Knowledge and skills learnt in the compulsory courses of the profile.

A project- and trainee period has several objectives. It provides an opportunity for the student, under guidance of a company and supervisor from SDU, to apply or try out competencies and knowledge acquired the M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration programme in a “real” life context. This provides a context for the student to use the skills and theories learnt during the programme and to reflect on their applicability. To reach this end, the student must work independently on one or more projects that are reasonable in scope and resource requirement in terms of the timeframe and expected workload compared to the number of ECTS assigned to the activity.

There are no specified content areas, but the content should, in general represent the field of the student’s profile on the MSc in Economics and Business Administration. In order to solve the specific problems at hand, the student may need to search for and implement theories and methods additional to the contents of the compulsory courses.

The project- and trainee period should contain two main elements:

The Project- and Trainee Period may take place in a private/public company, an association or an NGO and must take up app. 200 working hours corresponding to app. 27 days. The student is responsible for making contact to the organization in which the internship takes place. The student cannot receive a salary for carrying out the tasks connected to the project- and internship period. The student may receive funding to cover documented expenses during the project- and trainee period. The student may have a job in the organization during the project- and trainee period. The company/organization must appoint an employee as a liaison between the university and the student. This person will also assist in resolving practical issues related to implementation of the project.

The work/problems/tasks undertaken by the student during the project must allow the student to test and develop relevant competences. The work to be performed in the internship thus must include appropriate tasks, i.e. the student's work must have a specific academic content and include not only general office work or similar. The content of the internship must be related to one or more specific fields/subjects within the area of business economics or business administration in a broad sense but within the MSc program profile. Proposals for actual working tasks/problems are prepared by the student in collaboration with the contact person in the trainee organization. Schedule for the working days/hours is made in agreement between the student and the organization/company.

To ensure that the project(s) is suitable for a trainee period, the student must, prior to starting the trainee period (undertaking the actual project work in the organization) have an introductory meeting with the profile responsible in person or virtually (Skype or similar). At the meeting, the student must present a preliminary project description including concrete and specific ideas about the focus of the project, suggested methods to be used, relevant literature as well as an outline of which compulsory courses and topics (the competencies) that are expected to be used during the internship.

If the project is suitable, the student refines the preliminary project description and outlines the project on a digital form situated on the study webpage. The preliminary project description on the form must give the same information as needed for the introductory meeting. Based on this information, the profile responsible then allocates a supervisor. The student then refines the project description again if necessary, and agrees on work terms etc. with the company. The agreement with the company and the project description must be approved by the supervisor and the profile manager by the given deadline (see under Examination conditions).

The student should show ability to select, employ and/or reflect upon specific theoretical and analytic approaches in relation to one or more  projects.

The student should be able to demonstrate competence to:

The student is required to present a project report, which clearly reflects the utilization of the particular study programme’s theoretical and methodical disciplines in the solution of the problem. The choice of literature serving as background for solving the problem should reflect this. The scope of the literature list and the need for supplementing the study's syllabus with further literature will vary greatly depending on the organization and problems/projects in question.

The project- and trainee period preferably takes place during the third semester of the studies. The project- and trainee period cannot take place during the first semester. Enrolment for the course takes place as enrolment for other courses.

The distribution of the project work in the organization is agreed with the organization where the internship takes place. The project and trainee period usually takes place across one semester (5 months) including supervision, project work in the organization and writing the final report. The period may also be placed prior to a semester in for example August or as a combination. Regarding requirements for  this, look under “Examination conditions”

5 hours of supervision is set aside to support the student during the project- and trainee period. The 6 hours include communication, supervision, and preparation for meetings. Read about allocation of supervisor under “Content – Key Areas”.

In addition to supervision, the student will get instruction on career management in the form of a career management workshop taking up approx. 10 hours. The workshop is designed to help the student get maximum benefit from the project period and stimulate reflection on how the student’s competences are used most appropriately.

Workload:

Time in the company: app. 200 hours.

Writing the project report: 55 hours.

Career Management Workshop 10 hours.

Supervisory work (contact with the supervisor and preparation): 5 hours

Total: 270 hours.

The student may not receive payment for the project-oriented study, as a) the activity is an ECTS-bearing activity, and b) the student may receive SU during the study. Reimbursement for some expenses or a monthly payment for confirmed expenses can however be granted during the study. If repayment/reimbursement is received, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure, whether it is taxable or not.  

Companies and organizations can give students in unprofitable projectoriented courses and on unpaid study stays an acknowledgment of up to DKK 3,000 a month.

Students who participate in projectoriented courses abroad may receive a salary if there is a legal requirement for minimum wages in the country in question.

Ordinary: The report must be handed in no later than Tuesday in week 51 at 12:00 (noon)/ Tuesday in week 21 at 12:00 (noon) (spring semester).

Reexam: The report must be handed in Tuesday week 8 at 12:00 (noon) (autumn semester) / Tuesday week 34 at 12:00 (noon) (spring semester).

In special cases the student may submit his or her internship report at other times in agreement with the supervisor but no later than end of January/June. An alteration of the hand-in date must be agreed at least one month before the standard deadline. The student must inform the Student Information Point about the new hand in deadline with documentation that the new deadline is agreed with the supervisor

The form for the re-exam can be changed by the study board. Such a change will be announced 14 days before the reexam takes place.

Registration for the course is automatically a registration for the ordinary examination in the course. Cancellation is not possible. If the student does not participate in the examination, the student will use an examination attempt.

There are two examination conditions:

1) Electronic contract - Passed/not passed (course ID 8825412):

Electronic contract (Supervisor agreement) with the below listed information must be approved by the the supervisor and the profile responsible by the following dates: 15th September/15th February. If the contract is not approved at this date, the student cannot take this course and must choose another elective within the period during which this is possible.

The digital form for uploading and approving the the project- and trainee agreement is available at the programme’s page on www.sdu.dk. The agreement must as a minimum contain the following information:

The profile responsible may grant deviations from the deadline for approval of the agreement.

2) Participation in workshop - Passed/not passed. (course ID 8825422):

The student must complete the Career Management Workshop during the project period and before final exam. Students who are abroad during their Project period (due to the location of the host organization/internship) may participate in the special e-learn Career Management Workshop. If the student does not pass this exam condition, he or she may not participate in the exam and has used an examination attempt.

The profile responsible may grant deviations from the above.

Fulfillment of the exam requirement is only possible prior to the ordinary exam. Participation in the re-examination thus requires passing the exam requirement prior to the ordinary exam.

Report.

Individual project report.

Duration: Ongoing during the semester. Deadline for handing in appears under Time of examination.

Location: Home assignment.

Internet Access: Necessary.

Hand out: Not relevant.

Hand in: Via SDU-assignment in the course page in Blackboard.

Extent: 25 - 40 standard pages.

Exam Aids: All exam aids allowed.

The project and trainee period concludes with a project report in which the student shows ability to carry out the project for the period and to discuss and reflects upon the experience as described under learning goals.

The final report should include:

- Description and analysis of the selected problem, issues or routines.  

- Concise presentation of the project context and the problem selected.

- Delimitation of the problem.

- Theoretical background for analysis of the problem.

- Methods used for collection and analysis of empirical data used to analyse the problem.

- Recommendations and discussions of results of the analysis.

- Evaluation and discussion of the implications and limitations of the terms, theories and perspectives for   the project/trainee work carried out

- In an appendix, the student must shortly describe place of internship, the student's work during the stay, experiences and assessments of internship

The report should meet the Formalities for written assignments applying to programmes in economics and business administration.

In case of reexam as a result of a nonpassed report handed in for the ordinary exam, re-examination takes place on the basis of a revised report with the same topic (and the same company)).  In this case, a short supervision is granted in the form of an explanation major weaknesses in the original report.

Regardless whether the report is handed in the first time for the ordinary exam or for the reexam, supervision takes place only in the time before the date stipulated for handing in for the ordinary exam.