The Virtual International Internship is a four-credit internship opportunity. It’s critical to learn to adapt, acclimate, discover new ways to contribute, and be productive working remotely. Virtual internships combined with the internship course give you an opportunity to learn and develop valuable skills.
You’ll work on projects from the US for an international organization in Argentina, Ecuador, France, Italy, Kenya, Senegal, or Spain, while adding a global perspective to your professional work experience. You’ll apply your in-class knowledge to real-world meaningful work, gain experience, expand your skill base, earn four credits from coursework, and maximize your time. While we’ll try to place you in your preferred location, keep in mind that our top consideration is making an appropriate match to your skills, experience, and internship goals.
For more information, refer to our Frequently Asked Questions.
Internship Industries
| Advertising | X | X | X | X | |||
| Art History | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Art Management | X | X | X | X | |||
| Biotech | X | ||||||
| Business | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Communications | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Computer Science | X | X | X | ||||
| Creative Arts/Writing | X | X | |||||
| Creative Media | X | X | X | X | |||
| Data Analytics | X | X | X | ||||
| Design | X | X | X | ||||
| Education | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Electronics | X | X | |||||
| Environmental / Sustainability | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Fashion | X | X | |||||
| Finance | X | X | X | X | |||
| Fundraising & Philanthropy | X | X | X | ||||
| Graphic Design | X | X | X | X | |||
| Government/Politics | X | X | X | ||||
| Health Care | X | X | X | X | |||
| Human Resources | X | X | |||||
| Human Rights | X | X | X | X | |||
| Interior Design | |||||||
| International Relations | X | X | X | X | |||
| IT/Computer Systems | X | ||||||
| Journalism | X | X | X | X | |||
| Law | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Marketing | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Neuroscience | X | X | |||||
| Nonprofit | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Psychology | X | X | |||||
| Public Health | X | X | X | ||||
| Public Relations | X | ||||||
| Publishing | X | X | X | X | X | ||
| Research | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Social Media | X | X | X | X | X | X | |
| Sports Management | X | ||||||
| Video Editing & Animation | X | X | X | ||||
| Web Design | X | X | X | X |
Internship Placement & Language Information
Internships conducted in English are available in most locations. Although not required for all placements, language skills are required for some placements. This will be noted on the individual program pages. For more detailed information on internship placement opportunities, refer to the Coursework section of the Academics tab for each Virtual Internship program.
| Location | English | Spanish | French | Italian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires | X | X | ||
| Dakar | X | X | ||
| Florence | X | X | ||
| Madrid | X | X | ||
| Montpellier | X | X | ||
| Nairobi | X | |||
| Quito | X |
Curriculum
The virtual internship experience includes a four-credit online internship course. The course will be taught and facilitated using lectures, small-group discussions, readings, posting to prompts, blogs, essays, a mock interview, and a presentation. It also includes three synchronous class sessions that you will need to attend virtually during the semester. All other coursework will be asynchronous. The course will help you apply in-class knowledge to your work and understand your newly developed professional skills to articulate in professional situations.
The course will be offered in English, French and Spanish. Consult with the French or Spanish departments for approval to apply this course, along with a placement in the target language to your FRIT or SPAN major or minor.
A 3-credit version of the course is available for students who would like to participate in the program more than once.
A Virtual International Internship is an excellent opportunity to gain real-world experience, develop intercultural communication skills, and build professional relationships with international colleagues.
Internship Placement Hours
Exact number of hours per week will vary by location and term depending on our partner organization, host country laws, and the needs of your placement organization:
- Montpellier — 15-20 hours per week (semester & summer)
- All other locations — 12-15 hours per week during the semester; 15-20 hours per week during the summer
Dates & Deadlines
Program Dates
Spring 2022
January 18: Virtual Internship course begins
January 24: Virtual Internship placement begins
April 29: Virtual Internship placement and course ends
Fall 2021
September 7: Virtual Internship course begins
September 13: Virtual Internship placement begins
December 10: Virtual Internship placement and course ends
Summer 2021
June 1: Virtual Internship course begins
June 7: Virtual Internship placement begins
July 30: Virtual Internship placement and course ends
Deadlines
Spring 2022
- Application open date: October 1, 2021
- Application deadline: November 15, 2021
Fall 2021
- Application open date: April 15, 2021
- Application deadline: June 1, 2021
Summer 2021
- Application open date: February 15, 2021
- Application deadline: April 1, 2021
Fees
Semester
The tuition rate for this 4-credit course is the same as other undergraduate UMTC courses and will be billed to your UofM student account. In addition to tuition, you will also be billed a $600 placement fee. If you are already taking 13 credits during fall or spring semester, you can add the virtual international internship course at no additional tuition costs, but will be billed the additional cost of the $600 placement fee. Visit Onestop for additional information about tuition costs.
Summer
A program fee of $2,050 will be billed to your UofM student account. This amount is equivalent to a 4-credit course on the UMTC campus.
Cancellation Policy
The regular Learning Abroad Center cancellation and refund policy does not apply to this course. If you decide to cancel your participation in the course after confirming your participation, the Learning Abroad Center will bill your University of Minnesota student account for non-recoverable costs incurred to secure an internship placement on your behalf. In addition to any tuition refund processed per Onestop policies, if you cancel before the course start date, you will be billed $400. If you cancel after the course start date, you will be billed $600.
Eligibility Requirements
- 2.5 GPA
- Minimum of sophomore status
- Some internship placements require language proficiency, as indicated on the individual program page
Application Process
Click the "Apply" tab of any individual program page to access the online application.
The application will ask you to express interest in three internship placement industries (either in the same location or various locations) and rank them in order of preference. You will also submit a cover letter and resume, indicate any language skills or preferences you may have, and discuss what you hope to gain from the internship experience.
Some internship locations may require submission of additional materials, as indicated on the "Apply" tab of the program webpage.
Contact
To find contact info for a specific program, visit the individual program pages below. If you have general questions or are unsure if which location or placement would be best for you, contact [email protected].
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dakar, Senegal
Florence, Italy
Madrid, Spain
Montpellier, France
Nairobi, Kenya
Quito, Ecuador