Global Internships: Toronto, Canada

Summary

Gain first-hand knowledge, connections, and international work experience through an academic internship in Toronto, Canada. On this program, you will:

• Undertake a professional internship opportunity to build transferable skills in the career field of your choices
• Earn academic credit for your internship via ten-week online courses
• Live with other program participants in student housing at the University of Toronto

About Toronto

Canada’s economic capital, Toronto is a city with an impressive list of credentials - the largest city in Canada, the fastest growing financial center in the G7, and one of the most dynamic, yet livable, cities in North America. The city’s excellent public transportation system makes navigating Toronto easy and convenient.

While offering robust opportunities for internships in English, Toronto set itself apart from internships in the United States through its distinctively Canadian culture, politics, and charm. Toronto’s wide-ranging industry sectors and multi-cultural setting create an ideal backdrop for a valuable internship program.

Program Details

Dates:

• Toronto: June 8 – August 2, 2025
• Online Course: June 9 - August 15, 2025

Dates are subject to change.

Units: 6 units

Language of Instruction: English

Two Required Courses:

• One online course through UC Berkeley Summer Sessions

And an online course of your choice:

• UGIS W157: Experiential Learning (3 units) or
• UGIS W158: Global Citizenship (3 units)

Housing

• Students will live in University of Toronto apartment-style accommodations. 
• Students will have access to a single room with a shared bathroom and communal kitchen to prepare meals.
• Students will be assigned to apartments with other program participants. Please note that there are gender-inclusive rooming options available for this program. If you have clarifying questions, please feel free to reach out to the program staff.

Eligibility

• Currently enrolled in a degree program or have graduated within the last 12 months
• At least one year of college coursework completed by the start of the program
• 2.0 GPA or higher
• At least 18 years old at the time of application
• Not on academic probation or under censure for student misconduct at any point from application review to the end of your program

Note: Non-U.S. citizens (specifically Chinese and Indian passport holders) may require additional processing time for a visa. As such, please plan to submit your program application as early as possible to allow for ample admissions and visa processing time. Inability to obtain the appropriate travel documentation to participate in the program may not be considered as a basis for a refund of program-related fees. If you are a non-U.S. passport holder interested in applying to the Toronto Global Internship program, please check-in with Berkeley Study Abroad by emailing globalinternships@berkeley.edu.

Application

• Application opens December 2, 2024 at 9 am PST
• Space is limited and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
• Deadline to apply is January 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm PST

Courses

In addition to your internship, you will be required to take two online courses for a total of 6 Berkeley units.

Possible Course Combinations:

• UGIS W157 + Additional UC Berkeley Summer Sessions Online Course
• UGIS W158 + Additional UC Berkeley Summer Sessions Online Course

Note: For COE students, you must consult your ESS Adviser prior to taking the course if you are planning to have your summer online course count as a humanities/social (H/SS) requirement.

Internship Courses

Option 1:

Course: Undergraduate & Interdisciplinary Studies W157
Title: Experiential Learning
Dates: June 9 - August 15, 2025
Instructor: Richard Thomas Ashcroft, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

With this course, you will be able to add a new dimension to your internship experience: a reflection on what it is to be both a worker and citizen in a globalizing world. You will be challenged to use your internship experience as an opportunity to explore the importance of cultural / generational differences in the workplace, professional ethics and personal values, and the structure and norms of different types of organizations. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, presentations, and online group discussions will ask you to engage in honest self-reflection about what you want from your career, and to develop the skills you need to succeed personally and professionally in a rapidly changing world.  We hope that this course will help understand the challenges of the modern global workplace and guide you towards a successful and fulfilling career. 
 

Option 2:

Course: Undergraduate & Interdisciplinary Studies W158
Title: Global Citizenship
Dates: June 9 – August 15, 2024
Instructor: Jeroen Dewulf, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

With this course, you will be able to add a new dimension to your internship experience: a reflection on global citizenship. You will be challenged to use your internship experience as an opportunity to critically explore cultural differences, modes of conduct and values. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, projects, and online group discussions will stimulate you to leave the comfort zone of what you are familiar with and to explore alternative views on right and wrong, good and bad and the beautiful and the ugly. The course will also encourage you to interact with locals and to engage with the city/region/country where you live during your internship. We hope that this course will help to increase your consciousness about the challenges of being a global citizen.

Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements these courses may fulfill.

Registration

Global Internships staff will enroll you in courses after your acceptance to the program. Please make sure there are no active blocks on your student account that may impact your course enrollment.

Instructors

Richard Thomas Ashcroft, Ph.D.

UGIS W157: Experiential Learning
Email: rashcroft@berkeley.edu

Richard Ashcroft is a Lecturer in UC Berkeley’s Department of Political Science and Interdisciplinary Social Science Programs, and former Postdoctoral Coordinator for the Network for a New Political Economy. His research and teaching explore how modern societies should evolve in the face of deepening diversity and disagreement, with a particular focus on the connections between postwar multiculturalism, political economy, and the legacies of empire. He teaches courses on the political theory of multiculturalism, classical and contemporary political economy, and US, UK and EU politics.

Dr. Ashcroft is from Winchester in the United Kingdom. He read Theology at Oxford, before attending law school in London and qualifying as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. He spent several years working for a leading US-UK firm specializing in tax and trust law, and then became a legal aid lawyer in South London acting for the homeless and tenants of social housing. During this period he received an MA in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights, before completing his PhD in Political Science at UC Berkeley in 2018.

Jeroen Dewulf, Ph.D.

UGIS W158: Global Citizenship
Email: jdewulf@berkeley.edu

Dr. Jeroen Dewulf is Associate Professor in the Department of German at the University of California, Berkeley where he teaches courses in German Studies and Dutch Studies. He is also Queen Beatrix chair as well as Director of Institute of European Studies and Director of Dutch Studies.

Born in Ostend, Belgium, Dr. Dewulf graduated in Dutch and German Philology at the University of Ghent. He holds a Master's degree from the University of Porto and a Ph.D. from the University of Bern. His areas of specialization are European Studies, particularly related to (multi)cultural identity in Belgium and the Netherlands, and Post-Colonial Studies, in particular, Dutch colonial history and literature.

Internship

The Global Internships team works one-on-one with you to find an internship based on your academic background, experience, interests, as well as employer needs and availability. Internships in Toronto are available in a wide variety of fields and internship placement is guaranteed.

Examples of past internships:

• Assist local Councilor with research, community events, data analysis, and work with local constituents
• Coordinate community engagement opportunities while supporting multi-stakeholder civic engagement initiatives for Senior Manager of Agency Relations
• Generate web content and blog posts as Marketing and Communications Intern while also conducting research and community outreach
• Work on production development, marketing, sales support, and database management for local company
• Investigate neural mechanisms and cognitive systems that underlie working memory

Examples of past Engineering and STEM internships:

• Develop an Android application for completion of equipment inspections in the field using a handheld device
• Evaluate the fragmentation of rocks moving through the system and conduct research into drilling and blasting techniques, heavy equipment, geology and help with mine planning activities
• Make activated biochar for removing target components from gas streams by putting different feedstocks into a tube furnace, and heating the feedstocks to different temperatures under different environmental conditions
• Work on product development by building models that quantify the value of sustainability and research new features for the model to modify it to be used in Canada as well as the United States
• Integrate short-term planning tool to a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system by generating the possible combinations of pairs (sending-receiving) using patient transfer historical data

Opportunities can vary year-to-year by such factors as market trends, time of year, and the economy. Common industry sectors for internships include, but are not limited to:

Some challenging internship fields to place in Toronto, Canada include:

• Hospitality and tourism employers prefer longer placements. Alternate opportunities include marketing, social media, market research, and event planning.
• Government placements typically require local citizenship. Alternative opportunities include NGOs or community agencies related to specific issue areas.
• Medical placements or any field requiring handling of confidential data or information is unlikely. Alternate opportunities include public health or NGOs with educational programs or general support not related to specific clients or patients.

Costs

Tuition and Program Fee

The fees to participate in this program are broken down into 1) tuition and 2) program fees, which are applied to your student billing account as follows:

Fees are subject to change. All non-UC Berkeley students must pay an additional Document Management Fee of $71.

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses

In addition to the fees outlined above, Berkeley Study Abroad has estimated amounts for out-of-pocket expenses. These amounts are used to calculate financial aid packages for eligible students. Actual expenses will vary depending on your lifestyle and spending habits.

It is your responsibility to obtain any necessary travel documentation for your program destination (i.e. passport, visa, etc). This may require you to pay fees of up to a few hundred dollars depending on the type of paperwork required.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available for UC Berkeley students who are enrolled in at least 6 units during the summer.​

Financial aid estimates for 2025 Berkeley Global Internships programs are now available in the Summer Financial Aid Estimator in your Cal Central account. Please FIRST obtain your estimate in the Summer Aid Estimator, then write to travelaid@berkeley.edu if you have any questions about the estimate you receive. Your estimate will include a Berkeley Study Abroad Scholarship if you qualify for one based on financial need.

How to locate the Estimator:

1) Log into Cal Central
2) Navigate to the My Finances Tab, and find the "Financial Resources" card
3) Scroll to the bottom of the Financial Resources card and click on Summer Sessions
4) From the Summer Sessions menu, click on Summer Cost and Aid Estimator

Make sure to adjust the number of units in the estimator if your program offers a choice of course selection. If your program only offers one combination or one course for 6 total units units, you do not need to update the units in the estimator.​

Explanation of Fees

Tuition is based on a per unit cost: 

• The UC undergraduate student rate is $419 per unit
• The visiting student rate for all non-UC participants is $615 per unit

The program fee includes the following items:

• Student housing, including a single room at the University of Toronto's Innis College with a shared kitchen, living room, and bathrooms
• On-site orientation activities, including an introduction to the city of Toronto, the University of Toronto campus, Canadian work culture, etc.
• Travel insurance, including accident/sickness medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, security extraction, and other travel assistance services
• Other program-related costs, including fees for placement services
• The initial non-refundable deposit of $300, which will be charged on February 3, 2025, is applied to the program fee

Please note that the list of items included in the program fee is not all-inclusive and is subject to change.

The following items are excluded from the program fee:

• International airfare
• Personal expenses (souvenirs, routine medical expenses, toiletries, etc.)
• Meals (access to kitchen facilities will be provided)
• Course materials (textbooks and readers)
• Other travel expenses (passport, visa, etc.)
• Additional meals
• Commuting costs for the daily travel to and from your internship

Timeline

*All dates are subject to change.