Model Initiatives: Work, Internships, and Volunteering Abroad

Compiled by William Nolting (University of Michigan) and Cheryl Matherly (University of Tulsa) with contributions from the NAFSA Education Abroad Subcommittee on Work, Internships, and Volunteering Abroad (WIVA) members

Resources on this page provide institutions and organizations with a way to show and tell others how they are taking advantage of the opportunities that the Year of Study Abroad offers. Submit your own initiatives to be considered for inclusion on these pages.

Overviews

WIVA Events and Current Resources
An advising practice resource on the Education Abroad Professional Network about how educational institutions are supporting international work and careers.

Impact of Education Abroad on Career Development, Volumes 1 and 2, 2005.
Edited by Martin Tillman, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and member, EA Subcommittee on Work, Internships, and Volunteering Abroad (WIVA). These papers, published by AIFS, a NAFSA Global Partner, discuss initiatives at a number of institutions. Volume 1 covers four-year institutions; Volume 2 covers two-year colleges.

Initiatives of Individual Institutions

Boston College’s Global Proficiency Program includes study, internships, and volunteering abroad in a comprehensive curriculum.

Columbia University is registering students who are either on a Columbia Sponsored research or internship abroad for a non-credit bearing "International Internship/Research" term R credit both in order to track Columbia-sponsored students who are working or doing research abroad as well as to have Columbia transcripts reflect that students had such an international experience.

The International Plan, an undergraduate degree designation program, launched at The Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall of 2005.

Idealist.org Career Center includes resources for preparing students for careers in public service, including extensive resources for careers with international NGOs.

IE3 Global Internships, Oregon University System, a consortium-based international internship program, includes much generally useful information, such as guidelines of organizations that host interns.

International Career Consortium (ICC) focuses on resources for working with study abroad students and international students working or interning abroad. ICC holds an annual conference in the Boston area.

INNOVATE is a National Science Foundation-funded 10-day conference that explores the relationship between globalization and technology and its impact on engineering careers. The program takes place in Asia in the spring. Contact Cheryl Matherly at the University of Tulsa for more information.

NanoJapan places first- and second-year science and engineering students into nanotechnology-related research internships in Japan. The program is funded by a National Science Foundation Programs in International Research and Education (PIRE) grant for initiatives to educate globally minded science and engineering students.

The University of Michigan’s International Career Pathways initiative includes a series of panel discussions on ways to gain educational experiences that can lead to international careers, as well as an International Opportunities Fair. It is a collaboration among multiple U-M units, and with two neighboring universities, Michigan State and Eastern Michigan.

Wheaton College in Norton, MA, is currently creating a program that is also based on a required course, study abroad, and an internship or research following the study abroad experience. For more information, contact Susan Atkins.

Yale University International Bulldogs, a Yale international initiative, combines rewarding summer internships with a common living location for students and a series of social and cultural events that enhance their experience abroad. In Summer 2006, about 55 Yale students completed internships in Beijing and London. In addition to these programs, Yale has established similar comprehensive “Bulldog” programs in Brussels, Monterrey, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, and plans to establish programs in Mumbai and Cape Town within the next two years, eventually providing opportunities for as many as 250 students.