Entry requirements

Only for students admitted to the Master's Programme in Political Science.

Special requirement: 30 credits at the advanced level including proof of skills in advanced qualitative and quantitative methods (e.g. the course Methods, 15 credits).

Learning outcomes

A term of supervised internship over a period of twenty weeks is included as a voluntary feature of the Master’s Degree Programme in Political Sciences or Development Studies.

The overall aim with an internship is to give students an opportunity to use their theoretical knowledge from previous courses by experiencing hands on and concrete tasks, i.e. putting knowledge into practice. It can also contribute to a better understanding of how a future career might look. The internship also aims at gaining new knowledge and finding relevant issues that can be of use in further studies. Another important aspect is that an internship can create contacts and references that might be valuable when applying for jobs in the future.

The Internship Programme seeks to:

• Provide the student with an opportunity to apply acquired theoretical and methodological skills to projects in a professional environment;

• Expose the student to the demands and gratification of working as a member of a collegiate work unit;

• Develop the student’s ability to communicate professional matters, orally and in writing, with colleagues in a clear and efficient way;

• Give the student a better sense of possible future career paths;

• Offer the student a chance to develop his/her own network of professional contacts;

For Internships abroad also:

• Train the student’s ability to communicate professionally in a foreign language;

• Subject the student to the challenging experience of living and working professionally in a foreign environment.

It is desired (not a demand) that the student has the possibility to work with one extensive task (report or project) during a longer period. Problem formulation, data collection, analysis and result presentation are important parts of the theoretical education and practice in real life is a

valuable experience for the future.

Content

Only organisation, institutions or companies that will provide the student with an environment and assignments judged to be valuable to the student’s future professional career would qualify as places for internships. The internship can take place inside as well as outside of Sweden.

The internship is carried out during the third or fourth term of the programme. It is the responsibility of the student to find an internship. The internship has to equal one academic term, which is 20 weeks. It is usually carried through during the term.

Instruction

Supervision is an important aspect of the studies during the internship term. To make the internship as meaningful as possible, for the intern and the organisation, it is vital for the student to be supervised during the internship.

To achieve this, the organisation has to assign a supervisor for the intern.

The supervisor role includes introducing, instructing, following up, and supporting the intern’s work. Both the intern and the supervisor are responsible for relevant tasks being received and that the aim of the internship is fulfiled. They will set up a plan together for how the proposed tasks shall be performed.

The supervisor is also responsible for the student obtaining the relevant support and training, if any, to be able to accomplish the given tasks. It is advisable that the student receive independent tasks at an early stage to be able to connect with the work and the other employees at the work place.

The supervisor’s knowledge and experience of the profession are essential resources during the internship. Integrating theory and practice is a process in which the supervisor must take part and contribute with knowledge, support and help in solving specific problems, and discussion about the future professional role.

Assessment

The student will acquire a passing grade only if he/she has successfully completed the work assigned to him/her, and once he/she has submitted a written internship-report to the Programme Co-ordinator subsequent to the conclusion of the internship.

The supervisor shall submit an evaluation of the internship to the Director of Studies for the Master's Programme in Political Science.

The student will be given the grade “pass” or “fail”.