|
A Science academic internship is an internhip which has been approved by a Department representative to count towards your major.
Content
The internship counts as a 2nd level course. It offers the equivalent of at least five weeks’ fulltime practical experience in the student’s field of academic interest, and is thus related to the student’s Major (or, in some cases, to their Minor). Students carry out an individual task within a company, an NGO, a research lab, or suchlike. The internship offers students the opportunity to gain experience of the world beyond their academic programme. The nature of the task may vary according to the host organisation’s needs, as long as there is a serious academic component in it for the student. At the end of the internship, the student must write a report that connects the practical work undertaken with the relevant academic literature in the field. Depending on the nature of the task, the students either include the results of their work for the institution in the report, or as appendices to the Report.
Internships are essential for students proceeding to graduate studies in certain fields, and highly recommended to all who wish to elaborate their practical as well as their theoretical skills beyond academia. That aptitude should be demonstrated in the internship report and be reflected in the evaluation of their work by the host supervisor. Students may only undertake one internship as part of their UCU programme.
Proceedings
A student wishing to do an internship must locate a host institution and internal supervisor (to guide the work undertaken there), as well as a UCU academic supervisor (to guide the process of academic reflection resulting in the internship report). Any student is at liberty to make their own arrangements; there is no GPA limit.
Students may also compete for a limited number of internships arranged by UCU. For these internships, the student needs to check the requirements of the respective programmes. The consent of the host institution, the academic supervisor, and the Head of Department or fellow are required for an internship to count as part of the student’s UCU curriculum. The Head of Department, Fellows, Careers Advisory Officer, Teachers and Tutors may be able to offer advice on institutions and supervisors, but UCU cannot be asked to mediate formally in this process.
The student has to write an Internship Proposal, specifying the content of the work and the academic component of it. The Internship Proposal must include a timeframe specifying what will be done when. The Internship Proposal has to be approved by the academic supervisor.
In addition to the Internship Proposal, an Internship Agreement must be signed, specifying the student’s tasks, prerequisites, supervision meetings, and the date the report will be handed in, as well as any physical, liability and financial constraints. The student, the host institution representative and/or internal supervisor, academic supervisor, and UCU Head (or a coordinator appointed by the head, such as a fellow), must all sign the contract specifying the items listed above. Forms for the Internship Proposal and for the Internship Agreement can be downloaded from the intranet.
The student is responsible for completing the entire paperwork (Internship proposal approved by academic supervisor, Internship agreement signed by all parties involved) before submitting it to the college administration.
The Head/coordinator acts as an independent council and may be consulted in case of problems in the course of the internship.
Endorsement by the host institution, academic supervisor, and HoD/coordinator serve as an official approval by the Director of Education.
Internship Proposal (around 500-700 words)
1. Name of the host institution, names supervisors (both of Host Institution and of academic supervisor)
2. Title of project
3. Outline of envisioned tasks within the institution (50-100 words)
4. Indication of how the work will be carried out (50-100 words)
5. Indication of potential contribution to the institution (100-150 words)
6. Indication of how the practical work will be analyzed academically (200-300 words)
7. timetable specifying the various stages of the internship, including the date for handing in the report
Scheduling
Students are recommended to do an internship in their second year at UCU, preferably during the summer break or during the winter break. This applies in particular to internships offered by UCU, such as those associated with the UCU in Africa programme. An internship completed over the summer or winter does not exempt the student from taking four regular courses in the semester before or after it. Under certain circumstances, an internship may also be carried out as one of the courses taken during a regular semester. Any such arrangements during the semester must be evaluated by the tutor in the context of the student’s total study plan.
Report
The internship report must include an overview of the tasks completed during the internship and verified by the host supervisor and a state-of-the-art lab report in the case of experimental activities, and if requested by the academic supervisor, a journal of activities, including summaries and conclusions of work-in-progress meetings. The report should provide a contextualising introduction to the work undertaken; a descriptive analysis of that work; and an interpretative analysis connecting it to the relevant academic/ professional literature. The results of the tasks performed (for example, written texts, interviews, experimental results) should be included in the report, but may be added to the report as appendices. The deadline for handing in the report is 2-3 weeks after the internship ends. One copy must be submitted to the host institution; one to the academic supervisor; and one to the Registrar. Furthermore, the student must submit an electronic version of the internship report, via Handin, to their departmental Internships Workspace.
Prerequisites
Depending on the nature of the internship, preparation may be required. Selection is unavoidable for internships carried out as part of UCU programmes.
For participation in the UCUinAfrica program: completion of the UCU breadth requirement
|