Study Abroad Programs
Offering Internships: FAQ
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What study programs offer internships?
Through its sponsorships and cosponsorships, the University of Minnesota offers many study abroad programs with an internship component. Check the program descriptions of outside programs for other potential internship opportunities.

Why should I consider an internship?

  • An internship is a great chance to test out potential career choices. You'll get real-life experience doing the work of an employee in an organization.
  • An internship is also a good way to learn about different management styles and work environments. Internships help you learn what type of work suits you.
  • In a study abroad context, an internship is a powerful window to the host culture. Students with internships often gain deeper insights than those who are confined solely to classroom settings.
  • An internship helps you develop professional skills and build a network of contacts, which may help with future job searches.
  • An internship is the best way to connect the learning you are doing in the classroom to the world of work. Basically, you'll learn by doing.
  • An internship may help you get a job after you graduate. Internships build your resumé and increase your chances of getting hired later.

(Adapted with thanks from web material of the Career and Community Learning Center, University of Minnesota)

Will I have to find my internship myself?

No. This is one of the great advantages to an internship within the structure of a study abroad program. The program will find a potential placement for you.

How will the program know what I can do and what I want to learn?
Before seeking an internship, the program will ask you to submit your learning objectives for the internship, the type of setting in which you would like to work, and information about your skills, knowledge, prior experience, and academic history.

What if my internship doesn’t work out?
Don’t worry much about this; most internships do work out. But if it does not, bring your problem to the attention of program staff and faculty early rather than late. Sometimes a little tweaking of a job description, a little coaching of a work supervisor, or a little adjustment of a student’s attitude or expectations can work miracles. Some programs may be willing to help you find an alternative internship—but only as a last resort. Remember that you have made a commitment to an organization that counts on you; your internship needs to meet its needs as well as your own learning goals.

How can the program and the university award credit
for a work experience?
It doesn’t. The credits are not for the experience per se but for demonstrated learning arising out of it. Typically the internship is linked to seminar or classroom sessions, and grades are based on some combination of academic assignments, classroom contributions, and job performance (as assessed by the instructor and the student’s internship supervisor at the work site). Internships often involve some academic writing as well.

Can I use a study abroad internship toward my major?
That is up to your major department. In most cases your internship credits show up on your transcript under an interdisciplinary course designator such as FOST (Foreign Study). A faculty member or academic adviser in your department determines whether your internship meets departmental requirements. Both advance consultation and thorough documentation to present upon return can improve your chances. If the department does not accept the internship for major requirements, it still counts as elective credit.

 

 
Last modified on May 20, 2008