Duration
1mois Internship
Number of credits
| Master in oceanography, research focus | 6 crédits |
Lecturer
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
All year long
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Organized by the students, the Professional Internship allows them to meet professionals linked to the field of biological sciences and to their Master's course in Oceanography. It consists of completing an internship of 20 working days, which can be divided into blocks and face-to-face, in a research institution (i.e. university, institute, museum, public research organizations), a company, an administration or an association ( i.e. non-profit organizations, NGOs, etc.). All fields are permitted, provided that a link to studies in Oceanography can be established.
This internship can be carried out in Belgium or abroad. It will be carried out under the guidance of a tutor designated in the host infrastructure. This internship is not paid. It is not recommended to carry it out in an organization requiring payment.
A list of internship places is available from the coordinators. This list is not exhaustive, and the student is free to look for other hosts. However, any internship must be approved in advance (see below).
Coordinators:
Dr G. Lepoint (G.Lepoint@uliege.be) ; (Building B6c, 1st floor, room 1/1)
Dr. Aida Alvera-Azcárate (a.alvera@uliege.be), (Building B5a, 2nd floor, room 2/56)
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The general objectives of this internship are to offer the students the opportunity to confront the professional world (academic, private or associative) and to encourage them to think about their professional future.
Various transversal skills are potentially targeted by this internship: ability to write a cover letter, a CV, autonomy in a professional place or even integration into a team.
This internship can also serve as a test for the choice of Master thesis lab or future professional orientation.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
These will be determined by the host institution and the topic of the internship.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The supervisor, in agreement with the trainee, decides on the student's practical activities, location and schedules. However, care will be taken to diversify tasks and activities in order to provide a varied overview of the profession or the host organization. Care will be taken to ensure that these tasks are, at least in part, at a level commensurate with a university master's degree in Oceanography.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Other modalities are possible but it is mandatory to obtain an agreement from coordinators before the start of the internship.
The internship must include tasks allowing the student to integrate into a team and be confronted with several realities of the profession. This internship cannot be carried out entirely independently without contact with other people. The student will be in charge of specific tasks, defined by the local tutor and must strictly take place within a total period of 20 working days, which can be divided into several blocks
Course materials and recommended or required readings
These will be determined by the host institution and the topic of the internship.
Written work / report
Further information:
Written work / report
Further information:
At the end of the internship, the student writes a report of maximum 5 pages (Times 12, spacing 1.5) (this excludes any annexes and bibliographic lists).
The use of "Large Language Models" (LLM, such as ChatGPT, LLaMa, GitHub Copilot...) is not authorized to generate the written work in whole or in part. Spelling and grammar checkers (including translation help) are permitted.
The report will include :
- an internship title, an introduction, a context (one or two praragraphs),
- a brief description (one or two paragraphs) of the host organization with the email and telephone contact of the supervisor,
- the summary (max ½ page) resulting from an interview of discussions with the internship supervisor (or members of the team) (i.e. no copy and paste from a website for example) relating to the various aspects of the professional framework (path, description of the work, positive, negative points).
- the specific objectives of the internship (i.e. task objectives),
- the objectives within the professionalizing framework of the internship,
- a detailed report of the activities, including a summary activity table,
and - to complete a synthesis of the experience acquired (scientific, social, professional, etc.). This last part is a self-evaluation of the internship (1/2 to 1 page max) focused on the experience (positive and negative) and professional perspectives.
The student must send a .pdf copy of his/her report (for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] June (1st Session) or 15 August (2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Session) to the course coordinator (currently Prof. G. Lepoint, G.Lepoint@uliege.be).
The reports are distributed to and evaluated by the five course instructors. They are not distributed to supervisors.
The final score is distributed as follows:
- Report (by internal readers): 40% final grade - the evaluation will take into account the following criteria: Compliance with instructions (length, requested parts, etc.), care of the report and spelling, host information, Definition and respect of internship objectives, qualities of the activity report and quality of reflective self-evaluation.
- Supervisor: 60% final grade - 20% for each of the following parts: Evaluation of activities during the internship - Evaluation of integration into the host structure - Evaluation of the student's personal investment in this internship. Each supervisor will appreciate freely these three parts. Supervisors will not evaluate the written report.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The subject of the Professional Internship cannot be the same as the master thesis (i.e. the professional internship and the final dissertation are two different courses). However, it is permitted to carry out both internships in the same research group, as long as the subjects are distinct (i.e. the data acquired during the Block 1 internship cannot be used for the dissertation). The two subjects can complement each other.
IMPORTANT: this internship is organized by the student. Prior to carrying out the internship, the student will contact the coordinator so that he or she, in consultation with the other holders, gives their agreement to carry out the internship. Students should not hesitate to contact the holders closest to their orientations (see below). A "Professional Internship" form must be returned, with the objectives of the internship and a brief description of the activities. This form is provided by the coordinator, as well as a non-exhaustive list of internship locations at the beginning of the academic year. A list of research groups in the department or with which members of the BEE department collaborate is also provided. These lists are not exhaustive.
IMPERATIVELY, the internship must be organized by January 15, even if, in agreement with the thesis supervisor and the coordinator, it takes place after this date. Students are strongly advised to contact the coordinator in the first quarter.
In the event of an internship abroad, the student must request authorization from the Authorities.
In the event of an internship outside ULiège, an agreement between the internship location and Uliège must be completed in advance and sent to the coordinator for signature and then to Mrs. Kristel Karremans (kristel.karremans@uliege.be). Some ULiège laboratories also require that an internship agreement be completed. In all cases, a risk analysis sheet must be completed and sent to Mrs. Karremans. All of these formalities must be completed via the website: https://www.student.uliege.be/cms/c_11156513/fr/myetudiant-demande-d-autorisation-du-rector Under no circumstances is this internship paid.
The student is insured by ULiège, but supervisors are asked to ensure the students' safety (specifically by avoiding completely unsupervised tasks, particularly fieldwork).
Once the internship has been accepted, an "Internship Start Information" form will be provided. Five days after the internship actually begins, the student must submit the completed form to the coordinator. The purpose of this form is to ensure that the intern's integration into the host organization proceeds in accordance with mutual expectations and the terms of the internship agreement. In the event of a problem, a virtual meeting may be arranged between the various parties. Should difficulties arise during the internship, both interns and supervisors may contact the coordinator (currently Gilles Lepoint, G.Lepoint@uliege.be).
Internships in Belgium and abroad are never paid. However, exceptions outside Belgium are permitted if required by the legal framework. Students are covered by insurance against workplace accidents during their internship (including repatriation and hospitalization in the event of a workplace accident). Nevertheless, for internships taking place outside Europe, it is recommended to take out personal repatriation insurance, particularly to cover risks unrelated to the internship.
Contacts
Prof Gilles Lepoint, Laboratoire d'Ecologie trophique et isotopique (LETIS)
Building B6c, 1st floor, room 1/1
g.lepoint@uliege.be
04/3663327
Dr Aida Alvera-Azcarate, GHER, Building B5a, 2nd floor, room 2/56
A.Alvera@uliege.be