For best experience please turn on javascript and use a modern browser!
You are using a browser that is no longer supported by Microsoft. Please upgrade your browser. The site may not present itself correctly if you continue browsing.

Community Projects and Internships

Learning through real-world experiences

AUC strongly believes in leadership and community-based learning. As part of the curriculum, all AUC students must complete at least one internship or community project for course credit. Students participate in local, national or international volunteer projects, organisations, companies or even start their own initiatives. By making internships and community projects an integral component of the curriculum, AUC emphasises the importance of giving back to the community and providing opportunities for students to develop both their professional and interpersonal skills through real-world experience.

  • Experiential learning through Community Projects and Internships

    A Community Project (CP) or Internship (I) is the point where the real world meets the AUC curriculum head-on. This is when a student leaves the classroom and integrates academic learning and lectures with life and even potential careers.

    Students at AUC are required to complete at least one Community Project or Internship. Students enrol for a Community Project or Internship as a separate course, which must meet the minimum hour requirements for a course of 6 ECP. This translates to 168 hours in total. This can be done either in January or June by working full-time (40 hours per week over four weeks) or during the 16-week period semester by working about 10 hours per week. Community Projects and Internships can also be completed over the summer (July and August).

  • Differences between a Community Project and an Internship

    Community projects and Internships differ mainly in their general focus, but also in their contributions to learning goals.

    Community Projects

    Community Projects offer AUC students the opportunity to serve a community and develop social and civic awareness. They are intended to promote engagement at local, national and global levels, and they are intended to foster personal and social responsibility.

    Internships

    Internships offer students the opportunity to gain practical work experience, develop research skills in their field of study and help prepare students for future professional or academic careers. Internships must specifically contribute to the development of academic skills as defined in the AUC Academic Standards and Procedures.

    An Internship generally offers students a chance to develop their professional or work-related skills, but in practice, both a Community Project and Internship may provide students with extra skills that both enhance what they have studied in the classroom and prepare them for a career in their chosen field. During their time at AUC, students may also do both a Community Project and an Internship if they so choose.

  • Final report and evaluation

    At the conclusion of their Community Project or Internship, all students must submit a final report in which they critically reflect on the learning outcomes and their supervisor's evaluation. The report typically discusses the professional skills they've learned, the personal development they've witnessed by participating in the community project or internship, progress on their interpersonal skills and how the experience has shaped their ideas on citizenship. 

  • CPI Manuals and Guidelines

    The PDF file below details the guidelines, desired learning outcomes and evaluation methods used for Community Projects and Internships at AUC. 

    AUC CPI Manuals and Guidelines 2022-2023
  • Student experiences

    With each student completing a Community Project or Internship during their time at AUC, the diversity of the organisations and initiatives they've worked with is constantly expanding. As each student is unique, so is their Community Project or Internship.