Business and Economics

Practical experience during your studies

Internships, company visits, lectures and much more

Practical experience during your studies

Internships, company visits, lectures and much more

Even while pursuing your studies, you can actively engage with organizational practices. Through an internship, internship project, research internship, or a master’s thesis collaboration with a company, you gain relevant work experience in a professional context and learn to apply theory to practice. These internships also earn you study credits. Alternatively, you can opt for a voluntary internship outside your study program.

Why do an internship?

  • Get to know a professional work environment.
  • Gain insight into your own abilities, identify your strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Build a professional network.
  • It’s a great addition to your resume!

How do I get started?

  1. Explore all the information about internships, internship projects, research internships, and master’s thesis collaborations on the student portal.
  2. Search for internships and projects on the student portal or find one independently.
  3. Submit an application.
  4. Once approved, meet with one of the internship coordinators and receive your internship contract.

How can I collaborate with a company?

Internship project

The internship consists of a period in which you work within a company on a specific department or service, focusing on ongoing projects

Key Facts

  • Duration: Minimum of five weeks full-time (at least 25 working days of 7.5 hours), which can be spread over the summer months and/or the academic year.
  • Supervision:
    • The company supervisor provides substantive guidance and project monitoring.
    • The faculty supervisor offers primarily process-oriented and theoretical guidance.
  • Output:
    • A technical report.
    • A presentation.
    • A reflection on your personal learning process and soft skills.
  • Credits: Counts for 6 ECTS credits in your study program.
  • Eligibility: Available in all master's programs.

Research internship

A research internship is a specific type of internship project where you contribute to ongoing academic research within a faculty research group. This allows you to gain insight into the academic field and explore the world of academic research.

Key Facts

  • Duration: Minimum of five weeks full-time (at least 25 working days of 7.5 hours), which can be spread over the summer months and/or the academic year.
  • Supervision: The supervisor (promotor) provides academic support and is involved in the research project you will contribute to.
  • Output: The deliverables may include an academic article, a research proposal, a presentation, a poster, or similar outputs.
  • Credits: Counts for 6 ECTS credits in your study program.
  • Eligibility: Available in most master's programs.

Internship

The internship consists of a period in which you work within a company on a specific department or service, focusing on ongoing projects. A high level of initiative and independence is expected. At the end of the internship, you will submit a reflective report for evaluation.

Key Facts

  • Duration: Minimum of 4 weeks full-time (at least 20 working days of 7.5 hours), which can be spread over the summer months and/or during the academic year.
  • Supervision: The company supervisor provides substantive guidance and project follow-up.
  • Credits: Counts for 3 ECTS credits in your study program.
  • Eligibility: Available in all bachelor's programs and most master's programs.

Voluntary Internship

Students can also opt to complete an internship that is not integrated into their study program, for example, if there is no room for it in the curriculum. Through a voluntary internship, students gain relevant work experience alongside their studies.

Master's thesis

For your master’s thesis, you can collaborate with a company or organization. This collaboration can take various forms, ranging from pure data collection to in-depth business analyses and actionable recommendations.

Key Facts

  • Duration: The intensity of the collaboration and contact with the company depends on the topic of your master’s thesis.
  • Supervision:
    • The company supervisor provides substantive guidance and project monitoring.
    • The faculty supervisor primarily offers process-oriented and theoretical support.
  • Credits: Counts for 12 or 15 ECTS credits in your study program.
  • Eligibility: Available in all master’s programs.

A company visit

to the Nespresso Boutique

How is theory put to practice?

A testimonial from student David