Internships

A Curricular Internship allows you to gain practical experience companies, institutions, or university structures, including those of the University of Bologna, to enhance your education and make your first contact with the world of work.

A Final Examination Internship is a curricular internship, usually undertaken for the purpose of preparing the dissertation for second cycle degree programmes, and is defined on the basis of a project agreed with your supervisor. 

A Practical Evaluation Internship (TPV) is only foreseen in vocational degree programmes and in degree programmes related to certain professions (e.g. Pharmacy, Psychology, Medicine and Surgery, etc.).  

Some things to know 

• You can do an internship in Italy or abroad.

• It can be compulsory or optional, but in any case, it must be included in your study plan before submitting your application. 

• The internship cannot take place in companies where the persons in charge (partners, managers, legal representatives) are your relatives up to the second degree. 

Consult the internships page of your degree programme to find out 

• What types of internships are available: curricular internships, final examination internships, practical evaluation internships.

• Whether it is compulsory or optional. 

• How many credits (CFUs) are awarded. 

• When you can apply. 

Remember 

• You must complete the safety course before applying for an internship: General Training - Module 1 and Specific Low Risk Training - Module 2. 

See the Compulsory Health and Safety Training page for your degree programme. The host will check the training you have received and, if necessary, supplement it according to the specific risk.

You will find all the information you need to activate your internship on the Internships page of your degree programme, in the Studying section. 

You will find specific information on the type of internship, activation period, duration and any prerequisites (e.g. minimum number of CFUs registered, exams passed). You will also find useful information about offers from companies and institutions, how to send your application and what to do if you have already agreed an activity with an institution or company. 

See the Internships pages on your degree programme website 

• First and single cycle degree programmes 

• Second cycle degree programmes

You can do an internship abroad by choosing from one of the following options

• Participate in a mobility programme: check the programme pages to find out if there are any open calls and what documents are required: Erasmus+ Mobility for traineeship 

• Find a company or institution abroad: if you choose this route, the procedure is the same as for an internship in Italy. 

If you are about to graduate and would like to do an internship abroad after graduation, apply to the call: Erasmus+ Mobility for traineeship

The extra-curricular internship, also known as training and guidance internship, is an internship that is not linked to university education, takes place in Italy and is activated through authorised promotion bodies. 

Please note: the University of Bologna does not act as a promoter of extra-curricular internships. 

In Emilia-Romagna you can do an internship even if you do not have a first cycle degree, for more details see the Emilia-Romagna Region website  

If you want to do the internship in a region other than Emilia-Romagna, please consult the specific regulations on the website of the region where the internship will take place.  

If you are a graduate of the University of Bologna, you can search for extracurricular internships offered by companies or institutions and apply through the Online Internship Service  

However, in order to activate the internship, you must contact the promoters authorised by the region where the internship will take place.

For post-graduate internships abroad, the rules of the host country apply.  The relationship is usually direct between the intern and the host company. 

If you are about to graduate and would like to do a post-graduate internship abroad with the support of the University, you should apply for the call: Erasmus+ Mobility for Traineeships

A paid training opportunity that will give you an insight into the workings of a large and highly complex public organisation such as our University. 

To be considered for the internship you must apply to the call for applications. 

To find out how to do this, visit the page and check if there are any active calls for applications 

An internship is a flexible tool for training people who may work with you in the future as well as an essential experience for university students entering the world of work. It makes it possible to use the knowledge acquired at university to acquire new skills in the field. 

How to work with us by offering an internship 

• You can post an internship offer for university students.

• You can offer a Practical Evaluation Internship (TPV) as part of a vocational or professional degree programmes (e.g. Pharmacy, Psychology, Medicine and Surgery, etc.) according to the specific regulations and methods of each degree programme  

• Activating an internship does not involve any costs for the company, but the company may offer the intern an allowance or reimbursement of expenses.

• Please contact our offices for more information. 

Insurance cover 

The University of Bologna provides accident and third-party liability insurance cover for students during the approved internship period and who are indicated in the attendance register.  

For further information on what is covered, please visit the insurance services page.  

We create value 

If you are interested in other forms of collaboration with the University of Bologna, there are many ways in which we can work together to create opportunities for innovation and value. 

Find out more

• In order to be able to host interns and publish internship opportunities on the dedicated platform, an agreement must be signed with the University.

• A Curricular Internship Agreement usually lasts for five years, is free of charge for the host and allows students from any degree programme to be placed in internships. 

• It is not possible to host trainees who are relatives, up to the second degree, of the persons in charge (partners, managers, legal representatives). 

•  The Online internship service for companies is the platform where you can carry out the entire activation procedure, enter offers, monitor ongoing and completed internships, download documentation, and carry out final evaluations. 

• In order for the person you are hosting to carry out their internship correctly, you must check and, if necessary, integrate their Occupational Health and Safety Training. 

• Before accepting the person for the internship, make sure that they have already downloaded the attendance register from the University internship platform, which certifies that they are authorised to carry out the activities.  

Getting started 

1. Register and sign the internship agreement by connecting to the Online Internship Service for Companies 

2. Once the agreement has been signed, you can make a curricular internship offer: the offer can be dedicated to one or more study courses or ad personam, if the person to be hosted in the internship has already been identified. 

3. What you need to know before hosting an intern: 
   Health and Safety Training 
   In accordance with current legislation you must check and, if necessary, supplement the student’s Occupational Health and Safety Training. 
   The University provides a specific e-learning safety training course: General Training - Module 1 and Specific low risk training - Module 2. 
   Attendance register 
   Before accepting the person for the internship, make sure that they have already downloaded the attendance register from the University internship platform, which certifies that they are authorised to carry out the activities. 

Duration of the internship 

The length of an individual internship is determined by the number of educational credits required by the Degree Programme in which the student is enrolled (1 CFU is normally equivalent to 25 hours) and can be completed within the time frame indicated in the attendance register. 

Insurance cover and travel 

The University of Bologna provides accident and third-party liability insurance cover only for the period of time approved and indicated in the attendance register. In order to obtain extended insurance cover in the event of travel to places or facilities not indicated in the approved internship programme, such travel must be notified in advance, at least two working days in advance, to the Internship Office and to the academic tutor, who must authorise it. 

At the end of the internship 

Once the total number of hours for the internship has been reached, the tutor of the host organisation must: 

• Sign the attendance  register to certify the internship hours completed by the student and issue any other documentation required by the student's degree programme.

• Complete the end-of-training questionnaire.
  

Professional Internships with Assessment (TPV) are aimed at accessing the Professional Assessment Test required for accessing certain professions.

If you are a company or institution interested in hosting students for a Professional Internship with Assessment

Professional Internships with Assessment (TPV) can be offered as part of degree programmes that are professionally oriented or that qualify students to practice certain professions (Psychology, Pharmacy and Medicine), on the basis of specific regulatory provisions and in accordance with the procedures provided for by each individual programme.

For degree programmes in the field of Psychology

Facilities interested in hosting interns in the field of psychology as part of a Professional Internship with Assessment (TPV), aimed at accessing the Professional Assessment Test required for the profession, must sign an Internship Agreement and must seek eligibility from the University - Association of Psychologists Integrated Internship Committee. To do so, fill in and sign the Declaration of Availability Form and send it by regular e-mail or registered email (PEC) to the Internship Office.

• Institutions and companies: Declaration of Availability form for TPVs [.pdf 270 KB] [.pdf 270 KB]
• Health authorities: Declaration of Availability form for TPVs [.pdf 225 KB] [.pdf 302 KB]
• Facilities based abroad: Declaration of Availability form for TPVs [.pdf 995 KB] [.pdf 995 KB]

For degree programmes in the Pharmaceutical field

See the dedicated information on the individual degree programme pages

• Single-cycle degree programme in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies
• Single-cycle degree programme in Pharmacy

For degree programmes in the Medical field 

• First- and single-cycle degree programmes
• Second-cycle degree programmes

An extracurricular internship, also known as a training or orientation internship, is a work experience separate from university coursework. These internships take place in Italy and must be activated through authorized promoters in the region where the internship is held.

The University of Bologna no longer acts as a promoter for extracurricular internships.

If you’ve previously hosted curricular interns through the University of Bologna, you can still post an extracurricular internship offer on the Online Internship Service. However, you’ll need to work with a regionally authorized promoter to activate it. For more details on extracurricular internships in Emilia-Romagna, visit the Emilia-Romagna Region website.