Make the most of France’s capital city! The Paris Internship Program, offered fall and spring semesters, provides eight weeks of intensive French-language study and liberal arts courses, followed by seven weeks of full-time internships with organizations in the greater Paris area. All courses are specifically designed for students in the BU program and taught by faculty from French local universities.
Requirements & Considerations
- All students must enroll according to, and remain in compliance with, the Boston University Study Abroad Course Load Policy.
- No prior language study is required. We have a limited number of spaces for this program
- Some courses carry prerequisites
- Admissions requirements for all programs
Curriculum
Week 1–Week 8 (Core Phase)
After an orientation period, students enroll in three courses and begin the internship placement process. Students take one French language course, and two electives in either French or English, depending on their proficiency. Note: Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin.
Required Language Course
Students enroll in one required French-language course at their level.
All Paris Internship Program French language are in essence embedded in the Program as a whole and are designed to work towards the goal of allowing students to perform at their best while living and working in Paris. Outcomes and progression in these courses are aligned with courses taught in Boston; however their content is adapted to the students’ daily exposure to a French speaking environment and to the Paris experience.
- CAS LF 113 Intensive Beginning French (4 credits)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Intensive French course for beginners.
- (If CAS LF 111, 112, or a more advanced college-level course has been completed, this course cannot be taken for credit.)
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LF 112 Second-semester French (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Prerequisite: CAS LF 111 or placement test results
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LF 211 Third-semester French (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Individual in Community
- Prerequisite: CAS LF 112 or placement test results
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LF 212 Fourth-semester French (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Individual in Community
- Prerequisite: CAS LF 211 or placement test results
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LF 300 Living French in Paris: Practical Communication and Current Culture, Level 1 (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Oral and/or Signed Communication
- Recommended for students whose most recent French language course is a fourth- or fifth-semester equivalent
- This course aims to refine students’ written and oral expression by improving their overall level of French (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation) with a special emphasis on better integrating them into their daily, academic or professional environments, through linguistic and cultural activities.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
Elective Courses
Students select two courses from the electives offered in English or French, depending on their interest and proficiency level. Students who have previously completed fewer than four semesters of college-level French from the list of Elective Courses taught in English.
Elective Courses Taught in French
- CAS AH 356 Modern and Contemporary Art in Paris (4 credits)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Historical Consciousness
- Designed under the format of half visits and half in-class sessions, this course explores the history of "modernity" focusing on the principal art movements in Paris from 1850 to today, including painting, sculpture, photography, installations, and urbanism, in relation to the historical, economic, and sociocultural contexts of the time period, and its influence in other parts of the world.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LF 343 Literary Representation of Paris (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Creativity/Innovation
- Explore the cultural and literary history of Paris, myth and reality, past and present; examine how the work of writers interacts with your image of the city; visit the places authors refer to; create your own original literary representation of Paris.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS LF 344/HI 268 Postcolonial Paris (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Historical Consciousness
- Social Inquiry I
- Research and Information Literacy
- Study of Paris as a center of postcolonial, immigration and urban history, the influence of colonial expansion on French culture and the political stakes of the colonial legacy in France today. Includes guided visits to significant sites around the city.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS PO 240 Paris Politique (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Social Inquiry I
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- One of the best ways to integrate French society is to understand French politics, and in turn be able to participate in political discussions. The goal of this course is to encourage students to think politically about modern day France. Students will deepen their understanding of French society by learning about its current political institutions and its civil society. They will get involved in current political life through visits. This will lead them to reflect on the notion of democracy, not only in France, but also in the United States and other countries.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
Elective Courses Taught in English
- CAS AH 383 Paris Architecture and Urbanism (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Historical Consciousness
- Critical Thinking
- Traces the development of Parisian architecture and urbanism, from the Roman era to the present, emphasizing dynamic relationships among architecture, urban development, and socio-political history. Course format: 1/3 in-class sessions, 2/3 visits.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS IR 305/PO 248 Comparative European Politics: France and Beyond (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Social Inquiry I
- Ethical Reasoning
- Research and Information Literacy
- Study of the diversity of political systems in European countries and the state of European democracies. Focus on institutional as well as societal aspects through multiple social science approaches, including current events and visits.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- COM CM 370 Communicating in a Multicultural World: the Paris Experience (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Social Inquiry 1
- Teamwork & Collaboration
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- This course explores the interaction between culture and communication, and introduces students to the knowledge and skills necessary to attain critical thinking and global competence in various contexts. Students will develop, apply, and refine cross-cultural skills through experiential activities and historical narratives.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
Week 10–Week 16 (Internship Phase)
During the second half of the semester, students participate in local professional life through faculty-supervised internships. Students serve as interns full time, Monday through Thursday, while also attending internship course sessions on Fridays.
Placements are contingent upon students' past experiences, language abilities, professional interests, and available opportunities in any given semester, so flexibility is essential.
Internship Areas
Note: the following are examples of past internship placements only. While BU Study Abroad guarantees an internship to program participants, specific placements vary from semester to semester and may not always be available. Likewise, internship placements may be available in academic areas not listed. The level of proficiency in the target language is an important factor, which internship supervisors will take into account.
Students will be placed in internships across the following areas. Applicants should be open to a placement in any of these options:
- Communications (including public relations)
- Serve in various roles in the communications field. Past internship placements have included Secret Wine Door, Paris Wine Walks, Red is dancing.
- Marketing
- Serve in marketing and product development, press relations, events management, or public relations. Past internship placements have included ECO-Learn, Mediatic, and Free Persephone.
- Entrepreneurship
- Serve in businesses and organizations focused on enterprise and entrepreneurship.
Internship Courses
Study Abroad will enroll students in a non-credit Hub co-curricular and in a four-credit internship course, which includes a classroom component in the form of mandatory workshops. The four-credit course number will depend on the area of specialization in which students complete their internship or focus their reflection for the Internship Course assignments.
The Internship Course workshops are designed to encourage students’ reflection on their internship cultural and professional experience, as well as to prepare for the internship course assignments, a process which results in a final mock professional interview, where students highlight the professional value and benefits of their internship experience.
Upon successful completion of the internship experience, students will receive a Hub unit in the area Individual in Community from the co-curricular HUB SA 330.
- Non-credit Hub Co-curricular: HUB SA 330 Study Abroad Internship
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Individual in Community
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- COM CM 471 Internship in Advertising or Public Relations (4)
- CAS EC 497 Internship in Business (4)
- SHA HF 390 Internship in Hospitality Administration (4)
- Syllabus
Please note your course credit is flexible and can reflect the responsibilities you take on during your internship. Students have the opportunity to discuss what course code will be associated with their internship with the academic staff in Paris.
Housing & Student Services
| Local Homestay | or | Student Residences |
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There are gyms at the university and in town. Students can study at the BU Paris Center. Many students study at home, as university libraries have more restricted hours than in the US.
Program Dates
- Fall Semester: late August to mid-December
- Spring Semester: early January to late April
Application Timeline
This program follows rolling admissions and may fill before the official deadline.
Fall Semester
- Applications Open December 15
- Applications Deadline March 15
Spring Semester
- Applications Open June 1*
- Applications Deadline October 1
This program is rolling admissions; applications are reviewed once all application materials are received, prior to all deadlines. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials are received by the BU Study Abroad office. Students are encouraged to apply as early as possible as some programs and internship tracks have limited space and may fill up before the deadline. Submitting a complete application prior to the application deadline, does not guarantee acceptance. Students will be emailed an admissions decision within three weeks of a completed application.
Information for BU Students Awaiting an Admissions Decision and exceptions to the standard admission calendar for all students can be found here.
Cost & Financial Considerations
- 2024/2025 Tuition & Fees: $26,282 per semester
Cost includes tuition, housing, program related activities, administrative fee, overseas medical insurance, and emergency evacuation coverage. - Estimated program budget, including cost of living expenses.
- Grants and Scholarships available.
