Internships in London
- Gain in-demand global skills and hands-on experience in your field
- Experience English culture first-hand by living and interning in London for 8 weeks
- Earn 6 KU credits
- Explore London and/or travel on the weekends
- Week-long orientation will include a reception, walking tour, city tour and confirmation interviews
Participation in an international internship allows students to experience the benefits of studying abroad while also gaining real-world professional work experience. Only a small percentage of students study abroad – and even fewer intern abroad - so participation in an internship overseas can give you the professional advantage you need to succeed by giving you in demand global skills. The University of Kansas (KU) has partnered with CAPA, an internship and study abroad program provider, to offer high-quality placements in London, England. The internships, for which you earn academic credit from KU, are unpaid. They are available in a wide-range of fields including the arts, business, communication, economics, journalism, politics, healthcare, social policy, and hospitality. Other fields are available on a more limited basis so if your field is not listed, please inquire with the Office of Study Abroad (OSA).
CAPA strives to place students in internships that directly relate to their course of study, thus ensuring the quality and academic relevance. Placements are based on student skills, interests, and professional goals as well as the project needs and work cycles of internship sponsors. The companies and organizations selected as internship sites are carefully monitored by site visits and student assessment.
Learn more about the placement process in the CAPA London Internship Handbook.
The London Program is 8 weeks in length. Orientation will take place during the first week and will include a welcome reception, a neighborhood walking tour, a half-day city tour, and confirmation interview. Students will also participate in two full-day excursions to Stonehenge & Bath and Stratford-Upon-Avon.
All internship hours and class time will take place Monday-Friday leaving students with the weekends to explore London or travel on their own. The program also includes CAPA’s My-Education Program, a rich and varied calendar of free or low-cost optional activities, events, lectures, walking tours, and film showings intended to help students make the most of their time in London.
London is one of the most cosmopolitan cites in the world. Thousands of world cultures mingle with British tradition in this metropolis, creating an air of excitement and sophistication. London is the cultural capital of the United Kingdom and offers endless attractions: art, theatre, music, and plenty of British politics and history. The sheer diversity of London life and culture ensures that internships can be obtained in almost any field.
Due to UK visa requirements, the London program structure differs from that of other internship programs in that students intern 20 hours per week while also taking the two courses listed below.
A total of 6 credits will post to each student’s KU transcript at the conclusion of the program through the University of Minnesota, CAPA’s school of record. Students may transfer each course in as one of several pre-approved courses or go through the regular course approval equivalency process if they wish to receive credit via different academic departments.
Course #1: Learning through Internships: CAPA London Program View Syllabus
This course allows students to apply classroom learning to the workplace and social environment of the host culture and expand professional skills. Course activities are designed to provide theory and practice around societal themes which inform and enrich the internship experience.
It has been pre-approved to transfer to KU as any of the following:
- LA&S 490 – Internship Exploration (3 credits)
- BUS 300 – Topics in Business: Internship (3 credits)
- GIST 495 – Global Internship (3 credits)
- JOUR 507 – Practicum in Journalism (3 credits)
Note: Academic departments other than those listed above may offer departmental internship credit so students are encouraged to check with their department to determine if internship credit is available through them. Click here to view a list of internship course options students have previously received internship credit on through international internship programs.
Course #2: Analysing and Exploring the Global City – London: Modernity, Empire and Globalisation View Syllabus
This course is designed to give students greater insight into London’s geography, history, and culture. It mixes classroom work and field trips to sites such as the 2012 Olympic sites, Soho, Whitehall, South Kensington, Spitalfields and Docklands in London’s East End allowing students to experience London’s varied urban geographies first hand and interact with them in an informed and analytical way.
It has been pre-approved to transfer to KU as any of the following:
- GEOG 377 – Urban Geography (3 credits)
- GIST 550 – Issues in Global Studies: London – Modernity, Empire, and Globalization (3 credits)
- SOC 341 – Urban Sociology (3 credits)
Students will be housed in apartments with shared bedrooms. Apartments will include a kitchen, bathroom, television, wireless Internet connection, and weekly cleaning service (all utilities and linens are included). Students will be housed with other students from the program and/or with students from other CAPA programs.
Participants must have completed their sophomore year before the program begins and be advanced in their fields of studies and in good academic standing. A minimum 2.75 GPA is required (exceptions considered with the submission of a GPA petition).
Application Procedures
Step 1: Complete KU application by Feb. 5th. Below is a list of the required documents and questionnaires.
a. Statement of Purpose
b. Verification of Minimum GPA Requirement
c. Unofficial Transcript or Advising Report
d. 2 Recommendations - 1 academic and 1 professional
e. Authorization to Release Student Information
f. Student Conduct Verification
g. London Internship Academic Plan & Approval Form
h. Financial Aid Questionnaire
i. Passport Information Required Reading
j. CAPA Application Instructions Required Reading
Step 2: Complete CAPA’s KU London Internship application by Feb. 3rd. See the CAPA Application Instructions in the Required Readings section of your Jayhawks Abroad account for details.
Please Note: Due to UK visa requirements, international students must have passed an accepted English Language assessment at a B2 level and participate in an English Language Assessment Skype Interview with a CAPA onsite staff member prior to being accepted. Applicants who are U.S. permanent residents, completed high school in the U.S., or are citizens of countries where English is identified as the official language are exempt from these additional requirements. Please contact CAPA and the Office of Study Abroad for more information if you are a student who will need to complete these additional requirements.
