Applied Learning Internship Program

Your bridge to advancing your influence and success in global and international affairs

Internships are an established component of the most prestigious graduate programs in global and international affairs. Employers welcome interns who can apply their unique knowledge, skills and motivations on behalf of organizational missions and goals, and increasingly prefer “high-impact” methods for recruiting and engaging student interns as potential full-time employees. On the university side, students who intern through academic programs report they gain more from their work experience than students who intern on their own.

The Salamanca Global and International Studies Internship Program draws on decades of experience its faculty and staff have accrued in facilitating students” applied learning and real-world skill development in nonprofit, for-profit and governmental organizations. The program also connects students with the critical professional contacts they need in order to make a future impact in their chosen career fields.

Salamanca faculty and an international team of professors and practitioners provide student guidance and contacts that are instrumental in gaining acceptance into competitive internship positions across the globe. Sample internships available include the European Union, Amnesty International, Refugees International, and the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission). The Program also offers internships in Madrid and other European capitals.

The year-round Salamanca intern program in Washington, DC, in particular, provides students a wide variety of internship options (for example, in embassies, international development, trade, human rights, diplomacy, democratization, security, etc.) and a supportive learning environment in the D.C. area.

The following, shorter list of internships in the Washington D.C. area is indicative of the wide-ranging opportunities available for consideration by Salamanca Global and International Studies MA students.

Salamanca MA students can choose to complete one or more internships during their 4^th semester in the program. As MA program alumni they will benefit from the guidance and contacts provided by faculty, staff, co-workers, supervisors and fellow alumni in the years after their completion of the program. We provide access to approved internship opportunities and hands-on guidance for students in applying for and accepting competitive internship options that fit their professional goals.

Prior to or during their internship experience students complete the online, core internship/professional development course, Global Experiential Learning: Context, Self-Reflection, and Professional Development, taught by internationally recognized internship and professional success facilitators. As part of the course the Salamanca interns will compile a professional portfolio of work samples, workplace and work-sector analyses, and reflections on their experiences in the workplace and city where they are located.

In addition to completing the Global Experiential Learning course, to gain academic credit the Salamanca MA students will develop an internship work plan to be approved by Salamanca faculty and co-signed by the internship workplace supervisor. This plan clarifies the student’s required work hours and basic duties and also identifies ways the student can advance into more substantive projects. The workplace supervisor will provide a final assessment of the student’s internship work. Students must receive a positive assessment in order to pass the internship course.

THE UNIVERSITY OF SALAMANCA GLOBAL MA PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO

As a prospective or advancing professional in global and international affairs, how can you best distinguish yourself from so many others who bring similar academic learning to their important work and professional aspirations?

The Global MA Portfolio is a defining feature of the Salamanca Global/International Studies MA programs. It is your proven means to demonstrating applied learning and skills that will enable your path to international professional success.

The Salamanca Global MA Professional Portfolio melds new academic and professional development approaches with expanded applied research and experiential program efforts.

Fundamentals include:

• Promoting graduate “student-invested” and “collaborative” models of professional development and demonstrating attributes including cross-cultural competency, critical thinking abilities in applied settings, and real work products to include applied research and other skills that distinguish you from other applicants for the currently vast and growing global opportunities.
• Creating “places” where CVs, academic articles, position papers, and other evidence of your higher-level abilities can be accessed easily by interested parties including program Global MA faculty, potential employers, graduate fellowship committees, and Global MA alumni.

The Global MA Portfolio utilizes Salamanca and affiliated learning platforms to maintain, shape, and project MA student, alumni and faculty affiliate’s competencies and expertise. It is an integrated system that begins at your program inception and is built throughout your academic and experiential learning. Moreover, the “e-portfolio” aspects of the system allow for easy global sharing and collaboration during all stages of the your program of applied learning, and beyond as your engage with professionals in higher-level professional settings.

CORE ELEMENTS OF THE SALAMANCA GLOBAL MA PORTFOLIO SYSTEM INCLUDE

• An “internal” class portfolio for purposes of establishing relevant course objectives, compiling assignments and assessing them in relation to course and departmental learning goals and desired outcomes.
• A “designed-access” portfolio emphasizing your applied learning and demonstrated use of skills and knowledge that will be shared with university-related communities including program alumni, scholarship or fellowship committees, etc. This portfolio also supports your lifelong-learning objectives as your reengage with Salamanca programs and alumni networks in the years after graduation.
• A “designed-access” portfolio that can be compiled by you to share with potential employers who are reviewing applicants for specific internship or full-time jobs. You can develop the portfolio to be made available for review through web-sharing, or as hard copies to take with you to interviews.

Finally, (4) you will develop and maintain a “public-access” portfolio that is widely accessible online and through social media. Such a purpose is a key component of your professional “brand” that can make the difference in your success. This might include LinkedIn e-portfolios and profiles, Google portfolios, or elements that are posted on your personal website supported by Salamanca and affiliated university platforms.