Working for a host organisation
In the Master’s programme in Cultural History and Heritage, the second part of your year is dedicated to your graduation project. Between February and June, you will work within the team at your host institution and gain valuable work experience. During this period, you will develop your final project based on a problem or task set by the host institution, in close collaboration with the institution and an experienced academic supervisor from our staff.
Step 1: Finding a graduation project
Every year, our lecturers work with partner organisations from the cultural and social sectors to develop a varied range of final-year projects. Descriptions of these projects are available on Brightspace from the start of the academic year. An information session will be held in September, during which you can ask the lecturers questions about specific projects.
You will then choose up to three projects from the list to apply for. The application and selection process takes place in late September and early October. By the end of study period 1, you will therefore know which graduation project you will be undertaking.
Examples of graduation projects
- Advisory report on accessibility and inclusion for the Wereldmuseum Amsterdam
- Research into gender and religion for the Museum Catharijneconvent
- Knowledge dossier on Roman heritage in Noord-Brabant for Erfgoed Brabant
- Educational family tour for Lofen Palace and DOMunder
Step 2: Substantive preparation
You will develop the theoretical framework for your graduation project during one of the tutorials in study period 2. You will do this under the guidance of your lecturer and in consultation with the host organisation. During the tutorial, you will work on three documents:
- A pilot study
- A research plan
- An action plan including a timetable and practical learning objectives*
* The final-year project combines the former ‘internship’ and ‘MA thesis’ and currently still needs to be fitted within the old administrative frameworks. For administrative purposes, the action plan is therefore still referred to as the ‘internship plan’. You can find a comprehensive guide to the final-year project, containing all the latest information, on Brightspace.
Step 3: Administrative preparation
The graduation project combines the former ‘internship’ and ‘MA thesis’ components and currently still needs to be fitted into the old administrative framework. It is therefore important that you read through the procedure below carefully and take the necessary steps in good time.
To register both the ‘internship’ and ‘MA thesis’ components of your graduation project in Osiris, you must complete two separate administrative processes.
Step 4: During your graduation project
Supervision and meetings
With the start of study period 3 (early February), you will begin the practical implementation of your graduation project at the partner institution. You are expected to work on your graduation project full-time (unless you are a part-time student).
- You will have agreed on working hours and the location with your supervisor at the host institution.
- You will arrange feedback sessions with your supervising lecturer.
- In addition, the following group meetings will take place at Utrecht University (as part of the Cultural Career Seminar):
- Late February/early March: check-in meeting 1
- Late March/early April: project conference
- Mid-May: check-in meeting 2
Logbook
Keeping a logbook is highly recommended for your own learning process. Furthermore, they are a compulsory part of the practical report. A logbook helps you to reflect on your work and learning objectives, and serves as a useful resource when writing your practical report. For the graduation project, we use a standard format for the logbooks.
Step 5: Completion of your graduation project
Your final-year project will result in the following:
- Final product
- Research report
- Practical report
You must submit these three documents as a single file via Osiris. If your final product is not in a format that can be submitted digitally, please consult your supervisor to discuss the best alternative format in which to submit it. Please refer to the guide on Brightspace for more detailed instructions.
Assessment of your graduation project
The graduation project combines the former ‘internship’ and ‘MA thesis’ and currently still needs to be fitted into the old administrative framework. This also applies to the assessment.
Your practical report will be assessed. Your supervising lecturer will inform you of your assessment for both components – ‘internship’ and ‘MA thesis’ – and will record the assessment and the number of EC credits in Osiris.
Assessment forms
For the ‘dissertation’ component (15 EC), based on the research report and final project, the lecturer uses this assessment form:
For the ‘internship’ component (15 EC), based on the practical report, the lecturer uses these assessment forms:
Internship abroad
When you are planning to do an internship abroad, it is important to start preparing well in advance, ideally six months to a year.
Contact
If you want to know more, or if you have any questions about internships, contact your Programme Coordinator or the Internship Office.
Internship Office
You can contact the Internship Office Humanities with questions about your internship agreement, your enrolment in Osiris and questions about Osiris Case (for BA internships). Are you going abroad? The Internship Office signs your OV-vergoedingsdocument (public transport compensation document).