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. A few opportunities may be available at other times/longer periods--but require substantial advance planning.
- Minimum GPA of 4.0
- UROP experience in the field of placement
- 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 online language sand culture classes: https://www.edx.org/learn/italian/wellesley-college-italian-language-and-culture-beginner-2025-2026 or the in person Harvard courses https://www.coursicle.com/harvard/courses/ITAL/
No language requirement for graduate students
- No culture class required--but demonstrated interest in Italy& Europe, as shown by relevant MIT classes a plus
- Commitment to complete all MISTI & MIT-Italy pre-departure and post internship requirements
All Italy placements are custom made and identified through in person meetings with the Program Co-director. Most internships take place in the summer and are at research institutes, with only a few senior students being placed at companies. While we cannot place all applicants the year they first apply to the Program—especially freshmen seeking a company internship —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. MIT UROP experience required--some Italian a very strong plus.
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. Please note : Placements in Italy are finalized relatively close to departure—mid February-late March—hence the rolling deadline. Upper classmen, however, are encouraged to apply earlier.
- Complete the MISTI Launchpad Application – December 1st and rolling afterwards. First Years are strongly encouraged to wait until February, when they know their Spring classes and research plans.
- Interview with Italy Program Co-Director - December to mid-March. February onwards for Freshmen
- Commit to MISTI Italy Program - February-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
- Summer internships: from the end of May/beginning of June-August 10
- August 15th: internship reports due
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—math, bio, chemistry, with a few spots in CS, robotics, Ai and a strong emphasis on Physics—and DEBATE-- at Italian high schools for 3 weeks over IAP while living with a host family. This is a big plus for the program, but students with severe allergy issues/ very strict dietary requirements --that go beyond vegetarian/vegan/celiac requirements --may want to consider programs that allow for individual housing. 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 2025, nearly one hundred MIT students taught at 50 plus Italian high schools.
Program dates for IAP 2026 are: January 6-29th. No changes allowed
Watch Meredith Arterburn's GTL experience during IAP 2023
Open to sophomores, juniors and graduating seniors in all disciplines who have taken --and excelled in--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 debate experience required.
- GPA 4.0 and above,
- Must have excelled in MIT classes related to the subjects to be taught
- Excellent communication skills.
- Flexibility and adaptability--instructions on what/how to teach may come late/be scant
- 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 provides round-trip airfare from and to Boston, 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--with many meals provided as well.
An information session will be held on September 9th at 5pm--location TBD
Applications are due by September 17th at 11:59.
Please refer to the How to Apply page for MISTI GTL application instructions and further info about the session
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, must be open to living with host families and will be asked to commit before being matched to a specific school. Please do not apply to this GTL program if you have serious allergies to foods or pets or eating requirements that may be too difficult for host families to meet ( celiacs, vegetarians, vegans OK) .
Global Classroom
IAP 26
Professors Will Broadhead ( History) and Admir Masic ( Civil Engineering) will be offering an exciting new global classroom on Roman history and Technology. Go to the MISTI Global Classroom page or reach out for more info.
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.