Admission requirements
Master students must have completed the course Research Methods.
Description
The business studies internship represents an exciting opportunity for students to use and advance managerial knowledge and skills in a real-life business context. Over the course of their internship students become familiar with subject matter expertise and competencies required to be successful in a particular industry- or functional- domain. Moreover, students will contribute to state-of-the art managerial knowledge in this domain. The internship provides an excellent orientation and preparation for students’ post-university career, with many students ending up with a job at their internship organization after graduation. Examples of internship projects and experiences of past students can be found on the Science Based Business website.
There are two types of internships with different requirements and ECs. The number of ECs is determined by different levels of learning outcomes. ECs account for not only work at the Internship Organization but also other activities, such as applying for an internship, preparing deliverables to the universities, and self-studies for the internship project.
➔ Business Practice Internship (20 ECs) ▪ Minimum 3 months (full time) for the internship period. ▪ The internship constitutes a particular position in the Internship Organization and consists of a series of assignments and tasks, usually of increasing complexity and executed with increasing independence.
➔ Business Development Internship (30 ECs) ▪ Minimum 4 months (full time) for the internship period. ▪ The main component of the internship is a business development project, e.g., marketing research, product development, process optimization. The project should be challenging and has well-defined goals, milestones, and endpoint. The student should be personally responsible for the project. The end products of the project include a Business Development Report, documenting the project process and results, as well as deliverables to the Internship Organization, e.g., an action plan, a strategy report, a documentation of an improved system.
Course objectives
Learning Objectives
Through the internship, the student is expected to develop competencies (i.e., knowledge, skills and attitudes) in the following areas.
➔ Organizational and industrial knowledge ▪ Analyze the functioning of organizations, their various management aspects, and the industry context in which they operate, with a specific focus on the Internship Organization.
➔ Business function competence ▪ Perform a business function independently and fulfil their role and responsibilities, e.g., business intelligence analyst, product and process developer, financial manager, regulation affairs specialist. -- Note: The business function should have a sufficient level of business/management engagement, positions with a purely ‘technical orientation’ such as those primarily involving lab work are not acceptable.
➔ Analytical and problem-solving skills ▪ Evaluate complex business challenges, gather and scrutinize necessary information, and employ advanced business analytics techniques to devise effective solutions.
➔ Professional skills ▪ Demonstrate proficiency in soft skills such as communication, self-management, and teamwork, and apply these effectively in diverse business environments. Understand and adhere to organizational guidelines while managing relationships and conflicts.
➔ Business development competence (only for Business Development Internships) ▪ Identify critical business challenges, independently orchestrate and execute a business project to address them, and generate actionable business insights from analytical results.
Timetable
The internship program is offered in five cohorts: September, November, January, May, and July. The ending in each cohort is that students submit their final report before the 15th of the cohort’s month, and receive their grade by the end of that month. The students need to sign up for their prefered cohort at least six months prior to the start of the internship. These cohorts are determined by when the internship reports are due.
Mode of instruction
The student is assigned an academic supervisor by Business Studies team. The academic supervisor task it is to provide guidance regarding the academic requirements the student needs to meet, and a line manager within the internship organisation who supervises the student’s day to day activities during the internship.
Course load
There are two types of internships with different requirements and ECs (20/30). The number of ECs is determined by different levels of learning outcomes. ECs account for not only work at the Internship Organization but also other activities, such as applying for an internship, preparing deliverables to the universities, and self-studies for the internship project.
Assessment method
Students are assessed based on the following deliverables: The Internship Plan, the Interim Report, the SBB Colloquium, and the Internship Report. Assessment criteria are in line with the required learning objectives (Internship type: Weight):
Organizational and industrial knowledge (Pratice: 5/20; Development: 5/30)
Business function competence (Pratice: 5/20; Development: 5/30)
Analytical and problem-solving skills (Pratice: 5/20; Development: 5/30)
Professional skills (Pratice: 5/20; Development: 5/30)
Business development competence (Pratice: 0; Development: 10/30)
Reading list
The internship handbook (available on the BrightSpace page) is the primary reading for all students. Students are expected to acquaint themselves with the handbook. Additional readings will be determined depending on the scope of the Business Studies Internship.
Registration
Self-enrollment in Brightspace, no registration in MyStudymap.
Contact
bs-internships@liacs.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
Software
Starting from the 2024/2025 academic year, the Faculty of Science will use the software distribution platform Academic Software. Through this platform, you can access the software needed for specific courses in your studies. For some software, your laptop must meet certain system requirements, which will be specified with the software. It is important to install the software before the start of the course. More information about the laptop requirements can be found on the student website.