Principal Investigator Malgorzata Hedderick
Project Website http://web.mit.edu/goglobal/
MIT educates innovators and leaders who influence the world; a complete MIT education includes hands-on international experiences that help to prepare MIT students for informed participation as global citizens and leaders. MIT feels it is imperative that every MIT undergraduate understand the global context in which their future lives and careers will unfold. Students must also be comfortable working and living in settings in which they must adapt to differing values, traditions, assumptions, attitudes, and norms that will arise from cross-cultural contact within a new global economy.
The Global Education Office helps students achieve such goals and also is an organization for students to increase personal, academic and work skills sets to realize their career goals.
Students at MIT are able to engage with the world in a variety of ways. Students can enroll in a study abroad program taking classes in a foreign language, or undertake a research project, participate in an internship or assist an under privileged community through public service opportunities.
Public Service -- Being at MIT can teach you a tremendous amount about the world but one week spent in the slums of Lima or a month spent working with community innovators in Dar es Salaam will teach you a whole different set of lessons inaccessible from MIT. Learn things about the world that you never imagined; learn things about yourself that you never dreamed.
Learning Abroad -- An experience studying abroad immerses you in the culture and language of a country. At the same time, you are challenged to listen, study and learn in a foreign language within an educational system that is likely to be very different from MIT. Emerge with a broader understanding and appreciation of global differences and your own ability to meet the challenges created by these differences.
Research -- Research interests can lead to opportunities to collaborate and innovate with colleagues around the world. Start with faculty research here at MIT and follow the connections and possibilities.
Internships and Work -- An international internship or summer job abroad not only gives you hands-on, practical experience, it also challenges you to do so within a different culture and often using a foreign language. Gain a global perspective that is invaluable to you as a participant, innovator and citizen in our global economy.
Create Your Own -- There’s a world of creative combinations and entrepreneurial opportunities out there, things to do and places to go. Develop unique experience by combining MIT's global programs or by collaborating with the problems to pursue personally inspired ideas.
The Global Education Office will partner directly with faculty who are currently involved in global education programs or would like to start a global education program. The GEO will be able to provide services related to program design, institutional agreements, logistical support and various student programming.
Specifically the GEO is available to work with faculty and academic departments to foster the integration of global education into curricula and academic structures. We can assist faculty in how to best determine enhancement and expansion of existing programs as well as how to develop new innovative study abroad programs.
Additionally, faculty can serve on the Global Education Faculty Advisory Committee or the Distinguished Fellowships Committee.