Language Requirement: None
Academic Standing by Program Start: Freshman or Above
Location: Europe, Portugal
GPA: 2.75
Program Overview

Location Overview:

Located along the western edge of Spain along the Atlantic ocean, Portugal’s capital city is known for its glorious weather, great food, Port wine, and vibrant nightlife. Lisbon (or, Lisboa as it’s called in Portuguese) is built among seven hills, with breathtaking viewpoints, or miradouros, at the top of each one. Despite these hills, Lisbon is a very walkable city with colorful trolleys transporting people to and from each neighborhood. The harmonious blend of old and new is very apparent in Lisbon.

Lisbon is one of the best and yet least visited major cities in Europe, giving students the opportunity for a more authentic and less touristy experience during their internship. Portugal is also an affordable place to live by European standards. Portugal’s economy maintains its ties to the fishing industry, while tech, pharmaceuticals, and service industries have come to dominate the landscape.

What is GlobalWorks?

GlobalWorks internships are personalized exchange programs that bring you out of the country, and into the workplace. We connect academic study with real-world experiences by providing full-time international internship opportunities to UO students in a wide variety of career sectors. Working with local professional internship providers in locations around the world, we provide individualized placements for UO students. Students earn UO credits and life-changing work experience in a different culture. Immerse yourself in a new city, earn UO course credits and gain professional experience with a GlobalWorks internship.

Internship Sectors:

  • Art + Design
  • Business + Accounting
  • Data Science
  • Education
  • Environment + Sustainability
  • Journalism + Communications
  • NGO + Nonprofit
  • Social Science
  • STEM + Healthcare
Dates and Deadlines
 
Term Year Deadline Arrival Date Departure Date
Fall 2024 05/15/2024 08/31/2024 11/23/2024

Course Equivalencies

UO students: please refer to the UO Course Equivalency Process and the UO Office of the Registrar Course Equivalency Database.

Non-UO students: Actual credit awarded is determined by the relevant department at your university in consultation with the study abroad office. Check with your study abroad advisor for more information.

Application process

Apply to the UO GlobalWorks program by completing the online application. You can open an application to view all the materials you’ll need before you submit. Late applications may be accepted based on position availability, but note that for some terms and locations the program can be very competitive. After provisional acceptance by the University, students will need to interview with our third party provider for final acceptance.

This program is less than 90 days. Students with a US passport who will be traveling to Portugal do not require a travel visa for this program, and GlobalWorks is unable to assist U.S. citizens in obtaining a visa.

If you are not a US Citizen: Notify your GlobalWorks Advisor. Students who are not US citizens should contact the consulate in their country of residence about visa requirements, no matter the duration of the program of study.


Applying for a GlobalWorks International Internship is pretty simple if you follow these steps. Once you are accepted, GlobalWorks typically guarantees placement in your preferred location and sector(s). The approval and interview process takes roughly 3-4 months from when you apply to when you are notified of your internship placement.

1. UO APPLICATION

Apply to the UO GlobalWorks program by completing the online application. You can open an application to view all the materials you’ll need before you submit. Late applications may be accepted based on position availability.

What You’ll Need:

  • Online application form
  • Cover letter
  • Resume
  • Contact info for one reference (for scholarship applicants)

2. INTERVIEW + ACCEPTANCE

Once you’ve applied, you will receive an email from a GlobalWorks program coordinator at the UO if you have submitted all application materials. You will typically meet or interview with our third-party provider for your location. The goal of the interview with the provider is for them to ensure they can accept you, and to give them a sense of your interests and career goals so they can place you with the company that will provide the best fit. If offered acceptance, you will then confirm your acceptance by signing a deposit agreement form after carefully reading through the cancellation policy. Although we can typically guarantee placement in students’ preferred location and sector, students don’t know their specific placement when they sign the deposit and cancellation agreement.

3. Pre-Departure 

Once you’ve been accepted, you will complete onboarding documentation and forms within the GEO portal and will attend a UO pre-departure orientation. Your site-specific provider may also have a portal or onboarding documents. If you do not already have a passport, make sure to apply for one ASAP. Some locations may require a visa, please check with your program coordinator if you are unsure.

You may also need to schedule health evaluation appointments. You can now make travel arrangements as well.

You don’t need to register for the two required courses (we will register you).

4. INTERNSHIP INTERVIEWS

Your internship provider will work to match you with businesses or organizations within your sector. You will then interview with host companies that the provider has matched you with. You usually don’t get to choose a company from multiple choices; you will interview with one at a time. The majority of students will have one to three interviews before being placed.

5. INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT

You will be notified of your final internship placement! Students are typically placed with their internship a month or two prior to departure, individual timelines may vary.