The internship component is part of your semester or summer course load. Summer internships take place over the course of two summer sessions.

How it Works

• Indicate the professional or academic area and type of internship you desire during the application process
• Submit required documents along with regular Athena application
• Upon provisional acceptance into an internship program, interview with prospective Italian businesses
• Begin internship!

Requirements

• Professional style resume
• Letters of reference
• Short essay
• ~Italian language not required for most internships but some background recommended for increased placement opportunities
• Internship requirements vary depending on the subject matter in question, as does the supporting documentation for each internship request. Please refer to list below for details about each type of internship offered.
• The student's application for an internship is due upon course registration, along with the required supporting documentation.

Example Internships

• Art History/Museum Studies
• Business
• Marketing
• Communication
• Fashion Design
• Graphic Design
• Italian Language
• Service Learning

Athena Italy Internships

• Athena's credit-bearing internships offer students the possibility to learn different aspects of working in the Italian marketplace. Italy is known for its artisan and small business structure and Athena and our partner Lorenzo de' Medici (LdM) strive to place students in these types of companies, which offer not only greater interaction with the student but the opportunity for the student to come to understand the strengths and structure of the Italian workplace.
• Placement opportunities are limited.

Credits

• The standard internships are 3 credits per semester, depending on the requirements of the type of business where the student is interning. A 3-credit internship corresponds to a minimum of 135 hours including journals and papers, to be distributed throughout the semester (10 hours per week in the company, excluding the first and last week of classes and the break, plus 15 hours for journals and written assignments).

How to Apply

• During the registration process, a student who is interested in an internship, and who meets the basic requirements, should indicate the choice of an internship on his/her course selection, with an alternate course in case the internship placement is not possible for any reason.
• Athena and Ldm must receive all required documentation (e.g. student's resume, essay, portfolio) during the registration process, which occurs after acceptance.
• The essay should discuss the student's reason for applying, expectations about the internship period, and a detailed description of the duties the student would like to carry out, so that Athena and LdM are best able to match up the company with the student's request. Athena and LdM will look over the material and contact our internship partner businesses about the student, sending the student's supporting documentation. The business will then let us know if the student has been provisionally accepted as an intern.
• An on-site interview is required for all internships.
• Placement in internships is not guaranteed, and choosing an alternate course is required.

Academic details

• The internship will appear on the student's course schedule and will therefore be considered a regular academic course. The internship will also appear on the student's final transcript, with the corresponding grade and credits.
• The intern will be assigned a tutor inside the company who will follow the student and give the student practical support, as well as an LdM professor who will act as the student's academic supervisor.
• The student will be required to write a weekly internship journal, and present at least two papers to the academic supervisor. The subject, due dates, and procedures for these assignments will be decided with the academic supervisor.
• At the end of the term, the company tutor will evaluate the student's work by filling out LdM's Internship Evaluation Form. The final grade will be given by the academic supervisor based on the Internship Evaluation Form and the student's assignments.

Legal Requirements

• Upon arrival in Italy the student will be responsible for fulfilling all necessary bureaucratic steps according to Italian internship regulations (such as the Codice Fiscale, which is the Italian version of a social security number, Permit of Stay, etc.). LdM staff will assist the student with these steps.