Business Intership step-by-step
This step-by-step guide provides all the information you need to begin your business internship. Each step outlined below explains how to find an internship, apply, and understand the assessment process. There are four steps in total, all of which are detailed on this page.
Step 2. Application
You need to get your business research topic and other internship activities approved in Osiris by the programme coordinator and the Board of Examiners (BoE) before starting your internship. Ensure you meet with both your UU examiner and host supervisor to align on the business research, estimate if you work well together, and agree on leave days (for vacation, courses, or other reasons). When opening your Osiris case, indicate what leave days you will take on top of the public non-teaching days already included in the GSLS academic calendar – and the system will automatically calculate the end date of your internship.
We recommend using the SEED tool throughout your internship. The start of the internship is an ideal time for an expectations meeting.
Application procedure and approval
Your Business Internship will be evaluated by the programme coordinator and the Board of Examiners (BoE). Submit your complete application (including the internship contract) via Osiris Case – accessible through Osiris Student – well in time, as the approval process may take up to 20 working days. The examiner, programme coordinator, and BoE must approve your application, and you can track the process in Osiris Case. Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email.
For feedback or issues with Osiris, please check the FAQ here. If your question is not answered there, feel free to email science.gsls@uu.nl and include your case number or internship type.
Internship Contract
An internship contract is compulsory.
For Business Internships, an internship contract is required. You can use the following contracts:
- For internship in the Netherlands the UU prescribes the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL) internship contract (Dutch version/English version)
- EAIE contract for projects abroad
It can also happen that the host institute provides their own contract. In that case, ask them to use one of the suggested contracts above. If that is not an option, send the host contract to science.internshipcontracts@uu.nl before you sign it! They can check and advice you on the contract.
Send the signed internship contract—specific to your situation (UNL or EAIE)—to science.internshipcontracts@uu.nl, they must sign it in name of the UU. Please note that your examiner or programme coordinator are not authorised to sign the contract.
The Faculty and Utrecht University strongly discourage signing an contract provided by an external organisation with a penalty clause (a fine).
Please be aware: We will not co-sign any contract which contains a penalty clause (fine).
Step 3. Interim Assesment
A compulsory Interim Assessment must take place at the end of the second month of your internship. Feedback should be given using the rubric for business skills. This meeting is done with your host supervisor. The academic supervisor is informed about this meeting by student and host supervisor.
This assessment differs from regular work discussions, and more feedback sessions are encouraged. You can also hold the second SEED tool meeting during this period to enhance communication and feedback.
To complete this assessment, your UU examiner must upload a PDF of the midterm business skills reflection in Osiris Case. You will then receive an automated message to confirm this upload. Make sure to do this: without your confirmation, your UU examiner will not be able to see your Osiris case to upload your final grade.
Step 4. Final Assessment
The final assessment consists of three key elements: business research report (30%), business skills (60%), and final presentation (10%). To pass, each element must score at least 5.5. If your overall grade is above 4.0, including an NVD, you will have one chance to re-sit any failed component. You and your examiner should agree on re-examination deadlines and requirements, and document these in writing.
Plagiarism check
Your examiner will check your report for plagiarism by uploading the final document to the Turnitin plagiarism software. They need to access the plagiarism report to determine of plagiarism is suspected or not and upload the Turnitin report in the final assessment form in Osiris Case.
If there are publication restrictions, the examiner should upload the report under embargo. Detailed information about the plagiarism software (and confidentiality) is available on the GSLS Teachers' Guide .
For source code plagiarism, you can use tools like MOSS, Marble, or JPlag. The examiner must review all written versions, and the use of contract cheating sites is considered plagiarism by the Board of Examiners.
Rubrics
Your examiner must provide a rationale for the final grades and upload this justification to Osiris Case during the final assessment. The following rubrics can be used:
Assessment form and procedure
Business Internship registrations are digitalised in Osiris Case. Your examiner must complete the final assessment form in Osiris Case within 10 working days of your report submission, including the plagiarism report and justification for the grades. For more details, refer to the Osiris Case examiner manual. The second reviewer or host institute supervisor will be notified once the form is completed and must approve the final assessment.
After receiving approval, you will receive an email with instructions to upload your final report to Osiris Case.
Osiris Thesis Archive
All written reports will be archived in the Osiris Thesis Archive. After completing the final assessment in Osiris Case, you will receive an email prompting you to upload your report.
You can also choose to publish your thesis, including the timing and version. Once published, theses become open access and can be found through search engines like Google and WorldCat. You, along with your examiner and supervisor, will decide if, when, and how your thesis will be published.
Please note that the title of your report is copied exactly to your international diploma supplement, so ensure proper use of capitals in the title. For more information, visit the Osiris Thesis Archive site.
Assessment in case of confidentiality
- Your examiner must have constant access to the report, and you should be able to give your final presentation for your examiner. The Board of Examiners and any third parties involved in the evaluation or accreditation of Master's Degrees can access your report upon request.
- Reports are archived in the Osiris Thesis Archive. If confidentiality is a concern, the examiner can specify in the assessment form (or via Osiris Case, if applicable) whether a version of the report should be published. If a formal confidentiality agreement prohibits archiving, you may upload only the title page, which should include the contact details of your supervisor, examiner, and institute, along with your name and student ID.
- The examiner must check the final report for plagiarism. The option to upload a file 'under embargo' is only available when your examiner uploads it to Turnitin, and the information in the report will not be stored in the Turnitin database.
Conversion table international grades
Marks will be rounded as follows: if the second decimal is 5 or higher, the first decimal will be rounded up; if the second decimal is 4 or lower, the first decimal will be rounded down. This rounding does not apply to grades between 5.45 and 5.50, which will round to 5.4, and grades between 3.95 and 4.00, which will round to 3.9. In Osiris, final grades between 5.0 and 5.4 will round down to 5.0, while grades from 5.5 to 5.9 will round up to 6.0. Other grades will not be rounded in Osiris.