APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2016/2017

GRA 6548 Internship for MSc in Finance

Responsible for the course
Costas Xiouros

Department
Department of Finance

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
6

Language of instruction
English

Introduction
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 the Internship period will be in May and June, while the examination will be in the autumn semester.

Learning outcome
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.

Acquired Knowledge
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.

Acquired 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.

Reflection
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.

Prerequisites

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 spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Compulsory reading

Recommended reading

Other:
Relevant chapters of curriculum or other textbooks in order to understand how theory is related and can be applied to the particular internship position.


Course outline
Students will work for 8 weeks in a selected company and the tasks are assigned by each company. After the completion of the internship, the student will give a presentation related to the internship. Each student is entitled to a maximum of 1.5 hours supervision.

Computer-based tools


Learning process and workload
The internship is for 8 weeks, full time and a completed and an approved internship will give 6 ECTS credits. Students must attend work as agreed upon with the company they are assigned to. The internship work is unpaid.


Examination
The evaluation will be based on an oral presentation in the autumn semester. The student is expected to
- present general information about the company and the department that was assigned to, as well as the overall professional experience gained
- present specific and detailed information about the internship position, the work assignments, and
- answer questions that demonstrate the ability to relate the internship experience with the academic knowledge acquired during the programme

The presentation should be approximately 30 minutes (15 minutes for the presentation and 15 minutes for questions).