The Sydney Internship program combines coursework with professional work experience in or near the vibrant and bustling city of Sydney. Students enroll in courses that explore Australia’s political systems, contemporary culture, cinema and place in the modern world. Students also participate in Sydney’s local work life through an internship that earns academic credit.
BU Abroad: A Sydney Perspective
BU Abroad: A Sydney Perspective
Requirements & Considerations
- All students must enroll according to, and remain in compliance with, the Boston University Study Abroad Course Load Policy.
- All students must complete the full 16-credit program, enrolling in three academic courses and one internship course.
- Non-US citizens please review this summary of visa requirements taken from the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs prior to applying.
- Admissions requirements for all programs
Curriculum
Week 1–Week 7 (Core Phase)
During the first part of the program, students take a core course and one elective. Students also meet with the program's internship advisors in order to be placed according to ability, professional goals, experience, work habits, and availability of local appointments.
Note: Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin.
Core Phase Required Course
All students in the Internship Program take this course during the first six weeks.
- CAS AN 368 Australian Culture & Society (4 credits)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Historical Consciousness
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Research and Information Literacy
- Major focus on Australia’s global and national development as a multicultural nation with European roots, traditional western alliances and an imagined future in the Asia-Pacific region. The themes of continuity and change in relation to the Aboriginal population are explored in some detail.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
Elective Courses
Students choose one of the following during each phase of the semester. The schedule and course offerings vary each semester. Students will receive further information on the elective courses prior to their departure.
- CAS AH 374 Australian Art & Architecture (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Australia owns the world’s oldest continuing art tradition (indigenous Australian art) and the youngest tradition. This course focuses on key artists, in an historical and an international context, against themes of landscape, urbanism, abstraction, realism, the noble savage, and modernism.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS EC 464 The Pacific Rim: Economic and Political Orders (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Critical Thinking
- The course focuses on the origins and dynamics of the ‘miracle’ Asia/Pacific economic growth, emphasising its impact on Australia. This region was the crucible for a global shift in political, economic and strategic power from the ‘developed’ western economies to Asia/Pacific.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- CAS EE 328 Australian Points of View Toward Global Environmental Challenges (4)Effective
Fall '23- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Ethical Reasoning
- Social Inquiry II
- The course explores the way people form viewpoints toward the environment and how this thinking manifests in practice. The current, urgent challenges that face our environmental systems require exploration of these attitudes through the lens of individual, community, corporate, non-government organisations and government levels as well as through indigenous perspectives.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS EN 383 Australian Literature - From Page to Screen (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Writing-Intensive Course
- Creativity/Innovation
- This course is designed to introduce students to the literature of Australia through an eclectic collection of texts, and diverse forms and genres of writing, including the adaptation from page to screen. A major focus is "What is Australian Identity?".
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- CAS HI 356 Empires and Soft Power: A History of International Relations and Sport in the Pacific Rim (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- This course explores the cultural, economic, diplomatic, and legal developments in sport in the region as a background to building management skills. While the course has a focus on understanding these elements with a view to informing sport management, it will also interest those who want to understand the interplay of the myriad nations of the region through cultural, diplomatic, legal, political, and other areas using the sport industry as a lens.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- CAS IR 339 Australia and the Politics of Regional Security in Asia-Pacific (4)Effective
Spring '21- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- This course examines the new era of regional security in the Asia Pacific to understand the public policy implications for Australia and the United States. Students will be able to identify and understand how the region could evolve.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- CAS PO 260 The Australian Political System (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- An introduction to the study of Australian politics and government, focusing on basic institutions such as Federation, the Constitution, pressure groups, political parties, Parliament, and Cabinet; and the major political institutions and processes in Australia; approaches used in the study of politics; and experience and expertise in oral and written analysis. Suter.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- CAS SO 308 Australian Social Policy (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Social Inquiry II
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Critical Thinking
- This is an interdisciplinary introduction to concepts and issues entailed in critically evaluating Australian social policy as a field of academic study and a site of contemporary action, including policies for health, human rights, women and work, and Indigenous Australians.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- COM CM 406 Brand Advertising and Promotion (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- Oral and/or Signed Communication
- This intensive course adopts a ‘theory-into-practice’ stance to the strategic planning of brand advertising & promotional campaigns. While cognizant of the diverse aspirations and experience of Study Abroad students the course features universally applicable brand campaign planning approaches and methodologies.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
- COM CO 350 Mass Media in Australia (4)
- Contemporary issues associated with Australian mass media and film. Key areas of film, television, print, advertising, and radio, plus media ownership and government legislation in Australia. The emphasis of the course will be on current Australian media and film production.
- Syllabus
- COM FT 345 Australian Cinema (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Philosophical Inquiry & Life's Meaning
- Aesthetic Exploration
- Australia produced The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), the world’s first full-length feature film. This course follows the local industry from a national to international identity, highlighting distinctly Australian characters alongside themes of city, bush and the outback.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- COM FT 352 Motion Picture Production Using Digital Technology (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Digital/Multimedia Expression
- Teamwork/Collaboration
- Spring only.
- This course is designed to provide students with basic practical and theoretical skills to visualise factual and fictional scripted information and from this, produce a film project which demonstrates these skills and which can be used for future employment opportunities.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- SHA HF 328 The Australian Wine Industry (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Scientific Inquiry I
- Ethical Reasoning
- Critical Thinking
- This course introduces students to the Australian Wine Industry. The focus will be on the history, location, culture and development of the Australian Wine Industry, the process involved in the production of wine, the business of the Australian Wine Industry, and the basic skills of wine tasting.
- Syllabus
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Questrom MK 463 Services Marketing and Management (4)
- Fall only.
- Prerequisite: Questrom MK 323 Marketing Management.
- Covers topics relating to customer service management and focuses on the role of marketing in managing services. Also covered are human resource, information management, operational, and financial overlaps with marketing throughout the course.
- Syllabus
- Questrom MK 467 International Marketing Management (4)
- Fall only. Course also offered on the summer Sydney Internship Program. Prerequisite: Questrom MK 323 Marketing Management.
- Develops a critical appreciation of both the opportunities and challenges associated with the increasing globalization of markets. Students learn about the key environmental forces shaping the needs and preferences of the global consumer and the impact of foreign, political, and economic factors on the marketing mix.
- Syllabus
Week 8 (Mid-Semester Break)
Week 9–Week 15 (Internship Phase)
During the final seven weeks, students will participate in an internship and enroll in an elective, and a four-credit internship course, which includes a non-credit Hub co-curricular Students work full-time in organizations in and around Sydney. Placements are contingent upon the student's experience, professional interests, and relevant academic history, as well as the availability of opportunities in any given semester; flexibility is essential.
Internship Area
Below is a list of internship areas where students have been placed. 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.
- Journalism
- Gain experience in writing, copy editing, research, fact checking, and interviewing for magazines, newspapers, web publications, or publishing houses. Past internship placements have included News Corp Australia, Concrete Playground, and Allen and Unwin.
Internship Course
Study Abroad will enroll students in a non-credit Hub co-curricular and a four-credit internship course, which includes a classroom component. 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 JO 412 Internship in Journalism (4)
- Internship Components
- The internship itself (evaluated by the workplace supervisor)
- Academic strand of the internship, including multiple written assignments and participation in internship classes
- Internship advisor's evaluation
- Syllabus
Housing & Student Services
Program Residence
- Students have single, furnished rooms, in 3–4 person suites with a shared kitchen, 1.5 bathrooms, and common area with a television. They are provided with bedding, a bath towel, and wash cloth. There is a microwave in the kitchen which can also be used to bake. There is a mall a short walk away where students can purchase kitchen supplies, home goods, and groceries.
- Board is not included/no stipend
- No dining hall availability
- 24 hr. security, a roof deck for students to hang out, a fully stocked library with computers, and classrooms in the same building
Program Dates
- Fall Semester: mid-August to early December
- Spring Semester: early January to early May
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 September 15
*Applications for the Spring 2025 semester will open on June 12
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: $26,882 per semester
Cost includes tuition, housing, program related activities, administrative fee, overseas medical insurance and emergency evacuation coverage. - Budget sheet, including cost of living expenses.
- Grants and Scholarships available
