Project-oriented Internship

F2026

Nordic Urban Planning Studies

Project oriented internship

Elective

English

Read about the Master Programme and find the Study Regulations at ruc.dk

Please be aware of the approval requirements for a project-oriented internship. You can read more about the approval process here

15

Tatiana Fogelman (fogelman@ruc.dk)

Tatiana Fogelman (fogelman@ruc.dk)

IMT Registration & Exams (imt-exams@ruc.dk)

U60329

The project-oriented internship may be taken as an alternative to the second semester project at RUC. It provides an opportunity to learn through a mix of practical work, reflection on the intersection between theory and practice, and independent preparation of the internship report with support of supervision.

Students are themselves responsible for finding and securing an internship host, and for the practical implementation of the internship, including ensuring that both their tasks for the host and their obligations to the university are fulfilled.

The internship must be approved by the study leader before it is commenced. The main activities must be described, and they must lie within the field of the programme.

A written project report must be prepared. The problem statement is defined by the student but must relate to theoretical or empirical issues from the field of the programme, which the internship at the host organization or its activities provide an opportunity to explore and illuminate.

The project-oriented internship may be taken as an alternative to the second semester project at RUC. It provides an opportunity to learn through a mix of practical work, reflection on the intersection between theory and practice, and independent preparation of the internship report with support of supervision.

Students are themselves responsible for finding and securing an internship host, and for the practical implementation of the internship, including ensuring that both their tasks for the host and their obligations to the university are fulfilled. The internship must be approved by the study leader before it is commenced. The main activities must be described, and they must lie within the field of the programme.

A written project report must be prepared. The problem statement is defined by the student but must relate to theoretical or empirical issues from the field of the programme, which the internship at the host organization or its activities provide an opportunity to explore and illuminate.

Readings to be identified by the student relevant to the focus of the project-oriented internship.

Expected study effort

A total of 405 hours, of which at least 100 hours should be devoted to study activities and project writing. Of these, around 10 hours are for the supervision meetings.

Important: Students need to plan the 300 hours spent at the place of internship throughout the semester in such a way that allows for students to participate in the other educational academic activities of the semester (placed primarily in the first two months of the semester).

Teaching and learning activities:

• Internship application and contract • Internship employment • Independent research • Supervisory meeting

Staff-involving activities take place on campus.

Internship work takes place at the relevant company or organization.

The project-oriented internship is evaluated via a written questionnaire after the end of the overall activity, and is evaluated more generally through meetings of the NUPS Education Committee and contributions of student representatives.

By the end of this project/oriented internship, students should be able to:

• Apply relevant theories, methods and approaches from the programme to address practical problems and issues within the context of the internship

• Demonstrate knowledge and insight into current academic literature relevant to addressing a research question relevant to their internship project

• Identify, work with and analyse an academically relevant research question in a specific practical context

• Evaluate and reflect on which knowledge, skills and competences obtained through the academic programme are needed to participate in, understand and/or solve tasks arising in the urban planning-related practice

• Independently complete a project-oriented internship, including planning and managing the workflow

• Relate practical knowledge and experience back to the programme’s academic theories, concepts and methods

Project-oriented internship with a written product

The product can be written individually or in a group.

The character limits of the written product:
For 1 student : 33,600-52,800 characters, including spaces.
For 2 students: 33,600-52,800 characters, including spaces.

The character limits include the cover, table of contents, bibliography, figures and other illustrations, but exclude appendices.

Assessment: Pass/Fail

Samme som ordinær eksamen / same form as ordinary exam

The activity is assessed through a written project-like internship-based report. Project report follows the overall structure of problem-oriented project and should contain all the basic elements (problem area, problem formulation, literature review, theoretical/conceptual framework, research design, analysis and conclusion) but focuses on a problem formulation that arose out of the work or part of the work conducted at the place of internship.

Formal requirements regarding the content and length of the project report and length of the project exam are outlined above.

Assessment criteria

• Identify and analyse academically relevant research questions in the practical context of the internship • Demonstrate understanding of relevant current planning literature and debates • Identify, apply and assess the implications of planning and/or urban theories, methods and approaches relevant for addressing practical issues and problems within the internship • Evaluate how knowledge, skills and competencies from the programme can be applied to work on practice assignments and research questions • Communicate reflections and arguments effectively through the form of the written report.