Bertolon International Student Work Study Program

About Us

The Bertolon International Work Study Program engages student teams in semester long work study experiences. Students spend a few weeks during a semester living abroad at an SSU partner university and working on short-term projects provided by sponsoring international companies. The program combines integrated project-focused course work with specific project deliverables that must be completed and presented at the end of the semester. Our goal is to create Work Study Programs for each business major with 40-50 (8-10 teams) students participating each year. Participating students receive course credit and benefit from the combined experience of living in a foreign country at a host university and working on a real business project with an international company.

At Bertolon, we are convinced that the International Work Study Program can be a life-changing experience for many of our students and we want to make it available to as many students as possible.

The Project

We need your help in making these international work study experiences available to more students. The program has been designed to minimize student out of pocket expenses. Students are housed at partner universities and sponsoring companies pay a fee for the student project work. However, students still have to pay for travel and some living expenses. Most Bertolon students work part-time, and sometimes full-time, to help pay for their tuition, housing and every day expenses. For many of them, the additional cost to participate in the International Work Study program is an obstacle. They tell us that studying and working abroad is something they really want to experience, but the cost is a limiting factor. By donating to the Bertolon International Work Study project, you will be providing scholarships for an additional 20-25 students with financial need to participate. The scholarship funds go toward the costs of students’ airfare, ground transportation, meals, lodging and project related supplies.

Bertolon Work Study teams are engaged in a variety of international business projects identified by sponsoring companies. These projects include, but are not limited to, market analysis, marketing research, customer profiling and segmentation, database development and enhancement, campaign and program analysis, and new product development. Teams work with a Bertolon faculty guide and mentor throughout the program. Each team must complete the required course work and project assignment and present the results of their project work to their sponsor company. Your crowdfunding support can help us make these wonderful opportunities accessible for more students regardless of their socioeconomic status and financial need.