Internships
Preparing for professional practice
An internship will help you to get a feeling for actual professional practice. It is an optional part of this Master’s programme, reflecting the programme’s focus on developing your career outside the academic world.
In this programme, your Master’s thesis can be intertwined with your internship in a “Master’s thesis internship”. You can carry out your Master’s research during your internship at a relevant external organisation. The on-site training you’ll receive as an intern is an important part of the programme. It will give you insight into the demands and constraints of doing research in the day-to-day practice of the professional water manager. It will also play a major part in determining your area of specialisation within the broad range of fields available.
You need to have earned at least 60 credits before starting your Master’s thesis internship.
If you need help finding an internship, the programme leader Paul Schot can help you out. Also, internships available at organisations in the professional field will be posted on Blackboard.
Abroad?
You can also arrange your own internship, especially if you want to do one abroad. This process must be started at an early stage (preferably at the end of the first year), since it usually takes some time before all arrangements are finalised.
An internship contract (ENG/NL) between the host institution and the university is mandatory.
Please note that you should never accept an internship without prior approval. Your internship combined with your final research project need to be approved by the Board of Examiners after talking to your supervisor. The Master’s thesis internship may earn you either 30 or 45 credits (21 or 31 weeks).
Requirements
Your supervisor will assess wether your internship meets certain requirements, for example, wether your role is clear, wether the internship represents a challenge for you, and wether you will receive sufficient supervision.
An internship is assessed by means of an assessment form. In principle, completing an internship will yield 30 or 45 credits. Your supervisor will assess your work after obtaining a “second opinion” from a colleague and the assessment of your supervisor at the internship location.
Skills
The academic skills that you will practise, and upon which you will be assessed, include the ability to:
- translate a problem as described at the internship location, into a research question, based upon relevant scientific and other literature;
- develop a research plan, choosing and justifying appropriate methodologies for data collection;
- conduct the empirical work needed and analyse the collected data;
- interpret the findings with a view to solving the given problem;
- write a scientifically sound report about the findings geared to the target audience at the internship location.
Carefully read the details in the Education and Examination Regulations.
If you go abroad for your internship/thesis it is mandatory to apply for it in Osiris.
- Go to Osiris Student
- Click on the ‘Stay Abroad’ tab*.
- Click on ‘New request’ (bottom left).
- Select the correct application request: 'Stay abroad other'.
- Fill out the form and upload your approval from Master coordinator.
- Click on ‘Submit’.
*A new window will open in the old OSIRIS student lay-out. In this window, please click on 'stay abroad' again. You may have to log in again in case your session has expired.