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Gain professional experience in an international context! 

Vancouver Island University (VIU) supports experiential learning opportunities through international internships & practicum placements. Students gain valuable hands-on experience in their field and may earn credit towards their degree.

Bianca, Treena, Laura, and Caitlin are a stark reflection of the troubling worldwide tendency to criminalize and imprison the most vulnerable in society. Together with prisoners’ rights advocates, these women help viewers answer a deceptively simple question: What would you have needed to avoid incarceration?

This event is a part of VIU's Global Citizens Week.

This is your pre-departure preparation session. We will cover everything from what documents to prepare for travel, housing search dos and don’ts, VIU documentation and registration and self-isolation. We will also take your questions about anything you want to know for the upcoming semester. Registration is required:  https://viu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FYlxSOW1Si-zvsCnabHyYg

My name is Alissa Ward, a fourth year business student at VIU. I’m double majoring in Management and International Business, and anyone who knows me, knows I’m a planner. I plan everything so far in advance to ensure every last detail is thought of. I even planned my 5th birthday party all by myself, and let me tell you, it was great. Before I decided to go on a field school, I allowed my planning nature to take over and I made a pros and cons list of going abroad.

You may already identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, or you may still be exploring your identity. In either case, you will find that the social climate, laws, and personal interactions of other cultures will often differ. While researching study abroad programs and preparing for departure, it is important to reflect on the culturally based ideas and definitions of gender and sexual identity.

It was, in true British fashion, raining when I arrived in Birmingham for the first time. After nearly twelve hours of travel, my plane at last touched down in the United Kingdom’s most central city. Arriving almost a week early for orientation, I had plans for some serious pre-semester adventures. Armed with a backpack of camping supplies, a bag of £1 pomegranates purchased from the market in St. Martin’s square, and entirely unsubstantiated optimism, I set off for a quaint hostel along the Welsh border.