GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY

All Master of Science programs include an internship or similar activity in the program requirements, classified as compulsory educational activities. Internships are worth:

• 6 credit points for the CLG-LS;
• 8 credit points for all other MSc programs.

Curricular internships must satisfy the following characteristics with reference to duration, objectives and contents, location and positioning.

Duration
Minimum 12 weeks, in Italy;
Minimum 10 weeks, abroad.

In particular circumstances, subject to the prior approval from the Master of Science Program Director, a part-time internship could be considered an option. However, it must last at least 16 weeks.

Objectives and contents
The main objective of internships is to educate. They allow students to gain real work world and professional experience while developing professional skills. They help students get their bearings in these environments and facilitate their professional choices. Students gain direct knowledge of the continuously evolving world of work. The internship is an opportunity that allows students to apply their studies in practice, and to grow both professionally and on a personal level.
The internship's contents must be consistent with the educational objectives of the student's degree program.

Location
Internships may take place - in Italy and abroad - in firms, public and private institutions, professional studios, international organisms, diplomatic agencies, cultural institutions and other organizations.

Positioning
Students may participate in internships during their second year.
Students may participate in an internship only after completing first-year courses.
Internships are registered in students' academic careers as a second-year educational activity.

However it is possible to carry out the internship in advance:

• in the first year, in particular circumstances only and subject to prior approval from the MSc Program Director, following the normal authorization and validation procedures which are described below; however, internship activities must not clash with classroom activities;
• before enrolment in MSc programs but after the undergraduate degree; in this case there are various authorization and validation procedures which are described below.

In both cases, the internship will be registered in the student's academic career as a first-year educational activity.

Finding internships
Università Bocconi recognizes internships organized by any of the following parties:

• the Career Service (see following paragraphs);
• International Relations Service (SRI) - International Internship Office (see following paragraph);
• MSc Program Director.

Students can also find internships via their own channels. In this case, the MSc Program Director will carefully monitor the internship request. In addition, students must contact the Career Service - Internship Office or the International Internship Office (SRI), depending on the type of internship, well in advance and in any case before starting the internship.

The Career Service and International Internship Office (SRI) work together with the MSc Program Directors to make the internship characteristics uniform (host company experience and activities to be carried out) and to ensure that they meet the educational objectives of the MSc programs and educational paths.

Whatever channel is used to find an internship, the host company or organization and Bocconi sign an agreement and a training project on the objectives and contents of the training period. As the promoter of the initiative, the University prepares all the necessary legal documentation, checks the quality of the training projects, and provides insurance coverage.

Approval and validation of internships
All internship experiences must be previously approved, using an official University form, by the MSc Program Director or a teacher assigned by him/her.

The teacher checks the internship content to ensure it is coherent with the student's educational path and makes any necessary changes.

The teacher's authorization may be carried out via email, only after the MSc Program Director has evaluated the documentation which certifies the contents of the internship.

Internships are validated when completed, so that students may receive academic recognition for the experience.

The tools used for assessment, internship validation and student performance are:

• student's internship report (on an official University form);
• evaluation sheet filled out by the tutor of the company or institution (on an official University form);
• certification that the internship was held, for internships carried out through Career Service;
• a form to record the internship in the student's academic career, showing internship authorization given and the final evaluation by the teacher.

If the internship was carried out before enrolment in MSc programs, prior approval from the Program Director is not required. In this case, after finalizing enrolment and subject to educational content verification of the experience, students can make an application to have the internship recognized. Please note that internships must be carried out after Bachelor degree conferral.

Registration
The internship must be recorded in the student's academic career by the deadline for the graduation reservation. Generally, the internship must have been finished by that date.
Any uncompleted internships which have satisfied the minimum duration of time indicated above will still be recognized and can be registered in the student's academic career. In this case, the end of internship documents must be completed within the time needed to record the internship in the student's academic career by the deadline for the graduation reservation.

Contributions for internships in Italy and abroad
For students taking part in internships offered by public authorities in Italy, or through international organizations, institutions, authorities and companies abroad promoted by the Career Service and the International Internship Office (SRI) for which no compensation is provided, contributions are available from Università Bocconi: for allocation criteria and application forms see the website at http://www.unibocconi.it/financialaid in the Download Area.

Though internships remain the main educational activity aimed at facilitating professional choices, other activities known as "similar activities" are permitted in lieu of the internships. These include:

• qualified work experiences, with contracts different from those of internship, such as temporary or permanent work, apprenticeship, traineeships, and limited-time work contracts ("lavoro a progetto"). These are subject to the same rules (duration, positioning, eligibility) as internships.
  To have the activity recognized and the credits assigned, students must hand in to the Career Service - Internship Office a copy of the contract stipulated with the company and a short report from the student containing information on the nature and duration of the activity.   This is needed to prepare the authorization and final validation form for the Director's signature. This is to be handed in to the Career Service - Internship Office and recorded in the student's academic career together with other end of internship forms.
• in-the-field projects (clinics and moot for the Master of Science in Giurisprudenza [Law] (CLG-LS)) administered by MSc Direction. These projects are promoted by a teacher and approved by the MSc Program Director following specific agreements with a company, an institution or professional office.
  They must include the following activities:
• in-class: classroom activities guided by the professor (methodological tools), presentations from professionals in their field (e.g., applications of methodological tools). These classroom activities are not part of the educational activities which are included in the program requirements.
• in-the-field activities monitored by professionals in the field and by a teacher: case analyses, formulation and presentation of the work (group or individual) to outside professionals in the field and to a teacher.

Since internships must last 10-12 weeks (about 400-480 work hours), the activities mentioned above are structured to meet the same criteria in terms of hours and/or workload. In this way the field project is equivalent to the internship.
The majority of hours must be dedicated to in-the-field activities.
Recognition will take place based on a participants list provided to the Career Service - Internship Office or the International Internship Office by the Program Director or his/her delegate, along with the necessary approval form and teacher's final evaluation which must be signed by the Program Director. The Career Service - Internship Office will then register these in the student's academic career along with the other end of internship forms.

The Career Service is the University's point of contact for all internship activities, with the exception of programs organized by the International Relations Service - International Internship Office (see 6.5).

The Career Service promotes internship opportunities both in Italy and abroad with public and private organizations:

• industrial and commercial companies, service providers, banks, financial institutions;
• consulting and auditing firms, professional (e.g. accountants) and legal studios;
• government sector, public agencies, non-profit organizations;
• cultural and artistic institutions;
• authorities and companies operating in the tourism, communication and media industries.

The Service organizes all administrative procedures required by current regulations.

Furthermore, the Career Service gives useful information to assist students in identifying other opportunities based on specific needs and interests. It also helps students make their applications more effective through individual consultation and seminars.

In addition to what has already been said in terms of its characteristics, an internship - known also as traineeship - is an experience which offers in-the-field training, whose regulations are valid in Italy and set by law (24 June 1997 no. 196 art. 18 and the decree of 25 March 1998, no. 142). An internship is not a labour contract.

By law internships are not paid. At their discretion, companies can grant a monetary contribution that would go towards a student's studies.

Participation in internships
Internship opportunities in Italy and abroad are available through:

• Internship and Placement Announcements published online and reserved for Bocconi students;
• Arts and Culture International Program: a program offering internship opportunities at cultural institutions in Europe and around  the world; 
• Curricular Internship Special: semi-annual publication containing internship opportunities at companies belonging to Partner Programs for Development and Associated Companies of the University;
• Bocconi & Jobs, the University's semi-annual career fair which allows Bocconi students to meet with numerous companies and institutions from all sectors;
• Company presentations in the University: companies present themselves and describe their programs for hiring potential candidates; the calendar for presentations is fixed every six months;
• Placement Library: the Career Service's library dedicated to the world of work. Students can organize the search and retrieval of information which is useful for finding internships and jobs.

These tools help to balance the supply and demand for internships. Securing an internship offer is not necessarily linked to academic qualifications. Companies decide on the desired curriculum and personal characteristics based on the contents of the educational project. During the internship, each student is supervised by both a company and University tutor.

Moreover, the Career Service collaborates with the MSc Program Director in support of the internship opportunities procured by MSc Direction, facilitating the realization of other activities (such as in-class initiatives) aimed at presenting specific internship opportunities for each Master of Science program.

Documents
The Internship Office of the Career Service is the contact point within the University that is responsible for formalizing the training experience (unless they are arranged by the International Internship Office (SRI), see next  paragraph), regulating internships (agreements, training projects, and orientation) and providing  the necessary documentation to ensure the training experience is recorded in the student's academic career.

Before starting an internship, students must collect the Educational and Orientation Project form at the Career Service Internship Office and give it to the host organization.

Information and support
For further information and to sign up for seminars and individual consultation sessions contact the Career Service:

Career Service - Infopoint and Internships Office
via Sarfatti 25
tel. 02 5836.2658/5004
email: infobienni@unibocconi.it

Career Service
viale Isonzo 25
tel. 02 5836.5999
email: infocareer@unibocconi.it
http://www.cs.unibocconi.eu 

The International Relations Service (SRI) - International Internship Office of Università Bocconi offers 3 different international internship programs at institutions/organizations that are part of its network:

• International Organizations Program: Secretariat, agencies and field offices of the United Nations, the European Commission and other international institutions and non-government organizations throughout the world;
• Field Projects Program: Italian Chamber of Commerce abroad, companies active in international markets (excluding the European Union), and Foreign Consulates in Milan;
• Embassies Program: Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome and each Office abroad: Embassies, Consulates, Italian Cultural Institutes, Italian Permanent Representatives belonging to International institutions.

To find out more about the institutions belonging to the network and internship opportunities check the website at http://www.ir.unibocconi.it/internship.

Participation in the programs
All students may take part in the International Internship Programs as long as they have a good command of the language required by the host institution.
 
According to specific agreements, the Embassies Program may also require specific GPAs (27/30) or graduation grades (105/110).
 
For more information about specific requirements, consult the website at  http://www.ir.unibocconi.it/internship.

Documents
Students who would like to take part in the above programs must send the following documents in Word format (in one file) via email (international.internship@unibocconi.it) by the set deadlines:

• curriculum vitae and motivation letter in Italian (one for each institution you are applying for);
• curriculum vitae and motivation letter written in the language required by the institution (one for each institution you are applying for), except for the Embassies Program; 

In order to complete the application, students must hand in the following items by the set deadlines:

• application form (to be collected from the International Internship Office or downloaded from http://www.ir.unibocconi.it/internship);
• copy of any language certifications;
• 1 passport photo, signed on the back;
• enrolment certification or official graduate academic transcript (printed at Punto Blu terminals) both for Bachelor programs and MSc Programs.

Only for the International Organizations Program students need:

• special forms from the individual institutions; ask at the International Internship Office (if required).

Only for the Embassies Program:

• copy of online application (http://www.fondazionecrui.it).

After the International Internship Office has carried out the pre-selection based on language skills and also academic merit (Embassies Program), student profiles will be sent to the institutions which will make the final decision. Students who withdraw from the internship or Exchange Program without good reason, according to an evaluation by the International Relations Service, will be excluded from future pre-selections of all international internship programs (Field Projects, International Organizations and Embassies). If a student is excluded during undergraduate studies, this will not affect the student's eligibility to participate in these programs during graduate studies. Furthermore, for one month no other internship will be allowed, even if the student organizes his/her own.

Periods and deadlines
Internship opportunities procured by the International Internship Office (SRI) are promoted through the "International Internship" bulletin which is published on the website at http://www.ir.unibocconi.it/internship.

Generally, pre-selection takes place every three months, in accordance with the deadlines below:

Module 1
Internship period: January-March 2008
Application deadline: 12 October 2007
 
Module 2
Internship period: April-June 2008
Application deadline: January 2008 (date to be finalized)
 
Module 3
Internship period: July-September 2008
Application deadline: March 2008 (to be finalized)

Module 4
Internship period: October-December 2008
Application deadline: June 2008 (to be finalized)

Embassies Program

3rd announcement 2007
Internship period: January-April 2008
Publication: 20 September 2007
Application online by: 8 October 2007

1st announcement 2008
Internship period (approximate): April-July 2008
Publication: January 2008 (to be finalized)
Application online by: January 2008 (to be finalized)

2nd announcement 2008
Internship period (approximate): September-December 2008
Publication: April 2008 (to be finalized)
Application online by: May 2008 (to be finalized)

Each week, offers for "Last Minute" internships may appear on the website.

Internet site
For updates and further information about the programs described herein, consult the website of the International Internship Office of the International Relations Service at http://www.ir.unibocconi.it/internship. The website includes:

• the "International Internships" bulletin and "Last Minute" internship offers;
• reports  from former internship participants;
• any changes to the deadlines and information indicated above.

For further information
International Relations Service
International Internship Office
via Sarfatti 25 - 20136 Milan
second floor, room 226
http://www.ir.unibocconi.it/internship
tel. 02 5836.2253
fax 02 5836.2207
email: international.internship@unibocconi.it