The learning journey at the university level always aims for a final goal, and the intensive semester of the 2025-2026 academic year helps students acquire the necessary skills to enter the professional environment with confidence and competence. For Public Relations students at Van Hien University, the intensive semester of the 2025-2026 academic year is not only a period for completing internship modules but also marks a crucial transition from academic awareness to practical professional experience. Unlike classroom learning, where knowledge is acquired through lectures, materials, and simulations, internships bring students closer to the rhythm of business, organizations, and communities. This is an environment where every communication decision is linked to practical results; where creative ideas must be validated by concrete outcomes, and professional skills are assessed through job performance.
For this intensive semester, third-year or fourth-year students participate in the Foundation Internship module (e.g., classes 253PUR49101,...), while final-year students undertake the Graduation Internship module (e.g., class 253PUR52004,...) at a variety of agencies, businesses, and organizations operating in the fields of communication, brand promotion, event organization, journalism, marketing, and community development projects. The diversity of internship opportunities creates rich experiences, helping students better understand the overall picture of their chosen profession. For many students, the first day of their internship brings mixed emotions. There's excitement at being exposed to a professional work environment, but also anxiety about their ability to adapt and meet job requirements. However, these initial challenges become a drive for students to proactively learn and improve themselves. During the internship, students are assigned various tasks depending on the characteristics of each organization's operations. Each task, whether large or small, helps students understand that Public Relations is not just about communication or image promotion, but also a process of researching, planning, implementing, and evaluating the effectiveness of communication scientifically. One of the greatest values that the internship brings is the opportunity to directly observe how the organization operates. Concepts previously learned in courses or in the contents of various courses such as Corporate Communication, Event Management, Media Relations, or Crisis Communication are now presented in more vivid and concrete forms. Many students reported that internships helped them realize the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical requirements.
This has made them more conscious of self-learning, self-research, and supplementing their lacking skills. This is a very commendable result because the important goal of higher education is not only to convey knowledge but also to foster a lifelong learning spirit. Besides professional competence, the internship process is also an ideal environment for developing soft skills. In the field of Public Relations, communication skills, teamwork, and relationship building play a particularly important role. When working with colleagues, clients, or partners, students learn how to listen, exchange information effectively, and behave appropriately in specific situations. Time management skills are also significantly improved. Unlike the relatively flexible learning environment, the business environment demands schedules, accuracy, and accountability for each assigned task. For graduating students, this is also an opportunity to comprehensively assess their professional capabilities before graduation to meet contemporary requirements.
Notably, many internship recipients have acknowledged the responsibility, adaptability, and dynamism of Public Relations students. Positive feedback from businesses is not only an acknowledgment of the students' efforts but also reflects the quality of the school's training in preparing human resources to meet societal needs, as evidenced by the comments and evaluations at the end of each internship.
The successful implementation of the internship program is due to the effective coordination between school units such as the Center for Business Cooperation, supervising lecturers, academic supervisors and other relevant partner units. The school and academic quality provide authentic learning environments. Businesses create opportunities for students to gain practical experience; while lecturers accompany, support, and provide professional guidance throughout the internship process. This three-way collaboration has contributed to creating a education environment closely linked to professional practice, supporting students to develop comprehensively.
Therefore, internship experiences in the intensive semester are not only a requirement of the training program but also an important asset for each student's future career after graduation.
As the intensive semester of the 2025-2026 academic year progresses, it can be considered a meaningful milestone for students of the Public Relations major at Van Hien University. The knowledge gained from this practical environment will continue to accompany them on their career development path. From these initial experiences, students not only accumulate knowledge and skills but also develop professional competence, a sense of responsibility, and a desire to contribute to the field of communication in the new era.
In practice, along with the foundation built in the classroom combined with the experience gained through internships, students of the Public Relations major at Van Hien University are gradually affirming their competence, ready to integrate into the workforce and contribute practical values to society as a whole.
