GUIDES TO THE UNIVERSITY

All Master of Science programs include an internship/apprenticeship/training (from now internship) or similar activity in the program requirements, classified as compulsory educational activities. Internships are worth from 6 to 10 credit points depending on the program structure of the MSc Program (see "Program Structures of MSc Programs").

It is possible to participate in other internship experiences, during your studies or after graduation, which do not have curricular value and for which the information in the paragraphs and sections is not applied: "Duration", "Positioning", "Internship recognition, "Other activities recognized in lieu of internships".
In this chapter, curricular intership exclusively stands for curricular internship with credit points.

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

Duration
Minimum 12 full-time weeks, in Italy.
Minimum 10 full-time 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 in Italy or abroad.

The number of weeks must be understood as continuous and non-cumulative.
For variations on duration (extension, suspension, withdrawal/interruption) see paragraph 5.5.

Objectives and contents
The internship is an in-the-field training experience and not a labour contract whose regulations are valid in Italy and are set by the law*, national and regional one, and by the University.
The main objective of internships is to educate. They allow students to acquire work and professional experience while developing professional skills. They help students get their bearings in these areas, facilitating their professional choices. Students acquire direct knowledge of the continuously evolving world of work. The contents of the internship must be consistent with the educational objectives of the student's MSc program. The in the field experience include a company tutor (professional expert) supporting the students.


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.
Internships held on the premises of the participant's family property are not accepted.

Positioning
Students may participate in internships during their second year.
Students may participate in an internship only after completing first-year courses.
Internships registered in students' academic careers as a second-year educational activity. However it is possible, as an exception, to participate in an internship in advance:

• in the first year, 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 (see paragraph 5.4).

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

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

• Markets and External Affairs Division (see information below);
• MSc Program Direction;
• students can have internships found via their own channels recognized, at highly qualified companies only. In this case, the Master of Science Program Director and the Internship Office will carefully monitor the internship request. Students invite the company to put in contact through the University well in advance than the internship, by accessing to this link.

Markets and External Affairs Division promotes and makes available the internship opportunities in Italy and abroad through:

• JobGate: a platform which is updated daily with internship and work opportunities reserved to Bocconi students;
• Internship Programs in companies, Chamber of Commerce, foreign Consulates in Milan, International Institutions, non-government organizations, Italian Permanent Representatives abroad;
• Arts and Culture International Program: a program offering internship opportunities at cultural institutions;
• Speciale Stage Curriculari (Curricular Internship Magazine): magazine published every six months including internship opportunities offered by companies which adhere to the Programmi Partner e Imprese Associate 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 meetings in the University: companies present themselves and describe their programs for hiring potential candidates; the calendar for presentations is fixed every six months.

Whatever channel is used to find an internship, the host company or organization in Italy and Bocconi sign an internship document entitled single internship agreement on the objectives and contents of the internship via the JobGate. As the promoter of the initiative, the University will prepare all the necessary legal documentation, check the quality of the training projects, and provide insurance coverage.

Once the trainee has been selected and the internship details have been agreed, the company fills out the internship document (entering data and contents) on the JobGate Portal, with the student ID number of the trainee, by the Monday preceding the start of the internship. The internships always start on Monday.

If the candidate chosen for the internship wants to recognize the experience as the curricular internship for credit, he/she will have to ask the preliminary authorization and wait for the answer from the University before starting the internship. Therefore the starting date could be postponed.
The information relating to the internship are made viewable by the trainee on the JobGate so that he/she can check that the contents agreed upon by with the company during the interviews are coherent with the ones specified. The confirmation is valid for accepting the internship.
The Internship Office check the training project and, after checking the internship content and quality and if it is carried out in accordance with the law, confirms the internship. The University can negotiate internship contents and conditions with the company and, in case of no agreement, reject to promote the internship.

Before starting the internship the student must access the course Internship let’s go! available under Extracurricular Courses on the Bocconi e-learning website.

On the first day of the internship, the company downloads the internship document from the JobGate and it is signed by the trainee together with a company legal representative or delegated party. The original document is promptly sent by the company to the Internship Office for having it signed by the University. The trainee must ensure that the company sends copy of the document to the University. If it is not returned, the internship cannot be considered as valid. The internship document, completed with all signatures, is uploaded on the JobGate portal of the University for being used by the company and by the trainee.

Also internships abroad are run by internship agreement in compliance with the procedure described above. However internships without such documentation can be run with an internship contract or other document demonstrating practice educational experience according with the local laws where the internship experience is held. Such documentation must be sent by the trainee to the Internship Office through the Help&Contact procedure on the yoU@B Diary before the start of the internship. Internships which are not provided with such documentation cannot be recognised as internship.

For all internships carried out of Italy the trainees must verify the methods for obtaining, if requested, the appropriate visa and ony other needed document so that the internship can be carried out in compliance with the law of the hosting Country. If documentation of the University is also needed to support the visa request, the trainee can make reference to the cert@B procedure for the official certifications and to the Internship office (through the Help&Contact procedure) for any ad hoc documents.

For all internships carried out of Italy the trainees must fill out and sign , before departure, a document of Indemnity. In such document the student declares to be aware that the University cannot ensure security and solvency of the institution and the country in which he freely decided to carry out the internship. The trainee finds the document of Indemnity in the JobGate, in the ‘My internships’ area in the section ‘Internship Agreement and attahments’. Once the document has been filled out and signed, the document must be uploaded in the same section.

At the middle of the internship, the trainee and the company tutor are invited to fill out the mid-term evaluation form (available from January 2015). The trainee can view the form filled out by the company tutor and can decide if authorize the tutor to view the numerical section of the form filled out.

At the end of the internship the following end-of-internship documents are required:

• Evaluation form filled out by the student via the yoU@B student Diary;
• End of internship report by the student via the yoU@B student Diary (only for internships carried out abroad);
• evaluation form of the company tutor on the JobGate. The assessment by the company tutor also includes the skills acquired.

The company, at the end of the internship and upon request of the trainee, must issue an internship certification.

All internship experiences must be previously approved in order to ensure their consistency and coherence with the educational objectives of the Master of Science the student is enrolled in. At the end of the internship such experience is validated in order to obtain academic recognition.
In order to obtain the recognition of the internship and the relating credit points it is necessary to follow the steps described in this paragraph.

Authorization in advance
After having viewed the internship on the JobGate and having confirmed it formally, the student must request the in-advance authorization, by accessing the area ‘My internships’ and clicking on ‘Request advance authorization’. The request is automatically made viewable to the Program Director who can give his/her approval, reject it or, for more information, ask the student, through a messaging procedure available on the yoU@B Diary, to schedule a meeting or through chat. The student views the request outcome in the yoU@B in the ‘My internships’ area in the JobGate.
Notice: without advance authorization, the internship is not started as curricular internship.

Only for curricular internships of Master of Science in Management the Internship Office is responsible of the authorizations in advance if the where the internships are carried out:

• in companies, institutions, that suggested the internship opportunity through the JobGate of the Markets and External Affairs Division (see list in paragraph 5.2)
• companies and institutions adhering to the Programma Imprese Associate (Associate Companies program) and to the programmi di Partnership dell’Università (Partnership programs of the University)
• companies and institutions which took part in the other initiatives promoted by the Markets and External Affairs Division (i.e. Drop-in sessions, In-Company Training).
  Also for these internships the advance authorization must be requested by entering the area ‘My internships’ and clicking on ‘Request advance authorization’ (see above).

The Management MSc Program Director has still the responsibility to authorize:

• internships of personal initiative;
• internships carried out after the undergraduate degree and before the enrolment finalization to the MSc Program;
• activities similar to the internship (qualified working experience, field projects and so on).

Also for these internships the in-advance authorization must be requested by entering in the area ‘My internships’ and clicking on ‘Request advance authorization’ (check above).

For the Management MSc Program the following internships cannot be recognized as curricular ones: at Italian Chambers of commerce abroad, The Foreign consulates in Italy and the professional studios.

If the internship is carried out before the enrolment finalization to the MSc programs and after the undergraduate degree students may request authorization to have the experience recognized as a Master of Science curricular internship by the end of the teaching period (end of second semester lessons) of the first year of studies.

Once the approval is obtained, students can apply for the effective validation only when they have opted for this experience as curricular internship (and not other experiences carried out during the Master of Science program) communicating it to the Internship Office by the graduation deadline for the completion of the exams.

Students cannot forward request of authorization to the Program Director before the end of internship and before the start of the first year in no way (even if they are already initially enrolled in the Msc program on the starting date of the internship).

Final validation
Once the internship is ended, the Program Director takes note of the end of internship and views the evaluation sheets filled out by the trainee and company tutor respectively. The evaluation sheets will be analyzed carefully; for more information, the Program Director can ask the student, through a messaging procedure available on the yoU@B Diary, to schedule a meeting or through chat. Once the final recognition has been obtained, the student can check the credit points recording in his/her academic career via the Punto Blu.

The University carries out checks during the internship of the student in order to verify the real running of the internship. In case the student is repeatedly not found the internship is annulled. Such communication will be forwarded urgently to the student and to the host company.

In case of behavior contrary to good faith during the internship, students can be reported to the Disciplinary Board by the Internship Office.

Registration of the credit points: the internship must be recorded in the student's academic career by the deadline for the completion of all the exams provided for in the program structure for the graduation session.

Generally, the internship must have been finished by that date. Any uncompleted internships which have satisfied the minimum duration of time will still be recognized and can be registered in the student's academic career only if the student must graduate before the end of the internship. In this case, the completion of the end-of-internship documentation must be carried out within the time needed to record the internship in the student's academic career as the set deadline for the completion of the study plan approaches.

Postponment
It is possible to request, by the end of the internship, request a postponement for a limit of 6 months of duration of the internship. The Internship Office carefully evaluates the reasons for the request. In case of internship carried out by a student, only if the company demonstrates that more time to reach the educational objective for the complexity of the project is needed. In case of internship carried out by graduates, it is not possible (no way) postpone the internship over the 6 month the internship duration in the same company.
The postponement period must be communicated in advance by the company to the Internship Office through the JobGate portal in the section ‘Internship duration changes’ and the trainee must access the portal to confirm the postponement entered by the company.

Suspension
Upon agreement with Università Bocconi, a temporary suspension period for the internship can be allowed (e.g. company closure, national holiday) to be recovered at the end of the internship if it affects the minimum duration of the curricular internship. Such period has not to be more than a month and must be communicated in advance by the company to the Internship Office through JobGate in the section ‘Internship duration changes’, in case it is more than 3 consecutive working days.

Withdrawal/Interruption
The withdrawal/interruption of the internship can be requested only for serious and/or certified reasons. Without serious reasons there will be limitations for accessing to a new internship (the new internship cannot be started before a month from the date of withdrawal/interruption of the previous internship).

The withdrawal, with relating reasons, must be immediately communicated by the trainee via the JobGate. The interruption, with the relating reasons, must be immediately communicated by the company to the University through the JobGate in the section ‘Internship duration changes’. The trainee must access to the portal, confirm the interruption entered by the company.

In case of curricular internship, the in-advance interruption, can cause that the internship is not recognized if not authorized in advance by the Program Director, even if the minimum duration has been fulfilled. The advance authorization is given on the basis of the evaluation of all internship characteristics, including the duration. The student forwards the request of authorization to the advance interruption to the Program Director through the messaging function available on the yoU@B.

As the internship is not a labour by Law, it is not paid. At their discretion companies can grant a monetary contribution that would go towards a student’s studies. For non-curricular internship by graduates, the new current Italian regulations include an indemnity of compulsory participation in compliance with the limits specified in the regional laws, neverless than 300 euros (before tax) per months.

a) ISU/Università Bocconi
For students taking part in internships offered by public authorities in Italy, or through international organizations, institutions, authorities and companies abroad for which no compensation is provided, contributions are available from Università Bocconi: for allocation criteria and application forms check the ISUDownload Area.

b) Erasmus
Scholarships of the Erasmus + 2014-2020 are available for students/graduates who will carry out an internship in the European in companies and research and training centers, Italian Chambers of Commerce Abroad and some International Organizations located in one of the countries participating in the Program. Internships must last minimum two months starting from 1^stJune 2014 and do not have to include a participation indemnity.  Further information www.cs.unibocconi.eu

The ISU and Erasmus+ scholarships are not cumulative.

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 internships, such as, for example, temporary or permanent work. These are subject to the same rules (duration, positioning and channels for finding the experience) as internships. To obtain the recognition in advance, before the internship or when it starts, students must send - via the Help&Contact procedure available on the yoU@B - copy of the contract signed with the company. Students must verify that the contract includes (or, as an alternative they must provide the following data in attachment) the following information: name and company typology, field of the activity, number of employees, location, name and contacts of a company reference person, period of the activity.
  
  The Internship Office will enter the information relating to the activity similar to the internship via the JoBGate and the student will have to request the advance authorization to the Program Director, by entering ‘My internships’ area in ‘Training project’ and clicking on ‘Request advance authorization’.
  
  At the end of the minimum of the duration for the internship recognition, students must upload, on ‘My internship’ area in ‘Agreement and attachments’, a short report including information on the type of experience and a declaration by the company certifying the presence of the student at the company in the period specified on the request of recognition.
  
  After appropriate assessment the Program Director will proceed with the final recognition in accordance with the procedure specified in paragraph 5.4.
  Students who wish to request the validation of the internship they have carried out before the enrolment to the MSc programs (after having been awarded the undergraduate degree) must request it before the end of the teaching period (end of lessons of second semester) of the first year of studies.
• in-the-field projects (administered by MSc Direction. These projects are of two types:

1) in-the-field projects activated by the MSc Program Direction 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).;
• 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.

The recognition is carried out on the basis of a list provided to the Internship Office by the Director of the in-the-field projects including those students who intend to have this activity recognized as similar to the internship and have completed this experience.

2) On the field research project. It is an activity promoted by a professor involving the student exclusively in a research activity to be carried out at a Research Center or a Department of the University.

The minimum duration is of 12 weeks and the maximum one is 6 months. However, this activity must be considered as a part-time experience and therefore it can be validated upon a duration of at least 16 weeks. The procedure of authorization and recognition is the same one as for the internships (see paragraph 5.4).