International Study Tours

International Study Tours provide students with a course credit opportunity to identify and address issues about which they feel particularly passionate. Prospective student organizers submit proposals for competitive review. Selected organizing teams are paired with faculty and staff mentors to design a curriculum and itinerary to address specific challenges in an industry and region.

Each Study Tour is a directed learning experience for a group of up to 25 student participants. After several weeks of classroom sessions featuring faculty, industry, and cultural experts, students embark on site visits to their destination of choice, meeting with industry and government leaders, as well as local alumni. Through these visits, students are able to build on the preparatory course work with an in-depth exploration of industries, companies, and countries they have visited.

Study Tours have included a clean energy study tour to Europe; an education study tour to Brazil, a sustainable farming tour to India, an exploration of the venture capital industry in South East Asia, a study of sustainable social enterprise impact in East Africa, and a study of the challenges and opportunities Turkey and the UAE are facing in trying to secure clean water.

Various faculty participate in each year’s Study Tours, which are administered through the MIT Sloan Student Life office.