Contributing to Nepal’s existing and emerging needs, we provide MIT students and faculty an opportunity to be at the forefront of Nepal’s research, technology, and innovation activities. By conducting research and participating in internships and workshops at Nepal’s world-class companies, universities, research centers, startups and NGOs, MISTI South Asia | Nepal cultivates opportunities to learn through impact.

2022: A Year in Review with MIT South Asia

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Program Offerings

Internships

A one-of-a kind, world-class experience to gain real-life work experience in Nepal in leading companies, universities, research centers and start-ups in environmental sciences & energy; research institute & public health; software development and solutions; urban planning & architecture; socioeconomic development and change

  • GPA 4.0 or higher
  • No language requirement

To make the most of your summer internship in Nepal, consider these recommended MIT courses that will help build your foundational knowledge in the region's culture, development, challenges and opportunities. 

Fall Courses:

  • 1.813J/11.466/15.657/IDS.437J - Technology, Globalization and Sustainable Development
  • 2.76/2.760 - Global Engineering: Green Machines
  • 11.493 Property and Land Use Law for Planners
  • 14.73 The Challenge of World Poverty
  • 14.74 Foundations of Development Policy
  • 17.524 State, Society, and Political Behavior in Developing Contexts
  • EC.729 / 2.729 / EC.797 / 2.789- Design for Scale
  • 2.652 / EC.712 / EC.782 (G)- Applications of Energy in Global Development
  • 11.025 / 11.472 / EC.701 / EC.781- D-Lab: Development
  • EC.718 / EC.798 / WGS.277- D-Lab: Gender & Development
  • MAS.534J/HST.928J/MAS.S62 - Engineering Health: Understanding and Designing Affordable Health Diagnostics
  • STS.023/WGS.226 - Science, Gender and Social Inequality in the Developing World
  • WGS.101 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  • WGS.226[J]/  STS.023[J]- Science, Gender and Social Inequality in the Developing World

Spring Courses: 

  • 17.53 - The Rise of Asia
  • 2.651/EC.711 - Introduction to Energy in Global Development
  • 2.75J/2.750J/6.025J/6.525J/HST.552J - Medical Device Design
  • 11.005 - Introduction to International Development
  • 11.140 Urbanization and Development
  • 11.167(J)/14.47/15.219/17.399 - Global Energy: Politics, Markets, and Policy
  • 11.474 D-Lab: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
  • 17.581 Riots, Rebellions, Revolutions
  • 21A.410 Environmental Struggles
  • 21G.011 Topics in Indian Popular Culture
  • 21G.022[J] International Women's Voices
  • 21H.009 World History and Its Fault Lines Since 1800
  • 21H.157[J] Modern South Asia
  • 21H.357 South Asian Migrations
  • 21H.358/21H.958 - Colonialism in South Asia and Africa: Race, Gender, Resistance
  • 21H.S04 MIT South Asian Oral History
  • WGS.145[J] Globalization: The Good, the Bad and the In-Between
  • 21M.291 Music of India
  • 21W.788[J] South Asian America: Transnational Media, Culture, and History
  • EC.750 / EC.785 (G)- D-Lab: Humanitarian Innovation
  • 2.651 / EC.711 / EC.791 (G)- D-Lab: Introduction to Energy in Global Development
  • 2.722J / EC.720- D-Lab: Design
  • 11.474 (G) / EC.715- D-Lab: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
  • WGS.101 Introduction to Women's and Gender Studies
  • WGS.109 Women and Global Activism in Media and Politics

Courses offered through MIT Open Courseware: 

  • 11.S940 - Development, Planning, and Implementation: The Dialectic of Theory and Practice
  • 12.348[J]/15.026- Global Climate Change: Economics, Science, and Policy
  • 15.218 Global Economic Challenges and Opportunities
  • 15.227 - 15.229 Seminar in International Management
  • 21G.040 A Passage to India: Introduction to Modern Indian Culture and Society

Deadline - February 15

Rolling Deadline - April 15

How to Apply

Our summer internship and research opportunities in Nepal are listed on Handshake. Go to our employer page here.

Be sure to check back frequently as we update with more opportunities in Nepal!

Travel Fellowships for Research Students

Students planning to conduct field research in Nepal in relation to their degree can apply for funding through the MISTI South Asia Program.

  • Statement of interest
    • A statement of interest should include your areas of interest, a timeline for your research, travel plans, and other source(s) of funding.
  • For global classroom faculty led - per faculty requirements for the course
  • Funding N/S

Early Deadline December 1 for IAP/Spring/Summer

 

How to Apply

Faculty-Led Workshops

MISTI South Asia can provide travel funding for faculty-led workshops and field trips in the area of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship — where students learn about the subject at MIT and in-country, working with peers on the ground. Funding is limited to 6 students and determined on a case-by-case basis. Please note that faculty funds are available to MIT faculty only.

Requirements depend on the course. Contact MISTI South Asia for more details.

Global Teaching Labs (GTL)

MIT- South Asia (Nepal, India, Bhutan) has three GTL programs for 2026. 

Nepal GTL 

Dates: Four weeks [January 5- 30]

Location: Kathmandu

Living/stipend: Stipend provided; Housing provided 

Language: No language requirement

Subjects: All STEM subjects

Teaching format: Hands on lectures and workshops

Spots: 4 MIT students

 

India GTL 

Dates: Four weeks [January 5- 30]

Location: Bangalore

Living/stipend: Stipend provided; Housing provided 

Language: No language requirement

Subjects: All STEM subjects, Entrepreneurship, Hackathon

Teaching format: Hackathon model; workshops, coaching

Spots: 2-3 MIT students; Students will work with local organizers to design and run a hackathon for highschool students. MIT students will also have the chance to plan and run STEM workshops.

 

Bhutan GTL 

Dates: Four weeks [January 5- 30]

Location: Thimphu

Living/stipend: Stipend provided; Housing provided 

Language: No language requirement

Subjects: Competition Math (International Math Olympiad coaching) 

Teaching format: Bootcamp style lectures and coaching on IMO for a select group of Bhutanese highschool students. 

Spots: 2 MIT students

Prerequisites: IMO experience 

Areas of Research and Internships

Environmental Science and Energy

Environmental Science and Energy

Research and Public Health

Research Institutes and Public Health

Software Development and Solutions

Software Development and Solutions

Urban Planning and Architecture

Urban Planning and Architecture

Socioeconomic Development and Change

Socioeconomic Development and Change

India Map

Internships and Research at MISTI India

Contact Us

Scenic picture of Nepal mountains covered snow and a gravel path

Any questions related to the MISTI Nepal program, please email mit-southasia [at] mit.edu

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