Internship - traineeship

The terms internship or traineeship and the French term stage correspond to the Italian "tirocinio" (used in current Italian legislation) and are used interchangeably on university webpages, regulations, forms, and documents.

Goal

The traineeship or internship is a valuable developmental experience in a professional setting, designed to help participants understand political, social, cultural, and economic environments, familiarise themselves with national and international facilities and mechanisms, enhance language skills, and foster organisational skills and personal autonomy. 

The traineeship or internship is conducted at one of the public or private institutions with which the University has established a specific agreement. One CFU (university credit, ECTS) is awarded for every 25 hours of activity, up to a maximum of 6 CFU. The activities must be completed over a minimum period of 1 month and a maximum of 6 months.

It is recommended that students undertake the traineeship or internship in the third year. This allows them to benefit from some of the skills acquired during their studies, while also keeping post-graduate experiences in mind. 

Other kinds of activities, identified in accordance with art. 9 of these rules and approved by the Teaching Committee through the Coordinator (or their representative), can be recognised as equivalent, provided that they are relevant to the Bachelor’s degree programme, and that they last for a minimum of 75 hours (corresponding to 3 CFU). 

For such activities to be recognised, the specific documentation forms and documentation must be provided. Further information regarding the procedure and the relevant forms can be found on the following web pages: Internships in Italy and Internships abroad.

Period and destinations

The traineeship/internship can take place in Italy or abroad (in EU countries, as well as in non-EU countries), preferably during the third year of the degree programme.

Traineeship/internship in Italy can commence at any time of the year, provided that the student submits the necessary documentation (including the Agreement with the University, if the company or organisation has not already signed one) to the Internship Service (Settore Career Service e Stage Italia) well in advance. For more information regarding the traineeship/internship in Italy, visit the internships in Italy webpage.

Funded traineeship/internship abroad: the duration and starting dates are specified in each Call for application. For more information, visit: How to set up an internship abroad

Non-funded traineeship/internship abroad: this can be started at any time of the year, as long as the student submits the required documentation—specifically the Agreement with the University if the company or organisation has not already signed one—to the Internship Service (Settore Career Service e Stage Italia) well in advance. For more information, visit: How to set up an internship abroad

Contents of the internship

The internship or traineeship may be carried out in the international offices of organisations, private companies operating in international markets, public administrations, and local authorities, as well as in national and international cooperation agencies, consular offices, Italian and foreign chambers of commerce abroad, and institutes, agencies, foundations, and research centres dedicated to the study of international relations and the planning, monitoring, and implementation of international cooperation programmes.

No university credits (CFU) will be awarded for activities conducted on behalf of organisations or associations that require students to pay a fee.

Duration

1 CFU (university credits, ECTS) is earned for every 25 hours of traineeship or internship activity. Internships must last at least 75 hours, equivalent to 3 university credits (CFU/ECTS), spread over a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 6 months.

Requirements

When submitting an application for an internship/traineeship, the student must meet the following requirements:

  • must have earned the 3 CFU for the mandatory B2 English exam (i.e. the exam must have been sat and recorded in the student’s transcript);
  • knowledge of the language of the host country, in the case of an internship/traineeship abroad, if required by the host institution.

These requirements must also be met by those applying for funded internship projects abroad, by the deadline specified in the relevant calls for applications, in addition to any other conditions set out in the projects themselves.

Insurance

The University provides students undertaking an internship/traineeship with insurance cover for workplace accidents and third-party liability. For health coverage abroad, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) applies to destinations within Europe, while for destinations outside the EU it is strongly recommended that students take out private health insurance.
For more information, visit the Insurance and visas webpage [ITA]

End of the internship and credit recognition

At the end of the internship, students must report to their university tutor with all the required documentation, which includes:

  • record of attendance and evaluation by the host organisation’s tutor
  • copy of the training project
  • an extra copy of the training project’s first page (for the university tutor).

Once the documentation has been received, the University tutor will assess the recognition of 3 CFU credits for a minimum of 75 hours of completed activities (1 CFU = 25 hours of activity), based on the student’s report and the evaluation provided by the host organisation’s tutor.

In the case of an international internship/traineeship, the student has approximately fifteen (15) days to return to Italy, submit the documentation to the University tutor, and then to the Department’s Campus Services (Internships abroad Unit). Two bonus points are added to the final degree mark for internships or traineeships abroad (Thesis and final degree exam), or one bonus point is awarded for substitute internship-equivalent activities.

Additional traineeships/internships

Alongside the mandatory internship, which is a compulsory part of the Bachelor’s degree programme, students may undertake voluntary additional internships that will be recognised with university credits (CFU/ECTS). The formal procedure is the same as for the curricular internship: students must submit all documentation for insurance reasons. However, since this type of internship is not graded, it will not affect the final mark for the programme.

It is possible to undertake an extra-curricular internship without requesting any credits; in this case, too, all documentation must be prepared and submitted before the start of the internship and then resubmitted, completed, at the end.

Substitute traineeship/internship activity

For substitute internship activities, it is necessary to contact the relevant academic supervisor in advance, to obtain formal confirmation that the activity is consistent with the degree programme. If the activity is deemed consistent with the objectives of the internship/work placement for this Bachelor’s degree programme, it may, upon completion, be recognised as a substitute for the internship.
Students wishing to apply for internship substitution must download the relevant forms (Substitute Internship Activity [ITA]), which include:

  • a statement signed by the host organisation describing the type of activity, its duration, and the number of hours completed (in two copies, one of which is for the internship coordinator)
  • a declaration by the internship coordinator confirming that the activity may be recognised as a substitute for the internship.

To be recognised as a substitute internship, the activity must last at least 75 hours, regardless of the period over which it was completed. If the internship hours were completed in less than one month, the internship coordinator will evaluate, based on the activity performed, whether the hours completed are consistent with the minimum duration required for an internship.