The Padua Business Internship Program offers a spring-term internship program consisting of four courses. All students will enroll two electives in the area of management, economics and hospitality and in one four-unit internship course. Students with no prior knowledge in Italian must enroll in an Italian language and culture course. Those with some prior knowledge will enroll in a third elective in management, economics, or hospitality. Students have the option of taking their elective courses at the BU Padua Center or at the University of Padua. Upon successful completion of the program, students earn 16 Boston University units.
Required Courses
All students enroll in QST IM 430 taught online by a Boston faculty. Internship placements are determined by the University of Padua and take place the final eight weeks of the program after the conclusion of Boston University Padua and University of Padua courses. Students intern full-time Monday through Thursday in the greater Padua area. Those students with no previous knowledge of Italian will also be enrolled in the Italian language and culture course, taught at the BU Padua Center.
QST IM 430 Internship in Management
The internship course provides students with a thorough understanding of the working environment in their host country as well as cultural and social knowledge of the community in which they will live and work. Throughout the course, students will discuss a variety of topics related to workplace dynamics and will gain familiarity with several cultural, political, social, and economic aspects of contemporary society in the region.
Internship Components:
The internship itself, including supervisor’s evaluation
Participation in the internship seminar
A highly structured, mid-term oral briefing
Assigned readings
A final research paper relating to the professional field of the internship placement
Units:4
CAS LI 130 Introduction to Italian Language and Culture
The course is designed for students who participate in the Padua Business Internship Program and have no prior knowledge of Italian. The course is an introduction to Italian language and culture with emphasis on oral comprehension, writing and intercultural communication. Readings on contemporary Italian culture and classwork are designed to prepare students for professional internship while studying in Padua, Italy.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
Elective Courses
BU Padua Elective Courses in English
QST FE 449 Corporate Finance Management
This is an introductory course in corporate finance, that introduces students to the most important concepts and principles in corporate finance. It provides students with the knowledge and the basic skills that allow them to deal with many aspects of a company’s finances and capital. Specifically, the course covers four main topics: Financial Statement Analysis; Value and Capital Budgeting; Capital Structure and Financing Decisions; Options. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to critically evaluate what long-term investments a firm should take, what mixture of debt and equity should use to fund its operations and they are expected to be able to read, interpret and analyze companies’ financial statements in order to evaluate their current and future performance.
Units: 4
QST IM 471 Made in Italy: Excellence of Bello, Buono e Ben Fatto
This course will introduce students to the famous Made in Italy, a complex system of entrepreneurs and companies embodying the spirit of Italian excellence, proposing a variegated selection of products and services in which Italy ranks among the best, thanks to a historical tradition, a strong degree of specialization, continuous improvements and innovation, outstanding quality, and a high level of customization. The course will focus on business models, unique competitive advantages, domestic and international growth, creativity and innovation strategies, economic and financial drivers. The course has a strong experiential component, as it offers students the opportunity to have company visits.
Units: 4
University of Padua Elective Courses in English
Please refer to Questrom’s lists of pre-approved courses. School of Hospitality Administration students, please refer to Questrom’s lists of pre-approved courses and consult with your academic advisor.
