Obligatory nature and purpose of internships

The educational rules of the Multimedia Science and Technology Bachelor Degree Programme establish that, in order to take their final degree exam, students must have conducted a practical applied internship.

The purpose of these internships is to enable students to gain practical, professional experience through participation in the day-to-day activities of companies, external affiliated organisations or structures within the University of Udine (Departments, Central Administration Offices, etc.) to supplement the training provided by the University.
The number of credits awarded for the training internship is indicated in the study plan for the year on which the student is enrolled, as per the educational rules of the Multimedia Science and Technology Bachelor Degree Programme (annex B1).

Internships do not constitute grounds for employment, nor must they substitute company labour or professional service.

Coordination of internships

Internships involve participation by students in the host organisation’s activities, which takes different forms depending on the specific training projects agreed with the said organisation. The type and forms of participation are agreed between a member of the teaching staff of the bachelor degree programme (the ‘academic tutor’), the head of the host organisation or his/her delegate (the ‘company tutor’) and the student.

Students will be introduced to the placement activities by an academic tutor, accompanied within the organisation by a company tutor who will supervise the student during the practical stage of the internship. At the end of this period, the student will submit Summary Report on the internship and a completed questionnaire on the hosting party. The academic tutor is responsible for the implementation plan for the internship, i.e., the training programme to be followed at the affiliated organisation. Specifically, the academic tutor:

• advises and assists the student in all matters relating to setting up and undertaking the internship;
• guides and agrees the implementation of the internship with the student and the person responsible for the internship at the host organisation;
• stays in contact with the heads of the host organisation and keeps track of the progress of the internship;
• validates the activities conducted based on the documentation produced.

The company tutor is responsible for ensuring correct integration of the intern into the working environment of the organisation and providing an assessment of the internship activities conducted. Specifically, the company tutor:

• prior to commencement of the internship, agrees the activities to be conducted with the academic tutor and the student;
• ensures and organises the implementation of the internship, in so far is it concerns the host organisation;
• during implementation of the internship, stays in touch with the academic tutor and reports any difficulties or problems in conducting the agreed activities;
• supervises the student’s activities;
• at the end of the internship, notes any comments and/or observations regarding its implementation in the log-book.

Relations with organisations appropriate for internships

Internships must always be conducted at companies or organisations, which may be abroad, that conduct activities relevant to the student’s multimedia science and technology skills. Relations with extra-university organisations suitable for taking on student interns (businesses, public/private bodies, trade associations, voluntary organisations, social cooperatives, etc.) are governed by agreements. Relations with structures within the University are governed by written agreements with the Head of the structure.

For each internship, the host company/structure designates a supervisor who will perform the duties of company tutor. Agreements are entered into in accordance with the agreement type model approved by the central Academic Bodies.

How internships are conducted

Students are required to spend a minimum number of hours on internship activities corresponding to the credits awarded for the training and orientation internship as per the study plan for the year on which the student is enrolled. For admission to an internship, students must have acquired at least 60% of the total number of credits (108 course credits). Students who meet the requirements must submit an admission application to their programme’s Academic Office (Segreteria Didattica) at least 15 days prior to commencement of their internship.

The application must be submitted by completing the appropriate form (Training and Orientation Plan – PFO), which requires them to specify: the organisation where they intend to conduct the internship, the plan and the period. Students must also submit, as an attachment, self-certification that they have passed the necessary exams. An up-to-date list of affiliated organisations is available on the relevant page of the University website. In the event of absence due to sickness, interns are required to notify their contact person (company tutor) and make up the days missed. Interns may only commence their internships after receiving the log-book from the University’s Internship Office (Ufficio tirocini). During the internship, this log-book must be updated with the hours of attendance at the hosting party’s premises. The log-book must be countersigned by the company tutor to certify attendance and the activities conducted by the intern.

Assessment of internships

The student’s log-book and report must be delivered to the University’s Internship Office or directly to the Academic Office (Segreteria Didattica) of the degree programme within 30 days of completion of the internship period. For students to be admitted to the final degree exam, the documentation relating to the internship hours worked must be received by the Administrative Office for Students (Segreteria Studenti) no later than 30 days prior to the date of the degree exam session for which the student has applied.

Recognition of activities for curricular internship purposes

Students may apply to the Internship Committee of their degree programme for recognition of any past working activities for the purposes of the curricular internship, provided that such activities are coherent with their curriculum and documented in detail in terms of hours, type and description of the work, skills and knowledge acquired, and description of the host organisation or company.

It is up to the Internship Committee to assess whether such activities meet the requirements and are sufficient for recognition for the purposes of the curricular internship.

Past generic training activities will not be recognised for the purposes of the curricular internship.

Students wishing to apply for recognition of a past internship for the purposes of the curricular internship must submit a specific request accompanied by the necessary documentation, i.e.:

1. the training plan agreed with the company at the start of the activity;
2. a detailed description of the host organisation or company, clarifying its nature and the positions of any employees, in accordance with current regional legislation on internship activities;
3. placement of the internship within the student’s study plan;
4. any professional hardware and software used during the internship with the hosting party;
5. a report by the company contact person on the outcomes achieved;
6. if the internship was conducted during the course of the degree programme at a non-affiliated organisation, the reasons for not following the practice pursuant to these Regulations, together with a declaration that none of the affiliated companies had the student’s preferred characteristics;
7. any additional documentation that the student considers relevant for the purposes of recognition.

Contacts

CEPO – Segreteria Didattica
Corso di laurea in Scienze e Tecnologie Multimediali
Corso di Laurea Magistrale in Comunicazione Multimediale e Tecnologie dell’Informazione
Università degli Studi di Udine
Centro Polifunzionale di Pordenone Via Prasecco 3/A
multimediale.cepo@uniud.it
+ 39 0434 239424