The University of Arizona is partnering with the Institute for American Universities to offer students the opportunity to participate in virtual global internships that will allow them to work remotely with companies from France and Spain this summer.
Mariah Nunes, Manager of Curriculum Integration for UA Study Abroad, said this new program enables students to have a global experience despite recent restrictions on travel.
“We’re definitely looking for an opportunity for students to still have a global experience in a summer where they’re probably not going to be able to travel,” Nunes said. “It’s unfortunate that we had to cancel our summer programs but we’re still able to get students in contact with international organizations.”
According to the Virtual Global Internships page on the UA Global website, there are two virtual internships available to students: a global internship and a consulting internship.
The global internship will expose students to a “multicultural professional space through virtual means” and equip students with “the skills required to enter the professional world and navigate cross-cultural entrepreneurial environments.” This program will take place from June 22 to July 31.
RELATED: Coronavirus timeline: UA announces health and wellness board, launches global campus (May 4)
The consulting internship offers students the opportunity to practice “strategic consulting practices” by assigning them to an “industry-specific consulting project led by a professor in partnership with international organizations.” This program will take place from July 1 to Aug. 12.
Rachel Walker, Associate Director of Study Abroad Marketing at UA Global, spoke to the Daily Wildcat via Zoom about the unique opportunity that the virtual global internship presents to students.
“The most exciting part about this … for students really is, in my opinion, the ability to grow a professional global network,” Walker said. “That’s pretty significant to be able to do without leaving their home this summer. And it’s not a conciliatory or a replacement of study abroad, this is like absolutely just a brand-new thing – a way to enhance their career prospects and their resume for the summer.”
Students can earn up to 9 UA credits by participating in a virtual internship and taking two optional, online courses from IAU. If a student decides to do both the classes and the internship, they must be available between June 22 and Aug. 12 in order to complete it all.
Courses are available in subjects including art and art history, architecture, business, communication, food studies, economics, global studies, history, political science, religious studies and sociology. Each course is worth 3 units in transfer credit at the UA.
Though the demand for a virtual global experience has increased in light of recent events, Walker suggested that it may be the beginning of a new type of professional experience.
“I think it became a trend at many universities to offer virtual offerings in light of summer cancellations, but I think the need has been and will continue to be there regardless for these virtual experiences because we’re working in such an interconnected global network professionally,” Walker said. “I think that this opens the door for something that maybe has been a need for a long time and there wasn’t a reason for it previously.”
Sophomores, juniors and seniors with a GPA of at least 2.5 are eligible to apply to the Global Virtual Internship program.
The internship experience will cost students $1,493. If participants would also like to enroll in any of the optional summer courses offered by IAU, it will cost just under $1,500 extra per course.
The deadline to apply for the global internship is May 22, 2020. The deadline for the consulting internship is June 1, 2020.
For more information, students can attend the Virtual Q&A hosted by UA Global on May 14 at 3 p.m. MST.
Follow Kristijan on Twitter
