In connection with the Master of Science in Public Health programme, students are able to do internships in private or public organisations/companies in Denmark or abroad.
Doing an internship will allow you as a student to:
- bridge the gap between theory and practice
- sharpen your educational profile and generate focus for your further education
- create networks and open doors to the labour market.
The internship is completed with a written report
In the third semester (first or second quarter) of the master programme, you can choose between:
- Elective modules
- Internships domestically or abroad
- Studies abroad or at another Danish University
The length of the internship period must equal a workload of 15 ETCS points corresponding to 8 weeks of full-time employment (37 hour workweek) or 16 weeks part-time employment (18,5 hour workweek). Part-time internship is possible if the student attends two electives (15 ECTS), one in each period of the third semester along the part time internship.
It is up to you as a student to make contact with the place of internship. However, SDU RIO, may also be able to help with inspiration and good ideas.
If the place of internship wishes to know more about internships at Public Health Science, you may give them the below letter:
Letter to the place of internship GB(.pdf)
Letter to the place of internship DK (.pdf)
You might also find inspiration on Itslearning, where the study administration sometimes shares postings from companies and organizations looking for interns.
A written agreement on the purpose and content of the internship as well as the planning of the work must be made between you and the place of internship. The agreement must be approved by the internship coordinator. Furthermore, an academically qualified employee (must as a minimum hold a Master of Science degree) from the place of internship must be assigned as the student’s supervisor. However, this employee will not act as supervisor in connection with the student’s written report. A supervisor from the University will be appointed for this.
Students must use this template for the internship agreement.
The agreement should be signed by the supervisor at the place of intern and the student.
Be aware that the internship must equal a full time study/work, that is 37 working hours per week, unless the internship period exceeds 8 weeks
It is important that the content of the internship as well as your work tasks are described in such a detail that the internship coordinator can evaluate whether the internship can be preapproved. Furthermore, it is important for your own sake, as a detailed description will secure that both you and the place of internship have equal expectations. Should disagreement or problems occur during your internship, a detailed, approved and signed written agreement will give you something to relate to.
Your application for an internship must be pre-approved by the internship coordinator. The pre-approval can be withdrawn, if the internship report does not live up to the conditions of agreed upon in the pre-approval. Thus it is important to inform the internship coordinator if major changes in the internship agreement are made.
You apply for this by submitting a form via SPOC. The form “Internship – Master in Public Health” can be found under the "study secretariat".
The internship agreement must still be signed and uploaded in the SPOC form.
The deadline for internships in the autumn semester is august 15th
When the internship is pre-approved by the internship coordinator and before the course starts, you will be assigned a supervisor from SDU. You will receive an email from the internship coordinator about this
The general rule is that each internship is entitled to two sessions of supervision.
When you finish your internship you must prepare a written report.
The internship assignment must focus on a topic, situation or task you encountered or worked with at the specific place of internship.
Since the content of the internships vary a lot, the assignment may differ due to the individual internships. The precise shape and content of the report will therefore need to be decided between the student and appointed supervisor from SDU.
An example of an outline for the written report could be:
- Introduction
- Problem statement
- Considerations regarding the methodology
- Presentation of results
- Conclusion
The length of the report is 15 normal pages and will be graded pass/fail
You will find the examination regulations in the course description.
The assignment must be submitted no later than February 15th at 12:00 via Digital Exam (if the 15th falls on a Sunday, the deadline is moved to the nearest Monday).
The exam must be uploaded in pdf format.
If you do not pass the exam, you must resubmit the exam assignment at the re-examination time. You will have to modify and correct it in accordance with the requirements and comments given by the examiner.
The deadline for submission is: 15 February at 12:00 (if the 15th falls on a Sunday, the dealine is moved to the proximate Monday)
If you are a non EU/EEA citizen with a permit to study in Denmark, you need to apply for a work permit in order to do an internship during your studies.
From autumn 2021 it is possible for students to engage in an internship in their own ‘company’ as an alternative to an internship in a host organization.
If you have an idea, project og perhaps even a cvr. registered company, you can decide to use that as fundament for your internship. The general purpose is to clarify whether there is a market for your idea, ensure professional grounding in your studies and not least reflection on being an academic in practice.
The internship-course is ECTS rewarding and is run as a 16-week project and your internship you can focus on different topics such as (but not limited to) product-market-fit, customer journeys, business model, pricing, usability test etc. However, your internship in your own company still requires a supervisor within your field of study.
You will also be matched with an external supervisor – which is a business develop manager from SDU Entrepreneurship Labs.
As part of the internship you will become part of a network with other students who have chosen the same course and/or works with their startup-projects.
What to expect?
Two business development meetings pr. month – eight in total. Participation in three workshops with fellow students. The themes for these workshops vary from time to time, but often include customer journeys, budgeting, user experience and marketing. This is on top of your meetings with your academic supervisor. The purpose with the business development meetings is to guide and help you progress with your project in general and specific tasks formulated by you.
Report
The report must live up to the provisions of the Public Health curriculum, but it is crucial that emphasis is placed on characterizing and thematizing the company / conditions in the company with the inclusion of theory. The theory used can e.g. used to unfold and deepen a learning about whether and how the company is sustainable.
More information
You are more than welcome to contact business developer Jens Martinus Pedersen via jensp@sdu.dk