Students studying in Boston University’s Washington Internship Program will be able to take classes at George Washington University for the first time next year, in addition to their normal internships in the nation’s capital, program officials say.
Students will be given the opportunity to take one of the three required courses from GW’s “extensive range of academic programs,” according to the Division of International Programs website.
“I really think this is going to open up the program to a lot of students,” said Linda Killian, the director of the D.C. program.
Program officials made the change because Killian said the 25-year-old program “has always been a good program for political science [and] history” majors, but “for a lot of others students, it’s difficult to do.”
Enlarging the program has been “a few years in the making,” Killian said. Since becoming director of the Washington program in fall 2002, she said she has met with many faculty members and students who argued that the program should be tailored to accommodate a wider range of academic disciplines. The change will make that possible, she said.
But there is one wrinkle, Killian said. Students taking courses at GW will have to check with their BU departments to make sure GW classes will count for BU credit, she said.
Still, the program has “enormous opportunities for expansion,” Killian said, “almost an unlimited capacity.”
Division of International Programs Director Dale Robbins said it is “too early to tell” how many students will apply for the expanded program. Killian cautioned against overestimating the success of the new offerings.
“I think we just have to wait and see,” Killian said. “I think this will take a while.”
At an information session Thursday, the crowd was so large that Killian had to have it moved to a more accommodating room.
College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Sorelle Gasch said she considers the program “a possibility.” But she said BU should offer more GW classes.
CAS freshman Dong Youn Chang said she is most interested in internships, especially at non-profit organizations, but she said she has not committed to a particular program.
“I’m just searching,” she said.