Can I work during my master?
What is an internship?
An internship is a training activity carried out in a work environment that a student may undertake during the course of study or immediately after graduation.
What types of internships are there at the Politecnico?
At the Master’s Degree, there is only an optional internship, meaning it is not part of the study plan. It can be curricular, if it is done during studies, extra-curricular, if it is done within 12 months after the completion of studies. In all cases, the Politecnico supports students, both in getting in touch with companies and in managing the necessary documentation.
How do you find an internship?
Through the portal dedicated to “internships” on the Career Service website, where you can find numerous offers from companies.
How does the procedure work?
The student finds an internship offer that interests him or her and applies. If interested, the company calls him or her in for an interview, and if all goes well, the procedure begins. If the student independently makes contact with a company, the company will have to sign an agreement with the Politecnico and will be able to enter the internship offer dedicated to the student in the portal (with the data of the student with whom it has made arrangements).
Since there is no issue of credit recognition, the procedure does not go through the educational secretary’s office but is handled only by the Career Service.
Is it mandatory to go through the portal?
All curricular internships must go through the portal. In this way, in addition to having the support of the Politecnico, the student will be protected by insurance coverage during the activity carried out in the company.
Can a thesis be done in the context of the internship?
Yes, it is possible. It can be done both in Italy and abroad. The student may find an interesting company and want to transform the internship experience into a thesis: in this case, he or she must look for a teacher willing to act as supervisor on those issues. In other cases, it may happen that a teacher suggests a student to cooperate with a company he or she knows and make the thesis about it. It should be noted that, in many cases, these works are configured as “tesine” (i.e. thesis without a counterpart), because they lack the trait of innovativeness that is typical of theses.
“It is possible to transform the internship experience into a thesis”
What advice should you give to students?
“Beware of getting absorbed by the world of work while neglecting your studies”
If the internship is carried out during studies, it is advisable to make the most of the experience but if possible without becoming so absorbed that you neglect the completion of your studies, which sometimes happens.