Internships

Degree programmes implement the practical training or internship and their positioning in various ways. Internships can be mandatory, optional or voluntary within the degree programmes. Students with work experience in their own field may be able to substitute the mandatory internship with their previous work experience (RPL procedure). However, it is essential that the learning outcomes set for the content of the degree programme’s internship are achieved.

An internship included in studies is a part of the studies’ working life cooperation. It reinforces the growth of the student’s professional expertise, the identification of their own competence and the student’s capabilities for meeting the changing competence requirements of working life. One objective or goal of the internship is to teach the students to link knowledge and skills learned during their studies to practical activities and allows them to accumulate experience of the work assignments available in their field and the practices of working life.

This experience also gives the students a valuable perspective on their studies and how to plan them. Linking the internship clearly as a part of the studies will also support student’s abilities to recognise their own competence and assess their future options, thus supporting their study motivation and smooth progress of studies. It is also worthwhile for the degree programmes to collect feedback about the students’ skills from the internship places and utilise this to develop the degree programme’s learning outcomes.

The following should be taken into account to support a high-quality internship:

• The internship or working life period is described in a competence-based manner in the curriculum, and the degree programmes set objectives for the internship’s content.
• The internship is a guided study unit that helps the student to demonstrate and express their own competence.
• The degree programme has an instructor familiar with the internship unit, who organises support in the form of teaching and guidance for the students before the internship, during the internship, as well as an opportunity to share their learning experiences after the internship.
• The student will reflect on what they have learned, for example by writing a report about their internship.

More information for staff

The internship practices of different degree programmes at TAMK

The internship practices of different degree programmes at Tampere University

Links checked 19.1.2024