Political sciences and international relations

• During the academic year, two meetings are organized to present the curricular internships (in autumn and spring) in which students are strongly encouraged to participate;
• Duration: minimum 160 hours to be carried out in at least 2 months for internships in Italy; minimum 160 hours to be carried out in at least 1 month for internships abroad;
• Compulsory: the internship is compulsory, however there are alternative ways to obtain the relevant credits (see FAQ);
• N° ECTS assigned to the internship: 3;
• Internship proposals can be found in the following ways: Community Blackboard (http://blackboard.unicatt.it) in the "CURRICULAR INTERNSHIPS COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT" section, ST&P (Internship & Placement) portal, other programmes offered by Università Cattolica, or independently.

Note: All students automatically have access to the Blackboard Community area. In case of problems with access, please contact the internship tutors.

• For proposals on Blackboard, it is mandatory to send CV and cover letter to internship tutors;
• For proposals on the ST&P portal, please send your application to the contact person indicated.
  N.B.: In any case, approval of suitability by the tutors is required, to be contacted in advance;
• For other programs proposed by the University or found independently, prior approval by the tutors is still required.

Procedure for activating curricular internships with ECTS

How to award ECTS: within 1 month after the end of the internship, the student is required to send a report on the experience to the tutors. If the report is approved, the tutors request the crediting of the ECTS from the secretariat. The instructions for drafting the report are contained in the attached file: Internship end report

Is it possible to find an internship independently outside of those offered by the faculty?

Yes. It is possible as long as the internship complies with the minimum duration provided for and involves the performance of tasks of a technical-professional nature and related to the training course.

It is always necessary to contact the tutors, who will establish an initial judgment on the suitability of the tasks. In case of uncertainty, the tutors will inform the coordinating professors of the degree course who will issue a final judgment.

The accreditation of the internship will take place after the approval by the tutors of the report on the internship carried out to be sent to the tutors themselves within 1 month after the end of the experience.

N.B.: The internship must not take place in the employ of parents or a relative and must take place regularly at the headquarters of the institution or company.

Is it possible to replace the internship with an exam of your choice?

Yes. The student can replace the internship by attending and passing the relevant exam in one of the following laboratories:

• Workshop "Financing cooperation: marketing and strategic philanthropy";
• Workshop "Theory of Change and Impact Assessment in International Cooperation."

In this case, the student will not interface with the internship tutors. He/she will include the chosen laboratory in the study plan, which will be validated by the secretariat in place of the internship through the accreditation of the related 3 CFU.

N.B.: to be valid as an internship, the laboratory must be in addition to those already included in the study plan.

Is it possible to have work experience recognised instead of an internship?

Yes. It is possible as long as the work activity, for which the request for recognition that entitles you to acquire 3 ECTS is submitted, has the following characteristics:

• It must be carried out for at least 2 months and for a minimum number of 160 hours;
• It must include tasks related to the training course undertaken by the
• student;
• It must be carried out during the period of university studies;
• It must not have been subject to previous requests for recognition;
• It must not be carried out in the employ of parents or a relative.

For the recognition of credits, the student is required to send the following documents to the tutors:

• Written report by the student about the experience carried out;
• Letter on company letterhead (signed by the owner/manager) indicating the duration of the work experience and the tasks performed.

Is it possible to replace the internship with the extension of a study abroad experience?

Students who have participated in the Erasmus/Overseas International Mobility programmes, in one of the locations affiliated with the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, can earn 3 ECTS by attending courses, seminars or workshops of a professional nature organised by the foreign host university (language courses are excluded).

Interested students are required to inform the tutors, preferably before leaving for the foreign location and in any case at the beginning of attendance, of the seminars, courses and/or workshops they intend to attend and the related number of hours, in order to make a prior assessment of their suitability. This judgment will be given by the Erasmus tutor together with prof. Caselli.

For the accreditation of ECTS, the student is required to deliver to the internship tutors a document on the letterhead of the host university, stating that the student has attended the course, seminar or laboratory as well as a report on the course attended.

Is it possible to replace the internship with participation in one of the international programs offered by the University?

The 3 ECTS can also be obtained through participation in one of the international programmes offered by other structures of the University (International Service , University Centre for International Solidarity and Pastoral Centre) provided that:

• Have some relevance to the study plan;
• Provide for the performance of tasks of a technical nature;
• They should last at least 1 month.

The student is required to communicate in time and before departure to the tutors the details of the program in which he will take part. A first judgment on the suitability of the tasks is given by tutors. In case of uncertainty, the tutors will inform the coordinating professors of the degree course who will issue a final judgment. For the accreditation of the ECTS, the student is required to send the following documents to the internship tutors within 1 month of return:

• Report written by the student about the experience carried out (see Attachment Internship end report);
• Letter from the head of the University structure that takes care of the programme certifying the student's participation, the period and the tasks performed.

If I have already accredited an internship, can I do a second one?

The opportunity to compete for the various internship offers is given to all students.

The internship proposals on Blackboard are accessible as a priority for students who have yet to obtain 3 ECTS. Only if there are no other candidates for the same position will students who have already obtained the 3 credits relating to the curricular internship and who intend to carry out further experience also be given access.

For internship proposals on the Internship & Placement Portal or on other channels, however, it is possible to apply without following a priority order of application.

A second curricular internship will be taken care of by the Internship & Placement Office and not by the internship tutors. In addition, it will be recognized in the study plan at 0 CFU.

Is it possible to interrupt an ongoing curricular internship?

Yes. It is possible as long as prior notice is given by the institution and to the tutors with valid reasons attesting to the decision to interrupt the internship. However, it is not recommended to interrupt the internship in progress and it is suggested to complete at least the minimum period required for the internship to be credited to the study plan.