CIC/AESOP Internships in Australia

Fall, Spring or Summer Semester

Summer 2009 closed

In collaboration with the:

Macquarie University in Sydney
University of New South Wales in Sydney

Administered through the Office of Study Abroad (OSA)

Additional internship sites and university settings are under development. Contact the MSU Office of Study Abroad for more information.

Internship program options

Students choose between two options: OPTION A and OPTION B. Actual start dates will depend on location, the respective Australian university's calendar, and parliamentary sitting schedules (in the case of parliamentary placements).

OPTION A (17-20 weeks) combines a part-time internship experience with concurrent semester-long courses taken at one of several cooperating Australian universities. Under OPTION A, students may enroll for either of the following Australian semesters:

• February through June (apply by September 15)
• July through November (apply by March 15)

OPTION B consists of a full-time internship experience of 8-10 weeks, plus one week of orientation. Under OPTION B, students may apply for an internship in the following time periods:

• February to April (apply by September 15)
• June to August (apply by March 1)

Optional preparatory program in Australia (apply by September 15)

Students who enroll for either OPTION A or OPTION B internships beginning in February are eligible to also enroll in a six-week study abroad program offered by Michigan State University in Sydney and Canberra. This optional program begins in early January, offers 8-12 academic credit (in addition to credits awarded for internships), and provides an introduction to Australian society and its political, economic and social institutions.

These programs fill early so applications should be submitted as soon as possible.

NOTE: Applications must reach the CIC/MSU office no later than the application date specified. Applicants are responsible for assuring the submission of all application materials to MSU by the relevant deadline. Non-MSU students should submit their applications to their home institution well in advance to assure transmission to MSU by the deadline. Late submission of application materials will jeopardize the prospects for admission to that cycle of the internship program.

Internship placement

Most placement options are in Australian parliaments, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, print and electronic mass media, and public relations agencies. Limited placements in the private sector and in non-profit agencies and placements in banking and finance, marine biology and wildlife, criminal justice and policing are also possible.

Most placements are in Sydney. The availability of specific options varies according to academic calendars, parliamentary sitting schedules, agency work cycles, and position openings. The CIC/MSU office reviews the intern's application and advises which locations offer options that match the prospective intern's interests and preparation.

The primary responsibility of interns in most placements will be to work on a project that has research and policy recommendation components for the organization. The preparation of policy briefs and position papers is a typical core component of internship duties. In addition to having appropriate subject matter background, academic training and writing and research skills are important for a satisfying internship experience.

Interns in Australian organizations are expected to be self-motivated and self-directed once general assignments have been given. Interns normally are not assigned routine office responsibilities except in special circumstances, and then usually only temporarily. Interns may request to be involved in a wider array of organizational activities in addition to their research projects; the accommodation of such requests will depend on the nature of the agency and its work. Some assignments occasionally involve duties in the evenings.

Interns will be advised prior to leaving for Australia that they have been accepted for an internship broadly related to their interest and preoccupation. However, a specific internship placement cannot be guaranteed until after arrival in Australia and the on-site academic supervisor meets with the intern to review placement options. The on-site academic supervisor and the intern will then jointly choose from among these options. Internship placement options may change because of circumstances beyond the control of the CIC/MSU office, the host Australian university or the host agency.

Credit

Most CIC institutions award residence credit for each option. CIC students are advised of registration procedures following acceptance to the program. Students from non-CIC institutions register through the Office of Study Abroad at Michigan State University and are issued an official transcript certifying coursework successfully completed in transfer to the student's home institution.

Academic internships are educational experiences. Credit is awarded for demonstrated learning arising out of the experience, not for the experience alone. Pay usually is not provided for internships. Academic requirements associated with all CIC Australian internships include successful completion of orientation programs, completion of internship duties, attendance at occasional workshops/seminars, and written products that include a journal, an exit report, and a research paper.

Students in OPTION A may earn from 14 to 16 semester credits - half for the internship and half in coursework. Students in OPTION B earn from eight semester credits, depending on the internship scope and length (typically, the OPTION B internship is 8-10 weeks in length plus a one week orientation and provides eight academic credits).

The course-load for OPTION A interns will be determined in consultation with the CIC/MSU office, the intern's home institution, the intern, and the host Australian university. A full-time academic load will consist of the internship and two courses, depending on the courses chosen and the credit award they carry. OPTION A internships typically begin during the second or third week of the academic semester to permit on-site orientation and settling in. All OPTION B internships are preceded by a one week period of similar orientation and settling in, which is in addition to the 8 to 10 week internship.

Grades

Grades for internships are based on an assessment of written work and the intern's job performance. Written products and job performance are initially assessed by the Australian agency supervisor and the Australian academic supervisor. Their assessments are forwarded along with written work to the CIC/MSU office, where a final grade is assigned by the supervising program faculty at MSU for the internship and reported to the intern's home institution.

Grades and credits for Australian university courses are based on examinations taken there; results are converted to the American system by the CIC/MSU office before being reported to the intern's home institution.

Supervision and guidance

Three people provide support to interns in Australia: the agency supervisor, typically someone who occupies a mid- to upper-level staff position in the organization; the on-site academic supervisor, usually a faculty member at a cooperating Australian university who works with the intern to refine learning objectives, offer academic guidance and supervision, and assesses the quality of the intern's academic work; and the CIC resident director, typically chosen from staffs of cooperating Australian universities, who organizes on-site orientation and seminars, and negotiates and monitors internship placements.

Before leaving for Australia, interns consult with CIC/MSU staff members and receive information and advice about the social, political and cultural environment in which they will live and work. The CIC/MSU office assesses the intern's preparation and determines whether reading or other preparatory assignments may need completion before the internship begins. All interns receive a "CIC Australian Intern Handbook" and a brief list of required reading before departure. On arrival in Australia and before starting assignments, interns also complete an on-site orientation program.

Housing and meals

Housing options depend on the university through which interns are placed. They may include university housing or private accommodations. Interns may also elect to make their own arrangements.

Meal options may include self-catering, university residence halls, commercial restaurants, and combinations of these. For those interested in self-catering, Australian grocery stores are well stocked with a wide variety of fresh and prepared foods at prices comparable to those in the United States.

Eligibility

Application is open to students in all majors who will be of at least junior standing at the beginning of the program and who have a minimum B average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale for UNSW and Macquarie) at the time of application, both overall and in courses in disciplines most directly related to the proposed internship assignment. These are minimums - the higher the student's GPA and the more upper-division courses they have taken, the better their prospects for admission.

Although preference is given to students enrolled in degree programs at CIC institutions, applications will be accepted from students at non-CIC institutions.

Program costs

Total costs vary depending on location, housing option chosen, number of credits taken, length of the internship, and exchange rate. Students may use the estimates below for initial planning. These are anticipated Spring 2009 costs; costs in subsequent years may vary somewhat to reflect inflation and fluctuation in currency exchange rates. Fees and credit for longer internships may vary proportionately.

For OPTION A internships (17- 20 weeks in length) costs for housing, tuition for 14-15 semester credits, administrative fees, and required accident and sickness insurance are $13,004 (Fall Semester 2009).

For OPTION B internships (10 weeks in length including orientation) costs for housing, tuition for 8 semester credits, administrative fees, and required accident and sickness insurance is $5,527 (Summer 2009) at Macquarie.

Program fees do NOT cover round-trip airfare to Australia, Australian visa fees, transportation within Australia, textbooks, meals, independent travel or personal expenses.

Roundtrip airfare is as low as $2,000 from the U.S. Midwest on regular carriers.

Meal and food costs will be roughly similar to those found at American institutions and in large American cities.

Program fees, dates, and arrangements may be subject to change due to unexpected circumstances.

Financial assistance

Financial assistance is available to MSU students when they make appropriate arrangements with OSA and MSU's Office of Financial Aid. All students planning to use financial aid toward a study abroad program must indicate their intentions on the study abroad application. Non-MSU students should check with their home institution's financial aid office.

For further information about financial aid, visit the Web page.

Additionally, MSU students may apply for scholarships (based exclusively on academic performance or based on both academic performance and financial need) offered through the Office of Study Abroad. Requirements are listed in the application instructions. The deadlines to apply for the scholarships are October 1st for winter break and spring semester programs and March 15th for summer, fall and academic year programs.

Thanks to a generous study abroad scholarship endowment by the MSU Federal Credit Union, more students will be able to participate in study abroad and reap the many academic, personal and professional benefits these experiences provide them.

Many MSU colleges also have special study abroad scholarships.

Independent travel

If you wish, you may travel independently (before or after the program) throughout Australia and New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, Asian countries or Hawaii. Although CIC/MSU has access to special airfares through an authorized agent, students are encouraged to explore other options that best fit their individual needs. Special fares are available to students of this program through VSRtravel.com. Transpacific airfare costs will depend on the degree of advance booking and the day of the week you travel.

Visas

A valid passport and visa are required for participation this program. Australian law closely restricts entry for purposes of employment or work-study experience. The CIC/MSU office will assist students in arranging for the appropriate visa for the internship experience.

Students are responsible for inquiring about all entry requirements for other countries they plan to visit before or after this program. It is important for students to understand that they may be denied entry into, or be deported from, a country for which they have not obtained the required documentation.

Health issues

For further health information and recommendations visit the "Health Issues" section of the Student Handbook.

Application

A complete application consists of:

• a completed CIC/AESOP Internship Application
• a complete set of your most recent transcripts
• a résumé (to view a sample résumé, click here)
• a personal statement of about 500 words (to view a sample personal statement, click here) which must include:
  • Your academic, personal, career and learning goals for a CIC internship;
  • A description of the kind of internship preferred and alternative internships you would be willing to consider; and
  • Education, training, employment and volunteer experience which might qualify you for the type of internship you desire
• two academic references on the forms included in the application packet (these should be requested far in advance of the deadline to ensure they arrive in time).

Applicants are responsible for obtaining and submitting all application materials. Incomplete application files will not be processed by MSU nor forwarded for review by our Australian university counterparts.

Students from CIC institutions should notify their home institution study abroad office when filing an application with the CIC through the CIC/MSU Office of Study Abroad.

A $100 application fee is required. Students will receive a bill from the MSU Student Accounts Office for the application fee that is applied to the cost of the program and is non-refundable once a student has accepted admission into the program. Students who have accepted admission will also be billed for a non-refundable and non-transferable $200 deposit, also applied to the cost of the program.

Students who wish to withdraw their application are required to notify the Office of Study Abroad, in writing, that they no longer intend to participate.

Details about the admissions process, pre-departure information, what to know while you’re abroad, and information about returning home can be found in the Study Abroad Student Handbook that will be sent to you with your acceptance letter.

To obtain a program application and additional information or to obtain information on curricula at cooperating Australian universities, contact your CIC university's study abroad office or write to:

Office of Study Abroad
Michigan State University
109 International Center
East Lansing MI 48824-1035
Phone: (517) 353-8920
Fax: (517) 432-2082

Admission

The CIC program staff reviews the application materials to assess the applicant's academic preparation, maturity, communication skills, interpersonal skills, motivation for pursuing an internship, relevant experience outside the classroom, (e.g. jobs, volunteer work, extracurricular activities) and the ability to handle the internship work environment in a professional manner. Final acceptance is based on an assessment using these criteria and on the availability of an appropriate placement opportunity as determined jointly by the CIC/MSU office and the host Australian university. In the case of OPTION A internships, acceptance is conditional on admission to the participating Australian university, utilizing its normal procedures. The CIC/MSU office assists in this process.

An applicant's participation may be denied or their participation approval may be revoked if their conduct before departure raises doubts as to their suitability for program participation.

For further academic information, please contact:

Reggie Sheehan, Professor
Phone: (517) 355-6585

John Hudzik, Professor and Dean
Phone: (517) 355-2352

For non-academic program information, please contact:

Sandy Tupper
Office of Study Abroad
109 International Center
Phone: (517) 432-4341

CIC/AESOP

The Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) is an academic consortium of major research universities in the Midwest. The CIC is one of the oldest cooperative arrangements among American colleges and universities. A primary function of the CIC is to enable its member institutions to provide programs and activities that would be difficult or impossible for any single institution to sponsor or fund by itself.

The CIC offers an internship program in Australia in cooperation with the Australian Education Office and several Australian universities. Michigan State University administers the program on behalf of the CIC through its AESOP program and through MSU's Office of Study Abroad. This academic program offers qualified students an opportunity to blend work experience with specific learning objectives and structured reflection.

The following institutions are part of the CIC:

University of Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Chicago
Indiana University
University of Iowa
University of Michigan
Michigan State University
University of Minnesota
Northwestern University
Ohio State University
Pennsylvania State University
Purdue University
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

MSU, on behalf of the CIC, reserves the right to change, without notice, any statement in this brochure concerning but not limited to, rules, policies, tuition, fees, curricula, and courses.