Enriched Educational Opportunities (EEOs) are high-quality off-campus experiential opportunities officially recognized by the Faculty of Arts. EEOs foster self-development and help students transition successfully to the workplace or graduate studies. The University is striving to expand opportunities for undergraduates to participate in EEOs and to make them accessible to all undergraduates regardless of their financial capacity. Thanks to a pivotal gift from Joseph Schull (BA ‘82, MA ’85) and Anna Yang (BCL, LLB ’88) to focus on international EEO opportunities, unpaid and underpaid internships are within reach for students in financial need.
EEO Bursaries are non-repayable forms of financial assistance based on demonstrated financial need, to help undergraduate students with the additional costs associated. All bursary programs are administered by the Scholarships & Student Aid and available at any time in the academic year*. EEO Bursaries in support of internships requires endorsement and recognition by the Faculty of Arts Internship Office* in order to apply to the EEO Bursary Program.
Getting Approval from the Faculty of Arts Internship Office
The Faculty of Arts Internship Office will determine which internship opportunities shall be recognized for consideration to apply for the EEO bursary program. These may include unpaid (or insufficiently paid to cover cost outlay) internships opportunities, depending on faculty-based priorities.
*Please note that the Faculty of Arts cannot grant approval after you have started the internship: all steps for the Faculty of Arts approval should be completed well in advance of the start of your internships.
The endorsement from the Faculty needs to be received before the start of the internship, however you can apply for the EEO bursary at any point in time once you have the approval granted.
Eligibility Criteria
Faculty of Arts Student eligibility for EEO Need-based Bursary Program is determined as follows:
- Unpaid (or insufficiently paid to cover cost outlay) internships, in-person or remote, local (off-campus and not at McGill-affiliated hospital or research institute), within Canada, or abroad.
- Be enrolled in an undergraduate Faculty of Arts degree (B.A., B.A & Sc., BSW, B.Th.)
- Be returning to the Faculty of Arts in the same program the semester following your internship
- Have an official record for EEO participation either on your transcript by registering to an academic internship course or by having your internship recognized as an EEO on your Co-Curricular Record (CCR) (see steps to apply below).
- Please note the Arts Internship Office will not support fee based and third-party internship opportunities: see Ineligibility criteria listed here.
Ineligibility
The following are not eligible for approval from the Faculty of Arts Internship Office:
- Activities that are primarily academic research
- McGill-affiliated hospital or research institute, or any opportunity on-campus
- Field studies and courses
- Internships with third-party & fee-based internship placement organizations
- Please note: Internships with for-profit, corporate, or privately held companies should be paid. If you would like to discuss your situation please email jade.perraudlebouter [at] mcgill.ca
Steps to Apply
Please note: All steps should be completed well in advance of the start of your internship.
No approval will be granted by the Faculty of Arts Internship Office after you have started your internship.
- Check if your internship meets the definition of an internship:
What is an Internship?
An internship is a short-term, hands-on, supervised work experience with a professional organization. It provides the student with an invaluable opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom to real world problems and enables the student to broaden his or her understanding of the field.
An internship is more than a part-time job or volunteer experience; it includes:
- Specific learning objectives designed to increase the student’s knowledge
- Training to hone existing skills and develop additional ones
- Supervision to guide and mentor the intern
- Through their internship, the student is able both to expand their horizons and to engage in a meaningful collaboration with their corporate or community organization for their mutual benefit.
- Please note the Arts Internship Office will not support fee based and third-party internship opportunities: see Ineligibility criteria listed here.
- Obtain a written confirmation of your internship from your host organization.
- The written confirmation must include learning goals and outcomes, mentorship plan, hours per week, start and end date, and remuneration. If done in letter format, it must be signed by your host organization. If done by screenshot of email conversation, it must clearly show the sender, the recipient, and the date the email was sent.
- For internships in the Fall or Winter semesters: Please note that internship hours during the Fall or Winter semester should normally be around 150 hours total, 10-15 hours per week (maximum of 20 hours). Students who choose to do an internship during Fall/Winter semester, are encouraged to meet with an Arts OASIS Advisor prior to start of internship, to help better plan academic terms and ensure the internship does not interfere with your academic study.
- Read the eligibility criteria and apply to have your internship recognized either on your transcript or on your CCR:
- Once you have received approval from our office via the academic credit or CCR, follow the steps with the Student Aid Office who will advise you how to submit the application for Enriched Educational Opportunities: Need-based Bursary Program.
Decision times
The processing time for the Arts Internship Office to review and process document requests is around 2 weeks. If you have questions, please contact us at aio [at] mcgill.ca.
Please note: All steps should be completed well in advance of the start of your internship. No approval will be granted after you have started your internship.
