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• Academics
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  • University
  • Academics
  • Internship Program
  • Internship Opportunities
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• Living Abroad
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  • Living Abroad
  • Housing & Meals
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  • Beyond the Classroom
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• Dates & Fees
  Itinerary, flights & discounts
  • Itinerary
  • Program Fees

Internship schedule at a glance

Your first two weeks:

Intensive Italian Language course (3 credits)
Students attend 4 hours of class Monday through Friday in Italian. The Italian language course is mandatory for all students. Placement tests are given to ensure students are at the appropriate level of Italian. Since language demands are more challenging, students are often placed in a lower level than requested. Students should make sure the advisors at their home institutions are informed of this to avoid problems with credit transfer.

The rest of the semester:

Internship placement plus review meetings with workplace supervisors and Richmond faculty for a total of 270 hours (6 credits) plus one course that must be related to the Internship (3 credits - see below) plus the regular Italian course (3 or 4 credits)

International Internship 486 (6)
Students intern in companies based in Florence for 12 weeks. Students taking the internship are also required to attend specially designed seminars throughout the semester. The Internship program combines workplace learning with classroom-based study and regular review sessions with workplace supervisors and Richmond faculty. Credit is awarded only after successful completion of all aspects of the program. Internships are unpaid and monitored by the workplace supervisor and a Richmond faculty member.

In addition to working and attending the internship seminars, students are required to submit a journal recording duties and learning, as well as an analysis of specified aspects of the work experience. They must also submit a final research paper describing and analyzing the workplace, the industry and goals achieved. Students give a presentation on their internship.

Assessment is based on the above criteria. Grades of A to F, with pluses and minuses, in accordance with the University grading policy are assigned and recorded on your Richmond transcript.

Internships and Related Courses:

ARH 486 Internship in Art History

The additional course to be taken in Florence is listed below. If interested in a different Art History course among those offered this should be agreed with the Internship Coordinator.

ADM 486 Internship in Art, Design and Media

The additional course to be taken should be selected from the following:

COM 486 Internship in Communications

The additional course to be taken in Florence is:

ECN 486 Internship in Economics

The additional course to be taken in Florence should be selected from the following:

EDU 486 Internship in Education

The additional course to be taken in Florence should be selected from all Humanities courses (for 3 credits) listed on the regular Florence, Italy course page.

INB 486 Internship in International Business

The additional course to be taken in Florence should be selected from the following:

MKT 486 Internship in Marketing

The additional course to be taken in Florence should be selected from the following:

Italian Language – Regular Courses

After the Intensive Italian course during the first 2 weeks of orientation, students continue to study Italian language for the duration of the semester.