Internship Business Engineering

Business Engineering students who have completed their Bachelor’s programme can undertake an internship in (the summer holidays before the start of) the Master's programme. This internship forms part of a 6-credit elective course unit and has a workload of 20 to 30 working days.

The Business Engineering programme

Business Engineering students are trained to design information systems, analyse (statistical) business data, model processes and manage various solution methods. In this way, one is able to analyse, solve and actually implement business problems in a real business process, starting from an abstract model.

The Master’s programme consists of 120 credits (equivalent of 2 years) in which the student chooses one of the following specialisations:

In this Master's programme, the chosen specialisation is taught entirely in English. Here the student has the opportunity to undertake an internship as an elective course unit.

More general information about the Business Engineering programme

What are the conditions for the internship?

The content of the internship assignment must be in line with the programme.
The internship includes clearly defined tasks which the student addresses a specific challenge or problem statement from within the organisation.
The internship is supervised by an expert in the discipline.
If telework is allowed by the company, the student must be present at the office at least 3 days a week.
There are no business, friendship or family connections between student and internship provider.

Max 1 student per office. Exceptions may be possible, depending on tasks and guidance.
An internship is always unpaid. Compensation for e.g., meals or transport is allowed.

Duration and period of the internship

The internship has a workload of 20 to 30 working days.
The internship can be undertaken full-time or part-time. The maximum distribution allowed is 3 days a week for 10 weeks, this to guarantee the continuity of the internship.
The internship period is flexible and is chosen according to the abilities of the student and the internship provider. The most obvious months for this internship are June, July, August and September as these are the lecture-free periods. Students who deviate from the model learning track may also undertake an internship during other periods.

Coaching and evaluation of the internship

The supervisor of the internship provider is responsible for the general guidance by preparing concrete assignments, within the parameters of the previously approved internship content, and following up on the implementation thereof. Regular feedback to the student is essential to evaluate and, if necessary, adjust their performance. If necessary, the supervisor of the internship provider will contact the supervisor of Ghent University.

During the internship period, the supervisor of Ghent University will schedule an interim contact opportunity with the supervisor of the internship provider and the student to see how the internship is going.

After completing the internship, the supervisor of the internship provider will give their assessment of the intern according to the categories of the final evaluation. It is based on both the performance as well as competencies and attitudes. We encourage you to review the final evaluation with the student and discuss the progress, valued strengths and areas of improvement.

As a final component of the evaluation, the student will write an internship report. In this the student develops one or more internship assignments, linking them with the programme (based on academic theories, legal texts and/or conceptual frameworks). If confidential information is included in the internship report, a non-disclosure agreement can be drawn up.

Examples of internship assignments

A few guiding examples per specialisation can be found below.

Finance

Application/implementation of financial regulation (Solvency II, Basel III, MiFID, …) and participation in related reporting.
Analysis of investment portfolios, credit applications, Global Advisory Letters, …
Substantive preparation of files for the purpose of assisting with consultancy: e.g., carrying out of financial analyses (liquidity, solvency, profitability, cash flow) within the framework of investment credits, setting credit limits, ...
Qualitative and quantitative analysis of financial products (shares, investment funds, …).
Thorough analysis of financial information/files.
Participating in the development of new reporting models or business plan in a financial context.
Monitoring, analysing and summarising/reporting on financial news.
Valuation of companies, construction of valuation models.
Preparation of annual risk analysis of option positions.
Analysing and improving risk management techniques that companies use to hedge their financial risks.
Analysing the current IT governance structure and mechanisms of organisations.
Modelling, analysing and improving business processes.
Applying business process management techniques in an organisation.

Operations Management

Improving and optimising production process and inventory control.
Analysis of the flow of goods (from raw material to finished product) and transport to consumers.
Analysing project and portfolio data (planning, risk and control).
Managing project resources.
Optimising project parameters (contracts, cash flow, ...).
Analysing an organisation's enterprise architecture for a better strategic alignment.
Analysing an organisation's enterprise architecture to implement new technologies.
Analysing an organisation's enterprise architecture to implement technology/data-driven innovations.
Analysing the impact of technology/data-driven innovation on the business model and/or operating model of organisations.
Analysing the current IT governance structure and mechanisms of organisations.
Modelling, analysing and improving business processes.
Applying business process management techniques in an organisation.
Analysing, improving and managing resource schedules in an organisation (transportation, services, healthcare, ...).
Analysing and improving resource allocation.
Production and inventory management.
Supply chain planning.
Logistics systems design and planning.
Preparing audits to obtain a quality certificate (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 14001, …).
Establishing control charts to monitor variation in a production process.
Establishing an effective and efficient sample quality control strategy.
Optimising the purchase policy given discount structure and transport costs.

Data Analytics

Solving knowledge problems using business intelligence and data mining (‘big data’).
Analysing social media data and web data and formulating conclusions and recommendations accordingly.
Modelling, analysing and improving business processes.
Applying business process management techniques in an organisation.

How to offer an internship?

The content of all the available internships is evaluated before we announce the internships to the students via the online learning platform.

Offer an internship through stage.eb@ugent.be

Contract and insurance

The internship agreement of Ghent University is used at all times.

During the internship, the student is insured through the following policies:

Personal physical accidents: for medical expenses if the student becomes the victim of a personal physical accident on the way to and from the internship activities.
General civil liability: for damage caused by the student while carrying out the internship, insofar as there is an uncommon slight negligence on the part of the intern. This liability of the internship provider, both for damage to third parties and for damage to the internship provider itself, is insured under this policy. The personal liability of the intern, i.e., for fraud, gross negligence and common slight negligence, is not covered by this policy.
Travel assistance: for medical expenses, repatriation, etc., for students who travel abroad as part of an internship activity. In addition, health insurance and possible additional insurance are needed.
Accidents at work: the student is insured for industrial accidents at the internship provider’s premises.

Contact

Tine Claeys - Internship Coordinator
Tine.Claeys@ugent.be