Students can participate in a wide range of international and domestic experiential learning opportunities and on-site courses in January, during spring-break, and in the summer. 

Programs (2024)

Czech Republic Nuclear Research Reactor

January 10-23 (Prague, Czech Republic)

January 23-26 (Vienna, Austria)

Info Session: Friday, October 6 (11-12pm PT) Zoom (Pass: 2023)

Led by Dr. George Moore this program is a “hands on” experience with the VR-1 and VR-2 research reactors and laboratories at the Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague followed by two days in Vienna meeting with staff at the IAEA and CTBTO. Students learn reactor fundamentals, fuel cycle fundamentals, basic radiation safety and security, and safeguards fundamentals through a series of lectures and hands on experiments.

Water Conflict and Development in Southeast Asia

January 4-18 (1-week in Vietnam followed by 1-week in Thailand)

Info Session: Tuesday, September 26 (12-1pm PT)  Recording (Pass: MIIS2023!)

Led by Profs. Wei Liang and Jessica Teets in collaboration with Boreth Sun of AltruVistas, students will explore local and international forces affecting hydropower projects in Thailand and Vietnam. Students will conduct interviews with contacts from the private sector, government, and IGO/NGO organizations as well as interact with local university students and community members and water advocates.  

Nationalism and the Formation of New States in the Balkans

March 15-24 (North Macedonia and Kosovo)

Info Session: Tuesday, October 3 (12-1pm PT) Zoom (Pass: 2023)

Students will visit the fractured former state of Yugoslavia (Kosovo and North Macedonia) with Dr. Anne Campbell and Dr. Phil Murphy. Kosovo and North Macedonia have two majority populations: one Slavic and one Albanian. Students will explore the roles of policy, education, language, and culture to unpack some of the drivers of tensions within each country. Opportunities for primary research by students and site visits throughout several Balkans states will be overseen by faculty. 

Sustainable Development and Ecological Restoration in Rural Colombia

March 15-24 (Bogotá and Libano, Colombia)

Info Session: Friday, October 6 (3-4pm PT) Zoom (Pass: 2023)

Led by MIIS faculty Dr. Lyuba ZarskyGabriel Guillen, and Jaime Gonzalez Canon, and local partner, Quinta Esencia Taller—the course will cover sustainability challenges, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable development practices in rural Colombia. 

Career Week in Washington, D.C.

Spring Break-March 2023 

The Center for Advising and Career Services will be leading a professional networking and career exploration trip to Washington DC. 

Peace and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Action: Costa Rica

January 2025 (Updated)

Led by Profs. Sabino Morera and Marie Butcher in partnership with the University for Peace Executive Education Center in Costa Rica, students will explore peace and security through the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and intercultural communication in Costa Rica.

Building Financial Health and Resilience in Rwanda

June 2024 (Various locations in Rwanda) 

Led by Rwandan faculty and alumnus, Jessica Massie—this course will cover Village Savings and Loans programs, Access to Capital, and Digital Finance. Students will have 1 week of cultural immersion followed by 1 week of site visits and a 2-day innovation challenge workshop with Rwandan graduate students and an NGO/IGO partner. 

Make Your Own

Want to create your own international program? Do you have an idea for a sustainable international project for you and your peers to tackle? Schedule an advising session with Immersive Learning Director Carolyn Meyer on Handshake. Review the Experiential Learning and Study Abroad Manual for more information. You can apply for Experiential Learning funding to offset your costs!

Prior Programs

Onsite Perspectives for Education Abroad

January 2022

Participants will connect with education abroad practitioners in the US and at educational institutions abroad. Prof. Chris McShane will lead this course. 

Summer Peacebuilding Program

July-August, 2022 (Monterey and Watsonville)

The 2022 SPP will focus on efforts made to build peace in post-war and post violent societies. Using the gang-violence in Salinas as a case study, the program will endeavor to link the theory and practice of peacebuilding. Learn more about Summer Peacebuilding

  • Who: Open to students, professionals, and current practitioners
  • Contact: Dr. Pushpa Iyer

Team Peru with Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development

January 

Students will work on a community project with MIIS-alumni founded Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development. This program is not-for-credit, however students can petition a faculty member to oversee a directed study during the month of January. Intermediate Spanish required. 

Indigenizing Monitoring, Evaluation and Design for Social Change (á xandei yaan.too át)

January 

This course is offered as a partnership between MIIS and Sitka Tribe of Alaska (STA), a federally recognized tribal government serving 4,400 Tribal Citizens in Sitka, Alaska through its mission to “exercise its sovereign rights and powers, preserve the integrity of Tribal society, and improve the lives of individual Tribal Citizens.” Seminar participants will work with Sitka Tribe of Alaska staff to develop original monitoring and evaluation designs that allow them to apply critical course concepts to a real-life project, and to support the strengthening and indigenization of STA’s monitoring, evaluation, and federal reporting capacity. 

Cuba’s National Freeway and the Road to Revolution

Led by Dr. George Henson, this course focuses not only on the historical and geographical roots of the Cuban Revolution, but also its present-day political, economic, diplomatic, and cultural realities, as they relate to education, healthcare, tourism, international relations, and trade. Correlative topics of race, gender, LGBT activism, the arts, and sports will also be treated. Spanish not required. 

France International Education Management Abroad Practicum

Participants will observe and participate in onsite orientation sessions and tour French universities, study abroad program centers, and American universities Paris campuses. Students will work in pairs with a professional partner to complete a project in English or French that addresses partner organization’s needs. Contact Prof. David Wick for more information. 

Rural Depopulation in Spain

This onsite course is a multidisciplinary immersive program in Northwestern Spain that offers students the opportunity to gain linguistic and cultural skills while they research and explore first-hand the rural depopulation phenomenon in Spain. It is intended for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in sustainable development, environmental studies and/or public administration. We will address the causes, effects and possible innovative sustainable solutions to this global challenge. The course will include Spanish language classes as well as experiential learning through real world activities to supplement theoretical knowledge with practical experience. Contact: Prof. Maria-Jesus Iglesias Barca

China’s Development Challenges

Students will conduct research on China, a country that has achieved unprecedented success in growing its national GNP at a record-high rate for three decades and alleviating one billion people out of poverty. Course will be led by Profs.  Wei Liang, Yuwei Shi, and Jessica Teets. ]

Immersive Design Bootcamp (DPMI Kenya)

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) will partner with MIIS DPMI to offer a Design Bootcamp to train current staff in the Aga Khan Development Network and MIIS students in Human-Centered Design, Appreciative Inquiry, Stakeholder Analysis, and Theory of Change. Students are encouraged to stay in East Africa for a summer internship if available. Contact Immersive Professional Learning Director Carolyn Meyer for more information. 

East Asia (Tokyo and Beijing)

Students will explore foreign policy, trade, and security in East Asia through a seminar course that includes a field research trip to Beijing and Tokyo. By engaging with local experts, students will develop their familiarity with this dynamic and diverse region. 

International Development at Partners in Health (Rwanda)

Students learn about international development proposal development and behavior change strategies for public health projects. 

International Development, Social Entrepreneurship and Environmental Sustainability (Colombia)

Students learn about international development proposal development, impact measurement, and environmental sustainability with E2E in Medellin. 

IEM Abroad (Spain)

Participants explore onsite management of U.S. Education Abroad programs in Madrid, Spain. Middlebury’s Madrid School Abroad, Sede Prim, will serve as the primary case  study for the course.  MIIS students will engage with Middlebury staff and undergraduate students to better understand the onsite perspectives of managing education abroad for U.S. college students.  Participants will also explore a variety of international education models through visits and project work with program providers and  Spanish universities.