeton (Grad Student) DZ Group, New York City |
Hilary Baker (Grad Student) American Textile History Museum Lowell, Mass. |
Sarah Lockrem (Grad Student) Christian Louboutin New York City |
Summer 2011 Internships:
| Samantha
Bergida, Bella Ro, Summit NJ |
Christine Flaherty, Gucci NY | Alyssa Lauber, Anthropologie, Woodcliffe Lake, NJ |
| Kathryn Plummer, Gossip Boutique, Wickford, RI | Jennifer Conway,Sussy & Classy, E Greenwich, RI |
Ashley Wheaton, RI Design Center, W. Warwick, RI |
| Kelsey McGinty, Marie Claire Magazine, NY | Sloane Silbert, Bobi Brown Cosmetics, NY | Samantha Highland, Green Envy Eco-boutique, Newport RI |
| Danielle Director, Concept One, NY | Alex Bielecki, Advent Design, Hartford CT | Brianna Fitzpatrick,Michael Hayes,Newport, RI |
| Danielle Infantino, Iris North America, NY |
Sania Josiah, Kara Wickman, Riverside, RI |
Nicole Trottier, Summer Infant Inc, Woonsocket, RI |
| Jessica D'annibale, Doneger Group, NY |
Vanessa Thom, Christopher Kane, London, England |
Kelsey Huibregtse, Ralph Lauren, NY |
| Kristen Caiuo, Nordstrom, Peabody, MA |
Rachel Schiller, Nordstrom, NJ |
Jessica Kimmey, Ashley Fitzgerald, NY |
| Rikki Harris, B&S Showroom, NY |
Danielle Smith, Piazza Sempione, NY |
Cindy Yang, Chances R, Cranston, RI |
| Sara Oberst, Kristin Erickson, NJ |
Lauren Director, Joe Dahan, NY |
Emily Drake, Rochelle LaRue, CT |
| Jennifer Goldstein, Anthropologie, CT |
Alyssa Susi, Pentangle Boutique, Mystic CT | Kyle Bowen, TJX Companies, Framingham, MA |
| Emilie Ptaszynski, Fitness Magazine, NY | Julie Sygiel, Eulie LLC, Providence RI | Lindsay McDonough, Lisa Rudolf, NY |
Areas of Specialization and TMD Faculty
Fashion Merchandising/Marketing: retailing, wholesaling, manufacturing, forecasting or product development. Prerequisites may apply.
- Dr. Yvette Harps-Logan, Quinn 309A
- Dr. Sheng Lu, Quinn 309B
Interior Design: interior space planning, furniture, furnishings, or research. TMD 226 and 426 are suggested as prerequisites.
- See Department Chair
Textile Science: textile production or laboratory, working in areas such as dyeing and finishing, quality assurance testing. TMD 303 and 313 should be taken prior to an internship.
- Dr. Martin Bide, Quinn 311
Apparel Design/Development: textile and apparel design and construction, pattern making, styling in a textile or apparel firm. Students should take TMD 222 before this internship and other apparel courses as appropriate to the position.
- Dr. Susan Hannel, Qinn 309C
- Dr. Karl Aspelund, Quinn 220
Historic Textiles and Costume: work in an historical society, museum, or textile conservation laboratory. Students should have at least one course of the historic sequence (TMD 240/440/441) before this internship.
- Dr. Margaret Ordoñez, Quinn 211A
- Dr. Linda Welters, Quinn 303
Note:
- The above faculty have primary responsibility for these areas, but other faculty may supervise internships.
- TMD faculty are expected to contact internship supervisors at least twice during the internship. This contact should be documented by either letter or email.
