Placements in English departments' internship programs are problematic when writing opportunities lack range and/or depth, but at the same time students often have excellent internship experiences despite limited writing opportunities. An examination of the designs and assumptions of the writing skills internship program in the English Department at the University of Maryland explores these problems and experiences. The program, developed in response to the educational trend towards more vocational majors, assumed that the skills of English majors were linguistic. It requires students to spend one-third of their field work on writing-related activities. For the academic component of the internship, students write a series of technical reports, including a final evaluation of their placement, and develop a portfolio of their field and academic work. The academic integrity of the program has been insured by the way in which the assignments and portfolio allow close supervision and careful evaluation of the intern. The program is also structured to help students reach the primary goal of the internship--to assume responsibility and grow personally and professionally. This goal is fostered by having students write personal statements, part of their own applications and initial reports on goals and responsibilities, as well as on-going progress reports. This approach makes the individual student's professional growth, not the written products, central to the program. (MS)