International internships for 3A engineering students and Master of Science and Technology students

Every spring, a large number of students leave École Polytechnique to spend four to six months abroad: students on the Master of Science and Technology (MSc&T) programme and third-year engineering students undertaking research internships. Whilst only 36 of the 160 MSc&T students are heading abroad – reflecting the already highly international composition of these cohorts – the trend is reversed for third-year engineering students: of the 520 who had made their choice by 7 April, 360 are undertaking their internships outside France.

For the past five years, AX has been connecting interns with AX alumni ambassadors abroad so that they can organise exchanges or meetings. Recent contacts with other alumni associations (IP Paris, HEC, ESCP, ESSEC, Sciences Po, CentraleSupélec) show that this innovative approach is inspiring other organisations. It boosts AX’s visibility among students on various programmes and fosters enriching dialogue between alumni who left several years ago and students who have just arrived. This dynamic also applies to the autumn intake, with the 4A students and undergraduates.

Where are the spring interns heading?

The 3A students are spread across 35 countries, with 25 of these covered by AX embassies (340 out of 360 students). Four destinations are hosting more than 20 interns: the United States (64), Japan (51), Canada (46) and the United Kingdom (26). Ten other countries are hosting 10 or more: Germany, Chile, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland.

As for MSc&T, the 36 students are heading to 18 countries, with a peak in Germany (10 interns) and 4 in the United States. AX embassies cover 15 of these countries.

> Discover the list of AX ambassadors abroad

© Jérémy Barande / École Polytechnique