In-company Period / In-company Period

Department of Technology and Innovation, Odense
Teaching activity id: OM-INCO-U1.
Teaching language: English.ECTS / weighting: 15 ECTS / 0.250 full-time equivalent.
Period: Spring 2018.Approved: 18-11-16.
Offered in: Odense.

Subject director:
Associate Professor Jens Arvad Johansen, Institut for Teknologi og Innovation.

Prerequisites:
It is a prerequisite that the student has passed all compulsory courses on the first two semesters of the study programme in question. Moreover, it is a prerequisite that the in-company period will not cause delays in your studies.

It is the responsibility of the student to arrange the in-company period at a Danish domiciled company.

To get approval of the period it is a requirement that the company can offer the student active participation in project(s) and tasks relevant to the student’s study programme.

The in-company period must take place physically at the company where the student will have a work station made available.

The company must be able to offer the student a permanent supervisor (MSc in Engineering or equivalent) for the whole period. The supervisor must be employed by the company and available to the student.

The in-company period is unpaid. The department will award the student an academic supervisor who will keep in contact with the student and the company on a regular basis. The academic supervisor must supervise the student throughout the course and in the writing of the academic report.

The company and the student will enter into an agreement which will be approved by the Academic Study Board of the Faculty of Engineering. The agreement must include a description of the project(s) and tasks, which the students must undertake during the in-company period, drawn up by the student in cooperation with the academic supervisor and the company.


Content - Key areas:
The in-company period is an elective course. The objective of the in-company period is to provide the student with knowledge and understanding of practical situations, methods, processes and engineering functions in a company in order for the student to relate these to the master of science in engineering degree as well as to a future employment as graduate engineer.

The student must work on a well-defined research or development project at the company. The project must be relevant to the student’s study programme and the chosen profile or specialisation on the master programme

It is important that the student follows courses at the University of Southern Denmark during the in-company period in order to combine the academic and the practical learning.


Learning outcomes:
Knowledge

The student is able to
  • account for the organisational, financial, social and work-related issues of the company, including communication and cooperation between employees at different organisational levels, regulations, and administrative routines
  • account for practical and theoretical knowledge achieved during the in-company period
  • account for and reflect on the scientific issues that have risen during the project work at the company based on theoretical and practical academic knowledge.

Skills

The student is able to
  • account for and reflect on the communicative challenges of the company project(s), including oral and written communication in various forums consisting of people with different occupational, educational and social backgrounds
  • analyse and assess, on a scientific basis, the company’s choice of method and tools to solve problems encountered in connection with the company project(s)
  • apply the theoretical key areas of the study programme in feasible projects at the company.

Competence

The student is able to
  • Reflect critically on own development in terms of creativity, independence and interpersonal skills during the in-company period.



Time of classes:
The in-company period will be completed on the third semester of the study programme simultaneously with courses on the master programme.

The student must in average be present at the company no less than two days a week for fifteen weeks.  


The student must in average be present at the company no less than two days a week for fifteen weeks.  

Form of instruction:
During the in-company period the student will work on tasks and projects relevant to the study programme of the student.

The in-company period is as a rule an individual study activity.


Examination conditions:
The student must submit:

  • A statement from the company that the period has been completed in accordance with the agreement.
  • A report containing the student’s reflections on the in-company period in relation to the outlined learning objectives and an academic report on the project(s) in which the student has been involved.


Evaluation
Internal examination with co-examiner assessed according to the Danish 7-point grading scale based on an overall assessment of:
  • the student report
  • the company statement
  • an oral examination


Comments:
The course replaces 15 ECTS electives.

Because the student is required to complete courses on the master programme simultaneously with the in-company period combined with an objective to strengthen the cooperation with local companies, the in-company period can, as a rule, only be completed at a Danish domiciled company.


Programmes:
MSc in Engineering (Operations Management)
3. semester, elective subject. Offered in: Odense