Overseas Research Internships

The Overseas Research Internship Program, designed for Purdue graduate students and advanced undergraduate students, is a new initiative that offers international education opportunities to those whose needs are not met by more conventional study abroad experiences.  Each research project will be facilitated by a Purdue faculty member, in cooperation with a colleague from an overseas institutions. 

What makes this different from other education abroad programs?

Graduate students and students in technical majors, as well as their faculty facilitators, will find this program appealing because it 

• Takes place when optimal for the student
• Offers students the chance to build research experience
• Has minimal administrative requirements
• Is tailored to the specific needs of each student, their facilitating faculty member, and their academic unit
• Is available for credit or for no credit, at the discretion of the Purdue academic unit involved
• Can be one-way or a reciprocal endeavor
• Is relatively affordable (mainly airfare and living expenses)
• Can be supplemented with departmental or grant funds if necessary
• Allows students to have intercultural and travel experiences usually associated with study abroad programs that are not easily accessible to them

The role of Purdue Faculty

The Overseas Research Internship Program is faculty-controlled and faculty-driven.  It benefits from the extensive networks that Purdue faculty already have with overseas peers.  It allows faculty maximum flexibility as to the timing, location, duration and focus of the internships.  It also allows faculty to influence the costs incurred to student participants. 

Steps for putting an Overseas Research Internship into action

• Faculty members who are interested in facilitating an internship for one of their students contact the Director of Programs for Study Abroad.  They then contact a colleague at an overseas university and determine a suitable research project for one or more Purdue students.
• The facilitating faculty at Purdue and the overseas partner institution set the scope, location and duration of the research project. They also decide on the criteria and method for assessment and the amount of credit (if any) to be awarded.
• At least one month before a participating student departs for the experience abroad, the student or the facilitating Purdue faculty member informs the Office of Programs for Study Abroad that the internship will take place, and the student is registered in the Office’s database of outbound students. 
• The facilitating faculty at Purdue and the overseas partner institution complete the  Student Enrollment Form and Internship Description and submit them to Purdue’s Office of Programs for Study Abroad. 
• Awards are made first-come first-served, according to the date that fully completed applications are received.
• Credit, if any, is awarded at the conclusion of the internship.

Study Abroad will provide the following to facilitating Purdue faculty members:

• Information about potential overseas partner universities
• Help in negotiating one-way internship agreements with overseas partner universities if needed
• Including students in Study Abroad enrollment in database

Study Abroad will provide the following to participating students:

• Information about obtaining health insurance
• Predeparture orientation
• Assistance in seeking funding

Credit/No credit

If the Overseas Research Internship is done as a formalized program for credit, planning needs to begin at least nine months in advance. Study Abroad will see that “Research Internship” is placed in the header of the student’s academic record for the given session if approved by the academic unit.  Course equivalencies (e.g. NE 39700, NE 59000) will be listed on the student’s transcript, with title, credits and grades.  If the international research internship is not for credit, lead time is one month.

Fees and payment

• The main expenses to participating students will typically be airfare and living expenses.
• If earning credit for the Overseas Research Internship, students would be charged a fee by Purdue.  And faculty planning this would need to plan this at least nine months in advance. If not earning credit, this fee would not apply.  (If students are graduate students with Research Assistantships then the normal tuition remit is still applicable, but nine months pre-planning is still required.)
• The Office of Programs for Study Abroad offers a limited number of travel grants, awarded on a competitive basis.  Travel grants are up to $500 and will require paid receipts reflecting direct use of personal funds for otherwise non-reimbursed expenses. It will not be possible to reimburse the departments for items pre-paid.
• Purdue faculty are encouraged to negotiate internship arrangements without fees.  However, if an overseas partner university requires payment, the sending department at Purdue will be encouraged to pay the fees. 

Going Further

In the future, the Overseas Research Internship Program could be linked to other international education initiatives

Questions?

Direct questions to Dr. Brian Harley, Associate Dean for International Programs and Director of Programs for Study Abroad, bharley@purdue.edu, 765-494-2383.