International Development and Humanitarian Work

This pathway is for students interested in working directly on global health, humanitarian response, and development challenges—often with international NGOs, UN agencies, or field-based organizations.

Roles in this space range from program design and implementation to field operations, humanitarian logistics, and community-based health initiatives.

The best way to explore this field is through direct exposure to development or humanitarian work, whether through an internship, a study abroad or field-based program, or volunteer work with an organization operating in this space.

Because this field often involves working across cultural and geographic contexts, language skills and cross-cultural experience are especially valuable, along with a clear-eyed understanding of the practical and ethical complexities of humanitarian and development work.

Key Skills and Coursework

Students pursuing this pathway benefit from coursework and experience in:

  • Global health, public health, or international relations

  • Anthropology or sociology (for understanding community and cultural context)

  • Program evaluation and monitoring & evaluation (M&E) methods

  • A foreign language relevant to a region of interest

  • Economics or development studies

Gaining Experience

Direct field experience is one of the most valuable things a student can bring to this pathway. Relevant experience includes:

  • Internships with international NGOs, UN agencies, or humanitarian organizations (in-country or remote)

  • Study abroad or field-based research programs with a public health or development focus

  • Volunteer work with community health or humanitarian organizations, domestically or internationally

  • Language study and cultural immersion relevant to a region of interest

Students should be thoughtful about the ethics of international volunteer and internship work, prioritizing organizations with strong local partnerships and sustainable, community-led program models rather than short-term "voluntourism."

Kiphart Collegiate Fellows Program

The Kiphart Collegiate Fellows Program supports experiential-learning internships in global health and social development, with a preferred focus on low- and middle-income countries.

Fellows receive a stipend of up to $5,000, access to an exclusive job board, and cohort events throughout the fellowship year. Up to 15 first-, second- and third-year students are selected each year, and students of any major are eligible to apply.

Applications are managed by Career Advancement and posted on Handshake during Autumn Quarter.

Pozen Global Health Scholars

The Pozen Global Health Scholars Program is a selective track for College students interested in the broad range of careers related to health equity. The program is open to first-, second-, and third-year students, and students of all majors are encouraged to apply.

Scholars complete skills workshops, attend conferences, participate in innovation challenges, and receive a designation of completion on their transcript at graduation. They also benefit from networking with global health and human development organizations, international summer internships with grassroots nonprofits and multilateral agencies, funding for certifications and conference attendance, and international global health career treks.

The program is supported by a generous gift from Richard (AB’69) and Ann Pozen.

Global Health Treks

Click here to learn more about upcoming Global Career Treks! Recent and upcoming treks have traveled to Accra, Ghana; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Santiago, Chile.

  • Jakarta, Indonesia Global Health Trek | September 14 - 16, 2026
    Applications have closed
    Planned visits include The SMERU Research Institute, The Medical Emergency Rescue Committee, and The Alliance for Emerging and Re-emerging Disease Threats in Asia Foundation