GRA 6570 Internship for Quantitative Finance

GRA 6570 Internship for Quantitative Finance

Course code: 
GRA 6570
Department: 
Finance
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Alessandro Graniero
Course name in Norwegian: 
Internship for Quantitative Finance
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Quantitative Finance
Semester: 
2024 Spring
Active status: 
Re-sit exam
Level of study: 
Master
Resit exam semesters: 
2024 Spring
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

THIS COURSE WILL BE OFFERED AS A RE-SIT EXAMINATION ONLY IN SPRING 2024.

The internship is an opportunity to work full-time at a company during your studies and gain professional experience. As a participant in the internship programme, you have been selected to work at a specific company based on both what the company is seeking and your Master specialization. The internship will give you valuable insights in real-world challenges in the broad area of finance, and should help you in applying your academic learning toward increasing organizational effectiveness and growth.

Please be aware that while the Internship period typically takes place between May and August, the examination will be held in the autumn semester.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

At the end of the internship, the student should be able to grasp the specific challenges faced by the company in creating value, relate academic knowledge and learn how to collaborate in offering solutions and creating new opportunities.

The student at the end of the internship is expected to acquire understanding as to

  • the practical issues and dilemmas faced by the company on a daily basis
  • the value chain and the competitive edge of the company
  • the management system and organizational structure of the company, and
  • the time and efficiency constraints imposed by competition
Learning outcomes - Skills

The student at the end of the internship is expected to acquire skills in relation to

  • defining and executing tasks under conditions of uncertainty, change and time pressure
  • supporting suggestions for practical solutions with sound argumentation and academic analysis
  • applying theoretical and technical knowledge to specific tasks and problems, and
  • collaborating and working in teams
General Competence

The student, at the end of the internship, should

  • reflect on the complexity of the work environment, the market forces that drive businesses and how companies create value in view of new opportunities, innovation and growth.
  • learn how to combine practical with theoretical knowledge in relation to problems, challenges, and improving efficiency.
Course content

Students will work for 8 weeks in a selected company and the tasks are assigned by each company. Students must attend work as agreed upon with the company they are assigned to. After the completion of the internship, the student will either write a final paper or portfolio. Each student is entitled to a maximum of 1.5 hours supervision.

As part of this course, it is compulsory to participate in an employability course. 

The internship may be paid or unpaid.

Teaching and learning activities

The internship is for 8 weeks, full time and a completed and an approved internship will give 6 ECTS credits. The evaluation will be based on a final paper or portfolio. The students submit a company evaluation together with their paper.

The principal aim of the paper or portfolio is to show the student's reflections on what was learned from the internship and the practices encountered, in relation to the knowledge the student acquired during the MSc studies. More specific guidelines on how to write the paper or portfolio will be provided, but in general they should include:

  • general information about the company and the department that the student was assigned to,
  • reflections on the overall professional experience
  • information about the internship position and the work assignments
  • reflections on the experience in relation to the academic knowledge acquired during the programme
  • theories, methods, knowledge or skills acquired in the programme that were useful in carrying out the internship tasks
  • evaluation of the student's strengths and weaknesses in doing the internship, as well as useful lessons for the student's future career.
Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Additional information

Honour Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honour code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honour code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed. Any violation of the honour code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honour code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honour code, please ask.

Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Disclaimer

Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this

Required prerequisite knowledge

Participation requires that you have no more than one pending course from your first semester and that your internship does not interfere with any resit exams. You must secure your own internship. See the student portal for detailed practical information.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
100
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Month(s)
Comment: 
The submission will be due some time during the autumn semester. Specific guidelines will be provided prior to the internship. Each student is eligible to 1.5 hour supervision.

Students submit a company evaluation together with their paper.
Exam code: 
GRA 65701
Grading scale: 
Pass/fail
Resit: 
Examination next semester, thereafter when next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Ordinary examination
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.