The ESP degree includes a study abroad or internship requirement. There are many options available to students that do not require you to leave your job or family for an extended amount of time. This lesson will hopefully distill the myths and ease your anxieties around this requirement.

What will we learn?

By the end of this Lesson, you should be able to:

• understand the degree requirements regarding study abroad/internship;
• know what options are available to you;
• know who to contact to discuss your options;
• how to complete the Study Abroad/Internship Prior Learning Experience Questionnaire

What will be due?

Refer to the Activities page for more information on the assessments for this lesson.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please post to the Canvas Discussion Forum called "Questions" or e-mail the instructor (if the question is personal in nature).

Both the ESPBA and the ESPBS degrees require that you complete 3 credits of study abroad or internship. Let me repeat that...study abroad OR internship. You need not do both.

Please don't stress - we know that many of you have jobs, kids, and probably a mortgage too! When you're thinking of your options regarding the study abroad/internship requirement, we want you to think outside of the box. What I mean by that is, don't think that you have to find a "traditional" study abroad/internship opportunity. You can fulfill this degree requirement in many different ways! We have had students be very creative and find wonderful solutions to meeting the degree requirements while not giving up their jobs or their entire summers!

The options available will be outlined in the following pages. But here are the cliff notes regarding this requirement:

• ESP students are required to complete one OR the other - a study abroad or internship
• Your study abroad/internship experience can look very different than "traditional" study abroad/internship experiences
• It does not need to be completed in the summer semester, again, think outside of the box!
• If you have lived abroad or have completed an internship in the past, you may be eligible to apply for a waiver for this requirement
• To discuss available opportunities, contact Brandi Robinson

We know that as adult students, the idea of an internship may be daunting! But don't fret. You can fulfill this option by finding something that suits your location, your schedule, and your life! Completing an internship as an adult student probably will look a bit different than you think: your internship does not have to happen over the summer, in your senior year, or even during traditional hours.

Internship requirements

1. The internship must be very strongly related to energy, sustainability and/or policy.
2. The internship must provide 120 hours of service within one semester.
3. You will need an internship "sponsor" willing to vouch for the internship job description, communicate with the instructor, and provide periodic review of your work.

Examples of prior internships

We have had students fulfill this degree requirement in the following ways:

• Worked one day a week in an internship position
• Interned in a different department at their current company in a position that is relevant to ESP (one day a week, or maybe full time for just a few weeks, etc)
• Interned on nights/weekends
• Interned from a distance (many virtual or online internships can be found or even negotiated if the right circumstances exist)
• Created their own project and found partners and sponsors who were willing to work with them/support their project

Not all internships are applicable; you will need to contact Brandi Robinson to review the job description/proposed project for approval of rigor and applicability.

How to find an internship

Finding an internship may be easier than you think. Keep your eyes and ears open and spread the word that you're looking for an opportunity. If there's a company or organization nearby that you'd like to work for, contact them and let them know that you're interested in an internship; just because they haven't posted anything doesn't mean that they don't need your help! Look within your own employment organization/company for opportunities as well. Perhaps another department or division could use someone with your education and expertise!

Finding and securing an internship is each student's responsibility, but there are a few resources available to help:

World Campus Career Services

World Campus Career Services office may be able to assist you in finding an internship. Visit the Career Services website to learn more!

Want to spend the summer in Spain? Don't we all! While that is certainly an option, it is not at all necessary!

If you choose to fulfill the study abroad/internship option by traveling, great! There are a ton of experiences you can do that won't take you out of your life for an extended amount of time.

Embedded options

Several courses offer what is called "embedded travel" experiences. These are courses that are offered online with an embedded travel component at some point in the semester (typically spring or fall break). Often the travel portion of the course is only one week in length, and then students return home to continue the coursework online.

Penn State Brandywine

Penn State Brandywine regularly offers Gen Ed courses that contain this type of embedded travel experience. Enrolling in a Gen Ed that also has a travel component will fulfill two of your degree requirements at once! If you were to enroll in the course and successfully complete the associated coursework, including the travel, you would fulfill both a Gen Ed requirement (GH, GS, US, IL) and the ESP study abroad/internship requirement. You can learn more about what's offered through Global Programs.

Other embedded options

You can find more courses that offer an embedded travel component by visiting the Penn State Global Programs Office website and entering your search parameters on the Programs Search page. Just be sure to clarify that the coursework before/after the trip is offered online!

The GREEN Program

We have had a few students travel with The Global Renewable Energy Education Network (GREEN) Program, otherwise known as TGP. TGP is a great fit for ESP students because their travel education programs focus on issues related to energy, sustainability, and policy. TGP is constantly opening up new and exciting opportunities in new places that have unique energy and sustainability opportunities or challenges. They typically offer trips to:

• Iceland
• Peru
• Jamaica (new!)

Each trip is 8-10 days in length and is intensely focused on learning about the culture and surroundings as well as energy and sustainability. They do a great job of mixing up 50 hours of educational programming with adventurous activities such as hiking, zip lining, white water rafting, snorkeling, 4x4 excursions, etc.

A TGP program is not credit-bearing. So, if you're interested in pursuing a TGP experience, first contact Brandi Robinson in order to discuss how you'll earn credit for your travel. So, in short, a TGP trip, while amazing is less of a "value" than one of the embedded type of experiences discussed previously.

Other study abroad options

In summary, please don't be intimidated by this requirement. You can complete a study abroad experience or an internship at any time while you're working towards your ESP degree!

Helpful tips for securing an internship:

• Start searching early! Get the word out that you're looking for an opportunity.
• Search the websites of organizations you're interested in. If there are no internships listed, that doesn't mean that there aren't opportunities available. Contact the HR department or someone that you know that works there!
• Read the ESP weekly digest that is emailed to your PSU email address every Friday!
• Utilize the resources outlined in this lesson to broaden your search
• Open your mind, think outside the box! Not all internships have to be full time, 9-5, during the summer! And not all study away opportunities have to be crazy expensive and an entire semester long!