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Internship - Bio-engineering

Voluntary internship (not in the curriculum)

  • The internship must have a clear link with your current programme at UGent.

  • The most important step is obtaining the approval of a suitable academic supervisor.

  • Check the conditions for a voluntary internship.

  • Arrange your voluntary internship agreement (available here) so that you are insured.

  • If you do not want to include your internship in your curriculum, you do not need to complete all the steps below.

Timeline (internship included in the curriculum)

If you want to include your internship in your curriculum, follow the step-by-step plan below. More details for each step are given beneath the figure.

You’ll find indicative timing for a summer-holiday internship in the blue boxes on this page.

Timeline Internship Bio-engineering

1. Interested?

Info session

Conditions

  • You can only take an internship as an elective in your master’s programme.

  • You may include max. 10 ECTS of internship.

  • You can only add the course unit to your curriculum in the academic year in which your defence takes place.  Example: if you do the internship in summer 2023 and the defence is in December 2023, you can add the course to your curriculum in academic year 2023–2024.

Course units

Want to know more?

Enroll on the Ufora sites of:

  • Internship and Extended Internship (I002637)
  • International and Extended International Internship (I002638)

How? Log in to Ufora and click “Enroll in course”. Search for the Ufora site(s) using the course code, select the desired course(s), and click “Enroll in course.”

2. Internship position

Finding an internship position

  • You can find interesting companies via the web application.

  • Interested in an internship abroad? Be sure to check this webpage.

  • You may always propose your own company, but note these conditions:

    • Universities, VIB and VITO are excluded as host organisations.

    • Abroad, you may choose a teaching or research institution.

    • Internships in a company or department led by a relative up to the second degree are not eligible.

    • Overlap or double-counting between the master’s dissertation and the internship is not allowed.

Finding a company mentor

  • Find someone within the host organisation who is willing to supervise and evaluate you.

  • Family members up to the second degree cannot act as your mentor.

Summer internship tip: start looking for a company in February–March.

3. Topic & academic supervisor

Fixing your topic

  • Discuss within the host organisation which topic you will work on.

Application form

Academic supervisor

  • Together with your internship coordinator, find a suitable academic supervisor: a professor of the Faculty of Bioscience Engineering familiar with your topic who can help with content and technical matters.

Summer internship tip: get your topic approved and find an academic supervisor in April.

4. Risk assessment & medical questionnaire

A risk assessment must be completed to determine whether a medical examination is required before your internship starts.

  • Complete the Risk analysis for trainees  and send it to the Occupational Health Service (DMT) at dmt@ugent.be. DMT will let you know if a medical exam is needed.

  • If you will work with chemicals, (ionising or non-ionising) radiation, biological agents, or any other higher-risk exposure: also complete the Workstation file for trainees (Part 1 by the host; Part 2 by the trainee) and include it in the same email.

Summer internship tip: complete your risk assessment in April.

5. Internship agreement

Fill in the online application. Enter all details in the online application. Note the different terminology used there:

  • Traineeship mentor = company mentor/supervisor

  • Traineeship supervisor = academic supervisor

Approval & signatures

  • Your academic supervisor will receive an automatic email to approve your application online.

  • After this online approval, you can sign the contract yourself.

  • Also have the company mentor sign it.

  • Email the signed internship contract to fsa.fbw@ugent.be to obtain the dean’s signature.

  • The Faculty Student Administration will return your fully signed agreement.

Changes to the agreement

  • Any changes to your internship period must be reported in advance to fsa.fbw@ugent.be.

IMPORTANT! The internship agreement must be fully signed before your internship starts, otherwise you are not insured!

Summer internship tip: complete the online application by May at the latest.

6. Curriculum

If you want the internship validated as an elective, you must add the course to your curriculum in the academic year of your defence.

  • Example: internship in summer 2021 → defence December 2021 → add the course in academic year 2021–2022.

7. Report

  • Follow the guidelines for writing your report.

  • Submit your report digitally via Ufora under the internship course you take. You can only do this after the start of the academic year in which you include the internship course.

  • Email a PDF version to your company mentor and your academic supervisor.

Deadline = 1 month before your defence

8. Defence

  • Give a presentation of about 10 minutes.

  • The assessment is carried out by the company mentor and your academic supervisor.

  • The Faculty Student Administration organises the defence schedule. Defences take place in the resit week in December or May.

  • FSA invites the jury members and sends them the evaluation form in November (for a December defence).

  • If the company requires confidentiality, jury members will be asked to sign a non-disclosure document during the defence.

9. Interested in an internship abroad?

You can always choose to do your internship abroad. In that case, alongside the usual internship registration, you also submit an exchange application. There are several options:

  • An internship at an academic institution abroad: check this webpage to see, per programme, the academic partners where you could do an internship.

  • An internship at a company abroad: find an interesting company with sites abroad. Via your internship coordinator you may request suggestions.

  • An internship via an internship organisation: IAAS, IAESTE, AIESEC, Humasol, …

Click here for a step-by-step overview of arranging an internship abroad!

Note: you follow the same registration steps for the internship itself.

FAQs

When may I carry out my internship?

  • Most internships take place during the summer holiday.

  • You may also do it during the academic year when you have a free period.

What timing should I follow if my internship is not in summer?

  • The target dates shift with your internship period.

    • Example: for an internship in January, start looking for a host in August–September.

  • If your internship will not be finished before November, your defence will take place in the resit week of the 2nd semester.

  • Inform the Faculty Student Administration (fsa.fbw@ugent.be) as soon as possible if you plan an internship during the academic year so they can plan your defence accordingly.

Am I insured during my internship?

  • Once your internship agreement is fully signed, UGent insures you for the period stated in the agreement.

Do I have to do my internship in one continuous block?

  • Preferably yes, but you may split it up, provided you reach the required total number of working days.

  • On public holidays (e.g. National Day) no work is done; these are not counted as working days. Keep this in mind to reach the minimum.

May I take multiple internship courses?

You may include a maximum of 10 ECTS of internship:

  • 1 × extended internship (10 ECTS) or 1 × extended international internship (10 ECTS), or

  • 1 × regular internship (5 ECTS) and 1 × international internship (5 ECTS).

May I choose a second company for an extended internship?

  • No. For an extended internship you work at least 40 days in the same company/organisation.

Is there any difference in report/presentation between internship and extended internship?

  • No, the guidelines are the same for both.

Sick during the internship?

  • Notify your company mentor as soon as possible and report your absence to the internship coordinator (Prof. Peter Ragaert) via the online tool Absent.

    • You must upload your medical certificate as proof.

Questions?

Anything not answered here? Is administration taking longer than expected?
Feel free to contact fsa.fbw@ugent.be or the faculty internship coordinator Prof. Peter Ragaert (Peter.Ragaert@UGent.be).