- a field-study / internship program that uses Strasbourg as a gateway into both France and Europe.

- thorough classroom preparation / full-time, task-oriented internship / guided field research

The Strasbourg Field Study and Internship Program

 features personalized placement strategy, individual follow-up, a small student group.

 tailors foreign study to every student’s educational and professional goals, in all disciplines.

 makes full use of Strasbourg as a border city, an EU center, and a seat of local/regional public bodies (political, social, urban planning...).

 is offered in both Spring and Fall semesters, by the IFE-BCA partnership.

Outcomes:

- fluent French
- European insider abilities and knowledge
- increased self-confidence and poise
- deeper understanding of one’s own culture
- the beginnings of an international professional network
- something to show: significant work and research accomplished in France, in French

How the program works

There are four tightly-linked parts to the 18-week BCA-IFE Strasbourg semester:

1. PREPARATION
Students spend the first five weeks in an integrated, inter-disciplinary preparatory program, taught at BCA’s Strasbourg Center. The three, 3-credit courses – combining lecture-seminars with workshops – provide necessary keys for understanding France and the European context. Once on-the-job, students attend a weekly seminar on critical approaches to globalisation. (More on course content...)

2. PLACEMENT AND INTERNSHIP
Students in the Strasbourg Field Study and Internship Program are placed in internships that reflect their own goals (academic, career) for this opportunity. (More on placement...)

3. RESEARCH
The best way to solidify what’s learned in the work place is to write about it. Student interns work with an advisor to research and write an independent study project on a topic arising from their work and useful to their host organization. (More on research project...)

4. ACCOMPANIMENT
The Strasbourg Field Study and Internship program is a challenging semester of international study. As such, it is fully-structured to provide all the guidance, support and accompaniment students need to succeed. (More on accompaniment...)

A NOTE ON LANGUAGE: All courses are taught in French (by professors accustomed to communicating clearly in French to non-Francophone students). Students are required to speak French at all times when on BCA premises, both during the preparatory session and afterwards.

A program jointly-operated by BCA and IFE

BCA is one of the nation’s oldest independent international educational organizations, with nearly a half-century of commitment to the values of peace and justice through education for international understanding and global citizenship.

BCA chose IFE, a French educational organization, as a partner to develop this program because of its track record in providing students innovative opportunities and programs for getting inside France today.

IFE is a trusted field-level partner to a number of institutions, specializing in hybrid learning outcomes focused on social science understanding, cultural learning and rapid linguistic progress.