Study Abroad/Internships

Education Abroad/Internships

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I/ST Students are required to complete a study abroad or an internship experience as part of the major.

Students preparing to go abroad or complete an internship are required to take: I/ST 491: Intercultural Competency for Education Abroad and Internships (1 unit)

After completing the experience, students enroll in: I/ST 492: International Studies Internship/Foreign Study (2 units) to reflect on your experiences and what you got out of them, integrate them into your major learning objectives, and communicate about them in meaningful ways to serve your future career plans.

All study abroad and internship experiences MUST be approved by the I/ST study abroad/internship advisor before you undertake them.

To make an appointment with the study abroad and internship advisor, click here.

Study Abroad Internship
MUST be:

  • a semester or an academic year,
  • an official program at a university,
  • relate to your regional concentration.

I/ST strongly encourages academic year programs as what a student learns and how it impacts a student’s life are disproportionately significant. To make this possible the Education Abroad and Internship Advisor will work with you to determine course articulations and substitutions.

For more information, see the I/ST specific guidelines and requirements for study abroad.

***Study abroad plans and courses must be approved by the I/ST education abroad advisor before embarking on a study abroad program***

Internship requirements:

Before you begin, you are required to:

Internships may be international, domestic, or virtual.

As a general rule the International Studies Program follows national “best practices” in forming internships as articulated by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (https://www.naceweb.org/internships/).

For more information, see the I/ST specific procedures and requirements for internships.

***Intership waivers and contracts must be completed and approved by the internship advisor before beginning the internship***                                                                                                     

I/ST 492: International Studies Internship/Foreign Study Course

I/ST 492 is for International Studies majors who recently completed or are in the process of completing a study abroad or internationally-focused internship experience. These experiences are all interdisciplinary international experiences. The aim of the course is to help you  Students will write several critical reflections on their experiences, participate in writing and professionalization workshops, and give a public presentation about their experience to other CSULB students. This course meets once a week during the semester and represents a space for students to reflect on their international experiences studying abroad or completing an internship.

Admission is by permit only, and you can request this permit by emailing your SID to the 492 advisor. You must make an advising appointment with the Education Abroad/Internship (492) Advisor, to discuss your plans and receive approval for them. Please note that the 492 advisor, as the instructor of record for the 492 course, is the only person who may officially approve your plans and give you credit for completion of the requirement. 

Completion of a study abroad program or internship does not automatically fulfill the I/ST major requirement for International Education/Internship. Rather, students MUST complete the I/ST 491 and I/ST 492 courses and receive credit.

Students must complete the I/ST Internship Contract and the Student Self-Paced Internship Waiver before starting an internship or the internship cannot be counted towards any CSULB requirement.