Baltic States Internships

RUSSIAN, ENGLISH, AND LATVIAN INTERNSHIPS

Riga is the capital city of Latvia and a thriving metropolis situated on the Baltic Sea. Owing partly to its history as a republic of the former Soviet Union, Latvia is home to a sizable Russian-speaking population. This concentration of Russian speakers in a city in Russia’s near abroad makes for an excellent location for students to carry out Russian- and Latvian-speaking internships and take in a beautiful slice of Europe. Latvia belongs to the Eurozone and as such offers visa-free travel. Its proximity to other major European capitals likewise makes for an attractive hub. Foreign language students attend classes twice a week at the Baltic Center that focus on developing advanced language proficiency, along with carrying out internships in the target language that correspond with their various disciplines and professional interests. English language students can earn credits that count towards their respective major.

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Courses

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester (this means 6 credit hours per term of spring-summer combined). Interns may choose from the following courses according to language skills:

RUSS 321 & 322 Third-year Grammar and Composition, Parts 1&2 (3 credit hours/each)
RUSS 421 & 422 Fourth-year, Parts 1 & 2 (3 credit hours/each)

In addition, students are required to register for the following courses:

RUSS 399R International Internship (3 credit hours)
IAS 380R Proofs of Cultural Immersion (3 credit hours)

Participants may not take any other courses on this program, including BYU Online courses, without approval by the program director and ISP.

Cost

Interns: $5,700–6,200

Includes BYU Latter-day Saint undergraduate tuition, Baltic Center tuition, housing, internship placement, and international health insurance coverage.

Does not include airfare, personal expenses, or meals.

Accompanying spouses: $2,300–2,800

Includes Latter-day Saint undergraduate tuition for 3 credits, Baltic Center tuition, housing, internship placement, and international health insurance coverage.

Does not include airfare, personal expenses, or meals.

Funding Sources

Regular BYU tuition scholarships and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to international programs. Pell Grants may be applied to fall, winter, and sp-su semesters. Students who submit the financial aid section of the ISP application, and who have a current FAFSA form on file at the Financial Aid Office (A-41 ASB), will be considered for a Study Abroad scholarship.

Academic departments and colleges may assist with scholarships and grants. Private grants and scholarships outside of BYU may also assist (see kennedy.byu.edu/scholarships).

Students majoring in the Humanities who complete the preparation course and register for 3 hours of RUSS 399R qualify for a College of Humanities program discount that ranges from $1500–3000, depending on one’s FAFSA score. Students minoring in the Humanities who fulfill the aforementioned requirements receive half support. Contact Dr. Brown for details.

Preparation

Students do not need prior experience in Latvian or Russian to do an internship in Riga.

Students are required to participate in the prep course, IAS 369R, during the second block of fall semester for the winter program, and during the second block of winter semester for the summer and fall programs. Part-time BYU students and non-BYU students pay an additional $300 (approximately) tuition fee for enrolling in the required pre-departure class.

Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the end of the program and have at least two blank pages. All US citizens must obtain a quick online document known as ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/etias/ before entering any of the EU/Schengen member countries.

Accompanying spouses need to be credit-bearing participants on the program. Spouses also will need to apply online and take the preparation course.

Housing

Students will live in an apartment and are responsible for providing their own meals. Accommodations include a refrigerator, dishwasher, and cooking and laundry facilities.

Travel

Students are responsible for purchasing their own airfare to and from the program sites. Airline reservations must be made through BYU Travel. Students should contact a BYU Travel agent.

BYU Travel
280 HRCB
(801) 422-6293
travel@byu.edu

Application Process

Students must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

Complete the online application here. A nonrefundable $35 application fee is required; applicants will be interviewed once the application is complete.

Students will be notified via e-mail of their acceptance into the program. The first payment is due upon acceptance; please refer to the Payment Information document.

Priority Deadline:
Fall: 1 February 2024

Application Deadlines:
Winter: 15 October 2023
Spring–Summer: 1 February 2024
Fall: 1 August 2024

Program Adjustments

International Study Programs (ISP) reserves the right to cancel this program, revise its offerings, or make any adjustments to the preliminary cost.

If it becomes necessary for ISP to cancel a program, all program payments made to BYU ISP will be refunded to the student’s BYU Financial account.

ISP is the only office authorized to cancel any of its programs.

Faculty

Tony Brown, Professor of Russian
3113 JFSB
(801) 422-7012
tony_brown@byu.edu

Contact Us

International Study Programs
101 HRCB
(801) 422-3686
isp@byu.edu

ISP Student Handbook

To see the student handbook, click here.

Payment Schedule

To see the payment schedule, click here.

Baltic States Internships

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Courses

Cost

Funding Sources

Preparation

Housing

Travel

Application Process

Program Adjustments

Faculty

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ISP Student Handbook

Payment Schedule