About MISTI Italy
Italy and MIT share the same birth year (1861) and a passion for innovating through rigorous abstract inquiry and ingenious craft. MIT’s motto “Mens et Manus” perfectly applies to the talent for integrative invention which has distinguished Italy since the Renaissance and still makes it one of the world’s largest makers and exporters. The MISTI Italy program enables MIT students and researchers to experience Italy’s genius for combining technology and culture, science and beauty, and gives our Italian partners access to MIT scientific imagination and problem solving skills.
Opportunities for MIT students include paid research stays at partner universities and labs; in -country faculty led workshops; internships at small and large companies; teaching at Italian high schools over IAP. To our Italian partners, we offer access to MIT “can do” culture through our students, the labs they come from and our expertise.
Program Opportunities
Internships
The MISTI Italy Program offers paid research and company internships to qualified undergraduates and graduate students in most academic fields.
Most internships take place in the summer and require a 8-10 weeks commitment. Some opportunities are also available at other times/longer periods.
- Minimum GPA of 4.0
- Language
- Undergraduates must complete at least ONE Italian class – either in person at Harvard or online before departure. EdX offers many online options. We recommend the Wellesley Italian language and culture class: https://www.wellesley.edu/italianonline
- No language requirement for graduate students
All Italy placements are custom made and a majority of them are at research institutes and small companies. While we cannot usually place all applicants the year they first apply to the Program—especially if they’re seeking a company internship and do not have much experience—you can increase your chances by considering a wider range of placements (research, teaching, participating in a faculty led workshop) and/or give us more time. First Years are strongly encouraged to plan their internship over a two-years time frame.
The Program co-director will begin to explore potential placements and contact hosts only after applicants have committed to the program, completed the country application and have been accepted into the program. However, acceptance does not guarantee a placement. Placements in Italy tend to be finalized relatively close to departure—mid February-late March—hence the rolling deadline. Still, applying early increases chances of being placed.
- Complete the MISTI Launchpad Application – November 1st and rolling afterwards. First Years are strongly encouraged to wait until they know their Spring classes and research plans.
- Interview with Italy Program Co-Director - End of October to mid-March.
- Commit to MISTI Italy Program - March 1st by choosing it on the MISTI launchpad application
- Once approved, complete the Italy Program Application.
- Internship matching process - mid-January - mid-March.
- Mandatory Pre-Departure Sessions – late-March to early-May
Like all MISTI Programs, the MISTI Italy Program guarantees coverage of basic travel and living expenses, & health insurance.
Global Teaching Labs
The Global Teaching Lab Program sends MIT students to teach STEM subjects—with a strong emphasis on Physics—and DEBATE at Italian high schools for 3 weeks over IAP while living with a host family. Participants are placed at public schools—mostly located in small towns—teach individually for up to 20 hours a week under the supervision of a host teacher, and live with families chosen by the host school. All the teaching takes place in English, and is geared to emphasize experiential learning. In 2020, more than 70 students taught at 50 plus public schools.
Watch Meredith Arterburn's GTL experience during IAP 2023
Open to sophomores, juniors and graduating seniors in all disciplines who have taken classes at MIT in the subjects they will be teaching. Graduate students will be considered only if they did their undergraduate studies at MIT. First Years will be considered for debate only—high school experience required.
- GPA 4.0 and above, with an emphasis on courses related to the subjects to be taught
- Excellent communication skills.
- Teaching experience (preferably at MIT)
- No language requirement, but preference is given to students with some knowledge of Italian and Latin.
- Selected participants must attend Global Teaching Labs and MISTI Italy training sessions and submit a report afterwards
The MISTI Italy Program covers round-trip airfare prior to departure, with the host schools providing a small stipend for incidental living expenses after arrival in Italy. Participants stay for free with families selected by their host schools.
Applications are due by September 22nd. Please refer to the How to Apply page for MISTI GTL application instructions.
Due to the high number of expected applicants, there will be no individual meetings before or after the application deadline. Selected applicants will be informed by e-mail about interviews timing and location. The number and profiles of applicants who will be interviewed will depend on the number and types of available spots. We aim at completing the acceptance and matching process by the end of October. Participants cannot chose their location, and may be asked to commit before being matched to a specific school.
PAST Global Classroom
Summer '24 MISTI Italy Syracuse Global Classroom
Environmental preservation and restoration of urban and archeological sites in an era of climate change: the Southern East Sicily case.
Check out Summer '22 Global Classroom: Rebuilding the Edge.
Rebuilding the Edge is a faculty-led workshop that explores the relationship between regional infrastructure projects and small communities in the Italian region of Abruzzo. The workshop is open to MIT graduates and undergraduates who have an interest in these issues and skills they can contribute to the project. The workshop is the result of a partnership between MIT’s Urban Risk Lab, the MIT-Italy Program, and Fondazione Ferrovie dello Stato Italiano–the Italian state railway system Foundation.
The workshop ran from on June 09, and end on June 26.
Read more about this summer workshop on Fast Company, "How MIT students are helping revitalize a tiny Italian village".
You can also contact MIT-Italy program manager, Serenella at ssferza [at] mit.edu if you have any additional questions.
Meet Your Program Co-Director
Get in touch with Serenella Sferza, MIT-Italy Co-Director, to get your questions answered.