Internships Abroad

Internships abroad provide students with the opportunity to combine experiential learning and academic theory as a means to gain professional experience and develop a new perspective on a career field. You will experience what it's like to navigate the work culture in your host country and have the chance to expand your international network all while earning academic credit. 

Education Abroad offers several types of internship programs. Please use the links below to explore our internship options abroad.

Full-Time Summer Internships

These are full-time internships that take place over the summer, with an accompanying course that complements your internship experience.

Explore Full-Time Internship Programs

Comparing Summer Full-Time Internship Options

Part-Time Internships

These are part-time internship experiences completed alongside regular coursework. You would also complete an internship course.

Explore Programs with Part-Time Internships

Additional Info for Part-Time Internships

Internship Credit

Credit for internships will vary depending on the type of internship program you choose & your own school/college/program:

Coursework taught by CU faculty

For some internship programs, the academic component of the internship is a class taught by a CU Boulder faculty or instructor. These programs include Global Internships and Global Seminars that include an internship. Students are enrolled in a CU Boulder internship class that will be taught during their term abroad and will earn a letter grade.

  • Global Internships: coursework is taught online and asynchronously. Global Internship Academic Equivalencies are already established, and only students within these majors are eligible to apply.
  • Global Seminars with an Internship: coursework is taught in-person by the Faculty Director.

Coursework not taught by CU faculty

For all other programs where an internship is offered, the coursework is not taught by CU Boulder faculty and is subject to different academic policies, depending on your school/college/program:

Arts & Sciences Leeds School of Business College of Communication, Media, Design, & Information College of Engineering & Applied Sciences Education, Music, Grad & Law
Arts & Sciences

By default, your internship course will apply towards your general/overall degree hours (towards By default, your internship course will apply towards your general/overall degree hours (towards graduation) but will not count towards your A&S total hours nor your major-specific hours.

*IAFS students - Your internship will count toward your Off-Campus Requirement unless this requirement is already filled, in which case the credit will count toward general elective hours only. You should not submit the Education Abroad Internship Credit Approval Form.

  CU in D.C.

CU in D.C. students must submit the Internship Credit Approval Form to earn credit for the internship.

All Ed Abroad internship coursework is approved to count as INBU 4910. If you have any questions about how this credit fits into your degree plan, contact your Academic Advisor.

CMDI has pre-approved all Education Abroad internship credits. Students will receive general elective hours within CMDI. Internships abroad cannot be used to fulfill any internship requirements for your major (as applicable). If you have any questions about how this credit fits into your degree plan, contact your Academic Advisor.

  • ENVD: Students within ENVD should talk to their Academic Advisor about their internship plans before moving forward.

     

All Ed Abroad internship coursework is approved to count as COEN 4950. If you have any questions about how this credit fits into your degree plan, contact your Academic Advisor.

By default, an Ed Abroad internship is not-for-credit, you must get departmental approval in order to earn credit for an internship abroad. Submit the Internship Credit Approval form and connect with your academic advisor for more information. Not receiving credit for your internship could also mean you are under-enrolled as a full-time student in the program. This could impact your financial aid and scholarships back at CU as you are required to be a full-time student.

Students who earn credit for their internship will be awarded Study Abroad Pass/Fail grades per Academic Policies.

Comparing Summer Full-Time Internships

 

Global Internships

IES & CIEE Internships

Internship Placement

Customized to the student around skills, classes, & experience

AcademicsRemote class to complement the internship to your degree. Taught by a CU ProfessorOn-site, in-person course for one evening each week. Taught by local faculty
Credits

5-6 major credit hours

See Global Internship Academic Equivalencies

IES - 3 credit hours. Complete the Internship Credit Approval Form*. Optional 3 credit language courses in some locations.
CIEE - 6 credit hours

See credit notes above for A&S, CMDI, Engineering and Leeds.

Program Length8 - 9 Weeks8 weeks
EligibilityOnly available to select majorsOpen to all students & majors
Program Cost

$$

On-Site Support

On-site provider for health, safety, & orientation

Activities

Occasional weekend cultural activities and excursions around the host city

Time/Week

Full Time (32-40 hours/week) 8-9 weeks during summer

Paid Internships?

No

Programs Available

Global Internships

IES/CIEE Internships

Provider Part-Time Internships

Please see below for information on additional steps by provider for part-time semester or summer internship options.

Arcadia

Internships are available through the Arcadia Sant'Anna Institute in Sorrento, please follow the above instructions. 

Not approved for credit internships outside the college of A&S, will not count towards the minimum credit requirements for your program. Therefore you must enroll in a full load of other credit-bearing courses in addition to your internship. For the Sorrento semester program that means you must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits in addition to your not-for-credit internship.

Internships are available through the CEA CAPA London, Sydney, and Florence Study Centers, please follow the above instructions. 

Not approved for credit internships outside the college of A&S, will not count towards the minimum credit requirements for your program. Therefore you must enroll in a full load of other credit-bearing courses in addition to your internship. For the London semester program that means you must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits in addition to your not-for-credit internship

CIEE will accept the Education Abroad Internship Credit Approval form in lieu of the CIEE form.  Please have your academic advisor complete the form and upload it to your MyCUAbroad portal.

IES Abroad strongly discourages students from doing both an internship or service-learning placement and an outside course, as these both require a time commitment that is very difficult to schedule. If you choose to do both (and are able to work both into your schedule), you will be occupied Monday through Friday with no day off. Please contact your IES Program Advisor for more information.

SIT internships adhere to the academic policies listed above by school/college. For students whose school/college does not award blanket approval for internship credit, you must get additional approval from your major department by completing the Education Abroad Internship Credit Approval Form to your Academic Department. If your department will not approve SIT’s internship course prior to the start of your program, Education Abroad recommends that you opt for the Independent Study Project (ISP) in lieu of the internship so that you don’t risk falling below full-time status while abroad. (See the Academic Policies page for information about maintaining your full-time status while abroad.)

Most WorldStrides program internships only need to follow the above information, if applicable, please note the information below.

Note about University of Westminster internships: if you do an internship that the University of Westminster offers for credit (in conjunction with the required Professional & Personal Skills Development course), you can only enroll in two additional courses during your semester in London. Therefore, if you do not receive written approval for your internship from an academic department or college at CU Boulder before your program, you will only earn 8 CU credits abroad, which means you will be under-enrolled for the semester and not counted as a full-time student.

  (in order) Spain by Olivia Mahony; Australia by Katie Jung