Where Academic Learning Meets Professional Experience

Gain meaningful professional experience while developing the skills to work effectively in international and cross-cultural environments. This intensive 10-week summer program in Tbilisi combines a carefully selected internship placement with an applied international studies practicum and introductory Georgian language and culture.

Through your internship, you will contribute to substantive projects within a local organization, gaining firsthand experience with its work, challenges, and operating environment. The accompanying practicum develops transferable skills in institutional and stakeholder analysis, program design, and professional communication, drawing on Georgia’s civil society and international connections. Georgian language and culture classes provide additional context and practical skills for engaging with your surroundings.

Designed for a small cohort of up to 10 students, the program offers an integrated approach to professional development, combining workplace experience, academic training, and cultural immersion. Students complete 10 academic credits across the three components.

Who This Program Is For

This program is designed for undergraduate students from a wide range of academic backgrounds who want to gain meaningful professional experience in an international setting. It is particularly relevant to students interested in international affairs, cultural studies, communications, education, community development, and the work of nonprofit and other mission-driven organizations.

The program is well suited to students seeking to connect their academic interests with substantive project work, develop transferable professional skills, and better understand how organizations operate within different social, cultural, economic, and institutional environments.

No previous internship experience or knowledge of Georgian is required. Students should be prepared for an intensive 10-week experience combining professional responsibilities, academic coursework, and engagement with Georgian society.

Program Details

The program combines professional experience with academic training and an introduction to Georgian language and culture. All students complete three integrated courses totaling 10 academic credits over the 10-week summer session. Together, these components provide opportunities to apply professional skills, understand organizational environments, and engage more deeply with Georgian society.

Internship in Area Studies — 4 Credits

Gain hands-on professional experience through a carefully selected internship with a local organization. Placements are matched to students’ interests and qualifications, with an emphasis on meaningful project responsibilities and opportunities to contribute to ongoing organizational work. Internships may span cultural, educational, community, media, development, and other professional fields.

Applied International Studies Practicum — 4 Credits

Develop transferable professional skills through seminars, case studies, workshops, and engagement with local practitioners. Using Georgia’s institutional and civil society environments as a learning laboratory, you will practice stakeholder and organizational analysis, program and project design, and professional communication. Applied assignments use realistic organizational scenarios to develop analytical judgment and practical problem-solving skills.

Georgian Language and Culture — 2 Credits

Learn essential Georgian for everyday communication while exploring the country’s history, traditions, and contemporary society. Language instruction is integrated with cultural learning to help you navigate daily life, engage more confidently with your surroundings, and better understand the social and cultural environment in which you are working.

Academic Credit and Transcripts

Students completing the program earn 10 academic credits through Stetson University, the program’s School of Record. Official transcripts are issued by Stetson University. Students should consult their home institution in advance regarding credit transfer and applicability toward degree requirements.

Your internship is a central component of the program, providing an opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects within a Georgian organization while gaining firsthand experience in an international professional environment.

SRAS works with local organizations to develop placements that offer substantive responsibilities and defined project work. Depending on your interests, qualifications, and available opportunities, placements may involve cultural programming, education, communications, community initiatives, research, organizational development, or other areas of professional activity.

Internships occupy the majority of your weekday working hours. You will work under the guidance of a local supervisor, gaining experience with organizational processes, professional collaboration, and the practical challenges of carrying projects forward. Specific responsibilities and expected outcomes will be established in advance, with opportunities to contribute to work that is valuable to the host organization.

Placement and Preparation

SRAS works with students individually to identify appropriate placements based on their academic background, interests, skills, and professional goals. Because internships are developed in cooperation with host organizations, specific opportunities depend on current projects, organizational needs, and available supervision.

The accompanying Applied International Studies Practicum provides a structured academic complement to your internship, helping you develop analytical, project design, and communication skills that can be applied across professional settings.

The Applied International Studies Practicum develops professional skills used across international affairs, cultural and nonprofit organizations, development, and other institutional settings. Through seminars, workshops, case studies, and engagement with local practitioners, you will learn to analyze organizations and their stakeholders, assess institutional challenges, design programs and projects, and communicate findings through professional briefs and presentations.

Georgia’s diverse organizational landscape provides the context for exploring how political, economic, social, and cultural factors shape institutional decisions and everyday operations. You will examine realistic organizational scenarios, considering competing interests, resource constraints, ethical responsibilities, and the practical challenges of translating ideas into workable initiatives.

The practicum complements your internship by providing structured training in skills relevant to professional work. While your internship offers direct experience within a particular organization, the practicum allows you to explore challenges across different sectors and develop approaches that can be applied in a wide range of professional environments.

This course introduces you to practical Georgian language skills while exploring the history, traditions, and contemporary culture of Georgia. Language instruction focuses on everyday communication, helping you navigate daily life and engage more confidently with people in your surroundings.

Cultural and historical learning is integrated throughout the course, connecting classroom instruction with the places, communities, and experiences you encounter in Tbilisi. Selected cultural activities and guided visits may complement the coursework, while the program schedule leaves flexibility for independent exploration and travel.

Housing is not included in the program fee, allowing students to choose accommodations that best suit their preferences and budgets. Tbilisi offers a range of options, including hotels, hostels, apartments, and homestays.

SRAS will provide recommendations, along with guidance on neighborhoods and transportation. Students are responsible for making their own housing arrangements before arrival.

Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, is a city where centuries of history meet a rapidly evolving contemporary society. Its distinctive architecture, diverse neighborhoods, lively arts scene, and café culture reflect the many influences that have shaped Georgia at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.

As the country’s political, economic, and cultural center, Tbilisi is home to a wide range of educational institutions, cultural organizations, businesses, and civil society initiatives. This makes it a particularly interesting setting for gaining professional experience and observing how local organizations engage with both domestic challenges and international opportunities.

Beyond your internship and coursework, you’ll have opportunities to discover Tbilisi’s historic districts, museums, galleries, markets, and restaurants at your own pace. Free time and weekends also offer possibilities for independent travel beyond the capital, from Georgia’s mountain landscapes and historic towns to its renowned wine regions and Black Sea coast.

Scholarships and Grants

  • Federal aid can help pay for your program if your university pre-approves credit transfer and agrees to manage payment. Check with SRAS and your university for details.
  • All Scholarships and Grants that we know of that can be applied to our programs are listed on our site. Contact SRAS for assistance in building your strongest application!
  • SRAS Program Grants are stackable! 
  • SRAS Ambassadors can write while abroad or educate students at home after their return – and earn stipends!
  • SRAS Online Research Internshipsaward partial scholarships for study abroad.

  1. Complete our application (press the “Apply Now” button to create your SRAS account — you will be able to return to the application later).
  2. Alert your home university (if you are currently a student).
    Some universities have deadlines for study abroad that are much earlier than SRAS deadlines -— so involve your home university’s study abroad office in the process as early as possible! They can help ensure that all goes smoothly with credit transfer and financial aid, and perhaps point you to additional funding sources.
  3. See our Planning Guide for more important information about academics, health and safety, and more.

If you are still unsure this is the right program for you, please join an SRAS Info Session or schedule an SRAS advising session to discuss how we can help fulfill your goals and needs!