Place of the compulsory internship in the program of studies
All the Master’s degree programs leading to a degree in engineering include a compulsory internship in their curricula. The internship is a component in the Master’s degree cycle which must be successfully validated in order to receive the degree. For architecture, on the other hand, it is in fact a pre-requisite for admission into the Master’s degree cycle.
Out of preference, the internship should be done in a company or at least in an organization which is not academic. As its primary purpose is the immersion in a professional environment, the familiarization with the processes of the company and with all aspects of the engineering profession, it cannot take place in a school or in a university.
Internship formats
The Master’s degree programs which require completion of a compulsory internship have defined, in their specific academic regulations, the internship formats recognized for their respective curricula. We have identified three variants:
- a short internship which can be done during an academic break, generally in summer, for a minimum of 8 weeks (but extendable up to 6 months);
- a long internship completed during a full semester, for a duration of between 4 and 6 months;
- an internship realized within the framework of a Master’s degree project, categorized as a thus on the student’s transcript.
In certain programs, the internship is awarded independent credits (8 or 30), marked as separate on the transcript (“SCS”– Internship for Separate Credits). In others, these credits are awarded along with those of the Master’s degree project (indicated as “STAP”- Internship Credited Within the Master’s Degree Project). Successful completion of a Master’s degree project in a company (“PDME”) will earn 30 credits.
The internship cannot take place before the completion of the Bachelor’s degree (with the exception of the Master’s in architecture program). Certain programs require that one or two semesters of Master’s degree studies be completed prior to leaving for internship.
In all cases (separate credits or credits within the project of Master’s degree), the internship must be successfully completed before the last term of studies and the obtention of the degree.
The student is invited to consult his/her department’s academic regulations and to inquire about the variants and periods of possible internships which are allowed.
Contacts within departments
Every faculty or Master’s degree program has appointed an internship coordinator who is the main person of reference for all questions connected to the internships and their validation.
Faculté ENAC Architecture: Gesualdo Casciana Civil engineering: Pascal Turberg – Mélanie Thuillard Environmental sciences and engineering: Pierre-Yves Gilliéron – Christina Treier
Faculty SB Catherine Marselli
Faculty STI Hind Klinke
Faculty IC Eileen Hazboun – Patricia Genet
Faculty SV Igor Allaman
College of management
Master in Management, Technology & Entrepreneurship : Haoua Mahmoudi
Master in Financial Engineering : Marjorie Ebbayilé
College of Humanities Digital humanities: Kathleen Collins
The section administration is the contact for master programs, which do no give the “engineer title” but include an optional work experience in industry.