Institute for Field Education

Academic Courses

Support, follow-up, and advising: A well-structured program

IFE’s Field Study and Internship programs are fully-structured, individually-attentive academic programs. IFE’s student- by-student approach begins well before a student arrives for the program and continues well after their departure.

Before you enroll…

 Contact often begins pre-application; IFE staff are happy to advise students on how an IFE program could meet their study abroad goals and be integrated into their overall academic program


During the preparatory session…

 Once a student is enrolled, IFE is in email contact to work out a placement strategy that meets the needs and goals the student expressed on the “placement form” in the application

 IFE-Brussels staff is present throughout the preparatory session, monitoring students’ progress, and making themselves available to students for any questions and concerns

 Small discussion sections ensure each student receives individualized attention

 During the preparatory session a member of IFE staff accompanies each student to their host organization so that students are able to familiarize themselves with the location of their internship and meet their colleagues

 Starting at the end of the preparatory session, students engage in a series of workshops on the intercultural workplace: what to expect, how to react, what the norms are, how to engage to the fullest extent, how to deal with situations that may arise are some of the topics covered


During the internship…

 At the beginning of the internship period, each student is assigned a qualified research advisor with whom the student meets biweekly to choose and develop a research topic.

 During the internship period, students return weekly to IFE for the course “What is Europe?: Culture(s), Institutions, Society(ies)”

 Several weeks into the internship period IFE staff conduct three-way on-site evaluation meetings with each student and internship supervisor, providing both parties an occasion to evaluate what is going well and what could be improved. A report form is filled out and signed by the intern, the host, and IFE

 Four to five weeks before the end of the program each student makes a structured oral presentation of his or her research topic, including the importance of the subject, the outline to be followed, the sources being used and findings thus far

 Throughout the internship period, IFE staff hold a weekly meeting to check in with students about their wellbeing and give them a chance to share their experiences and raise any question and concerns

 Students are provided with cell and home phone numbers of all IFE staff to be used in urgent situations. For more information about IFE procedures in emergency situations click here


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