Internship Office
General information on internships
Internships and research projects are an essential part of the orientation phase while studying Socio-Cultural Anthropology. Every student is obliged to accomplish at least one internship or study project during the course of studies in order to gain beneficial experience and to develop preferences for future career paths. Internships and study projects are very rewarding for students’ personal and professional progress and they are often required by future employers. During internships and study projects students have the chance to forge important links often resulting in future cooperation. For this reason, internships and study projects are not only starting points to develop professional networks, but they are also the foundation to acquire comprehensive professional qualifications. In many fields, anthropological methods and concepts can be applied and broadened.
B.A.-students must accomplish a four-week internship. In order to pass the requirement, as a student you first have to complete a short questionnaire (German) about the internship or the study project (3 pages). Second and more importantly, you have to write a 15-page (about 7000 words) academic assignment in which you report on your internship and which looks deeper into the subject or topic of the internship or study project from an anthropological point of view. A guideline can be downloaded here.
You can accomplish your internship in an organisation or institution within the professional field relevant for anthropologists such as museums, public relations, international cooperation, NGOs, media, among others). The internship can also be planned as a research internship, during which you apply ethnographic research methods in a professional or everyday context which is not a typical professional field for anthropologists. In both cases your research or professional activities and their context have to be reflected and analyzed from an anthropological perspective in the academic assignment.
The advisory service for internships and studies overseas supports students in finding and deciding on adequate internships. Please contact the advisor for internships and studies abroad and a potential academic supervisor before starting your internship to gain approval for your specific internship program according to the BA-Studies guidelines. Prior consultation with the internship office is obligatory. Please use the guidelines as a preparation before you arrange for your first appointment with a potential supervisor of your internship.
The internship is also a good chance to gain international work experience and more than one hundred students have made use of this possibility over the past few years (please have a look at this list). Moreover, if you plan an international internship you can apply for Promos or Erasmus internship grants.
Forms / Downloads:
Internship Report (Academic Assignment)
Internship Questionnaire
