Student FAQs

It is possible, but not encouraged to take more than one lab per semester. Action Learning labs are intensive courses that require you to spend dedicated time with your student team and your host, so we generally advise students to focus their energy on one per semester. However, we encourage students to try different Action Learning courses throughout their tenure as a student.   

Once students are enrolled in a lab, they may bid for projects as teams or individuals, depending on the course. If they bid as individuals, they will then be grouped with others to form a team. Faculty then match the teams to projects based on student interest, diversity of team skills, experiences and backgrounds, host preferences, and other factors.  

No, these are learning opportunities and neither the host nor the student should consider this an internship.  Students are enrolled in a credit-bearing course and supervised/evaluated by the faculty.  Students cannot be paid for any work done through an Action Learning course. 

If the course has a travel component, expenses including airfare, accommodations, and visas are not the student’s responsibility.  Any leisure travel, meals, phone bills, etc. are the student’s responsibility. 

Labs that work with startups do so with the ones that have typically gained a certain momentum in their growth stage/funding. Ideally, a startup with series A, B, or equivalent stage provides the ideal learning opportunity for students. If you are an EMBA student and have a very early-stage startup, you could potentially work on your own startup as an IDEA Lab project. 

Each term, we offer 8-12 Action Learning courses that address a wide range of topics. Therefore, students have plenty of choices available. 

Grading is course dependent; faculty consider students’ contribution as individuals and as a team to the course and project. 

Although some students do receive offers from their host organizations, the primary goal of Action Learning at MIT Sloan is student learning; for students to apply their classroom experience to real-world problem solving. That said, students find it helpful to quote their Action Learning experiences through the job search process. 

The CDO advises students to add a bullet point in their education section under MIT Sloan.  While it may vary with each student/project, the advice would be for students to highlight: 

• Company name 

• Functional work addressed in the project 

• Problem/goal students tried to solve or achieve during the project.   

The CDO would be happy to review student resumes or answer any student questions. 

For labs that require an on-site work period, students are expected to spend a specific number of consecutive business days working on their projects at their host organizations' facilities. For fall labs, the on-site period is usually three weeks or 15 consecutive business days; for spring labs, the on-site period is two weeks, or 10 consecutive business days. Teams work out the exact dates of their on-site residence with their host companies. The entire team must be on-site together throughout the work engagement. 

Host companies will pay for (1) economy-class round-trip tickets from Boston to the company location and back, and (2) modest, clean, and safe lodging that is readily accessible to the workplace. Action Learning will specify economy airfare limits to their destinations. 

IMPORTANT: Students will bear any additional travel expenses incurred for personal travel before or after on-site work. In addition, students are required to pay for all other expenses during their project residence, including food, transportation, weekend and evening tourism, additional visas, vaccinations and immunizations, communication (phones), or shipping materials before, during, and after the trip. 

Plane tickets: Either the host company buys your tickets directly, or you buy them and the company reimburses you. You are responsible for any costs associated with personal travel you undertake above and beyond the round trip between Boston and the host company. You should negotiate the itinerary and the timing of any reimbursement ahead of time; do not let let the company choose your flights without consulting you.   

Lodging: The host company will arrange accommodations for you. Make sure they communicate clearly where you'll be staying before you leave campus; ask the host company to send you links to information about the accommodations so that your team can investigate the options. Although the accommodations need not be fancy- and they probably won't be- they must be clean, safe, and provide you with reasonable access to transportation to your work site. Single rooms are typical, and suites are fine. However, double rooms are not usually appropriate, particularly for mixed-gender teams. It is important that you be housed in professional lodging, such as a hotel, guesthouse, or rented apartment, and not in a bedroom above your host's garage. If, upon your arrival, you find that the accommodations are not appropriate, you should attempt to find more acceptable lodging within a reasonable time and make sure that your host company is willing to pay for it. Any serious lodging problems encountered by your team and/or change of accommodations should be communicated immediately to the MIT Sloan Action Learning program office. 

Students may travel before or after the on-site engagement, but they are responsible for all associated costs, including additional airfare, lodging, and in-country transportation. Hosts will only pay for the value of a pre-designated and agreed-upon round-trip airfare between Boston and the host destination. 

There is no single answer, as visa requirements vary greatly, depending on both the country from which passports originate, and the destination.

Students are responsible for obtaining any required visas, and the Action Learning team will provide them with required letters of support or other documentation. This process should be initiated well in advance, as some countries' consulates can take several months to issue a visa, depending on the type of passport held. Students also need to investigate issues such as cost, turnaround time, possible passport renewal (passport must be valid for at least six months after the return date), number of blank pages in passport, and itinerary. Students who are not US citizens or permanent US residents must make sure they understand any restrictions pertaining to the visa they hold that allows them to be in the US as an MIT student. 

• The whole team and the host organization agree upon the start and end dates (business days) of the on-site project work period.
• Purchase airline tickets well in advance of travel; a deadline date will be specified for each lab.
• Read, complete, and sign travel-related forms required by MIT. 
• Be sure to have your valid visa(s) in your valid passport with at least a six-month expiration window. 

The required vaccinations depend on your travel destination - including countries you may be visiting before or after your on-site work with your host company. For specific country information, go to the International SOS website and log in using MIT's membership number, 11BSGC000066. Use the drop-down menus under "Medical Tools" to learn which vaccinations are required for your destination country. You can get your vaccinations at MIT Medical's Travel Clinic, the Massachusetts General Hospital Travel Clinic, or a range of other providers. 

IMPORTANT: Start early! In some cases, you'll need multiple shots and/or medications over a period of time prior to or following travel in order to be fully inoculated. Be sure to fill any prescriptions for medications you'll need to take with you on the trip. 

It depends on your plan. You are usually covered for urgent and emergency care, but you may have to pay at the time of treatment, often with cash, and be reimbursed later. Before you travel, read about your insurance plan's coverage carefully, and contact your provider if you have questions. If you're on an MIT health insurance plan, contact the Student Health Office, E52-308, if you have questions about your health plan. You can email the office with coverage questions, or contact Claims and Member Services, or call 617-253-5979. For additional information, please review the MIT Medical Website. 

MIT has a contract with International SOS (ISOS) to provide 24-hour, worldwide emergency assistance to our traveling students. Go to the International SOS website for further information. You'll be given an ISOS card during your class's travel info session. We strongly recommend that you register your trip information on the ISOS site.