Internships that also carry academic credits

In internships that carry academic credits you have two masters to serve, your internship company and your academic institution. Their needs and demands do not always align. Some of the things you might want to bear in mind are:

• Find out what both need and expect from your internship. How will your performance be evaluated by both? What reports will they both need – will one report cover both or will you need to produce two different versions?

• Your academic institution may require certain documents, forms or statements to be made in relation to your internship, such as a statement on your health and safety in the workplace. Ask your academic supervisor what your institution needs.

• Think about confidentiality. This is not just National Security or matters of this seriousness – it also includes commercial confidentiality and commercially sensitive information. You may find it difficult to write a final report for your academic institution avoiding commercially sensitive information. This is a topic that should be discussed at one of the early meetings between your academic and industrial supervisors.

• If it isn’t add it their meeting agenda.   

Research