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Spend Your Summer Interning Abroad

Developing your skills through an internship abroad provides a tremendous return on investment. Recent reports show that employers look to hire students with international work experience; having such experience gives you a significant advantage in today's global job market.

SIS provides AU graduate and undergraduate students with direct connections to internship opportunities at organizations abroad. SIS maintains relationships with organizations all over the world and offers our students the opportunity to intern through one of its established partnerships.

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Students who wish to apply for an SIS internship placement through either the SIS Faculty Supported Programs or the AU Abroad Centers must be eligible to register the internship for either credit (1-3 hours) or non-credit (towards the professional experience requirement). Non-credit internships will appear on a student’s transcript.

Academic credit for an internship may be earned through completion of on-site internship work and an academic project under the direction of a faculty supervisor. The grade earned on the academic project, together with an internship evaluation completed by the student's internship site supervisor, will provide the overall grade for the internship credits. Credit hours awarded should reflect the number of hours worked during the internship (1 credit hour=70 hours worked, 2 credits=140 hrs, 3 credits=210 hours). Service at the internship must be related to the student's field and should consist of at least 85% substantive work (e.g., research, report writing, etc.).

For internships registered for credit, unless otherwise noted in the internship description, students will have a faculty supervisor to oversee the successful completion of the program.

More information about SIS internship requirements and registration can be found on SIS Graduate Advising: Internships or Undergraduate Advising: Internships. Non-SIS students should consult their academic advisors for their program specific requirements.

The start date and length of each internship will vary depending on the needs of the organization and the preference of the student intern (with consideration of the credit or non-credit requirements). Students are responsible for determining the dates of their internship with the organization's site supervisor prior to beginning the internship and for reporting these dates to SIS. Students who participate in a SIS Summer Abroad Program cannot intern during the seminar or practicum abroad dates.

Internship placements with faculty support are open to AU graduate students only. Graduate and undergraduate students from any program in AU may participate in the other two types of internships - placements through AU Abroad centers and approved organizations. All applicants must have a GPA of at least 3.0, an interest in the content/skills area of the specific position to which they are applying, and cross-cultural communication skills. Additional qualifications may be required by specific internship organizations; see position descriptions for details.

SIS students are eligible to apply for funding. Students are encouraged to apply for the SIS Graduate Research, Internship, and Conference Grant in order to offset costs. This funding may be used in conjunction with other internal funding, as well. Non-SIS students are not eligible for this funding.

For students participating in an internship for credit, financial aid may apply. You are strongly encouraged you to speak with your financial aid advisor before committing to an internship placement.

Placements through AU Abroad Centers

American University has several academic centers abroad that offer a wide range of opportunities for AU students, faculty and staff. Through three of these centers, AU Brussels Center, AU Madrid Center and the AU Nairobi Center, qualified graduate and undergraduate students can to apply for internships placements with a variety of organizations in each location. Interested students should reach out to AU Abroad directly for all interest in these specific opportunities and all others that are organized in that office.