FAQs - School of Arts & Social Sciences Internships (Monash Malaysia)

Eligibility and Programme Requirements

1. What are the eligibility requirements (Undergraduate)?

AMU3744 Workplace Learning Internship (Summer A)

AMU3744 is a 6 credit point and work integrated learning (WIL) unit offered to students enrolled in SASS.

To be eligible for this credit bearing unit:

a. Students must be enrolled in either of the following courses to undertake this unit:

• Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences (A2006) or
• Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies (A2007) or
• Bachelor of Digital Media and Communication (A2011) or
• Bachelor of Business and Commerce and Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies or
• Bachelor of Business and Commerce and Bachelor of Digital Media and Communication (B2027)

b. Completed 12 credit points of second-year Arts units and have 72 credit points of study (equivalent to 12 units) with at least one semester remaining to complete the degree at the point of unit enrolment.

c. Have attended the Internship briefing organised by the School of Arts and Social Sciences (note: attendance will be taken during the session).

Voluntary Internship Placement (Winter/Summer)

The voluntary internship placement offered in Arts is a non-credit internship that does not require graded assessments and does not contribute credit points towards your degree.

To apply for a voluntary internship placement, students must be enrolled into a course in the School of Arts and Social Sciences in Monash University Malaysia and have completed at least 1 year of their course (equivalent to two semesters).

2. What are the eligibility requirements (Postgraduate)?

1. AMG5751 Communications Industry Internship

To be eligible to enrol into the unit:

• Students should intern with the industry partner for no less than four weeks and not more than eight weeks while covering the month of January.
• Students must have room for a 12 credit points unit in their study plan.

3. Can AMU3744 be a free elective or count towards an area of major/minor (UG)

Depending on your eligibility, AMU3744 Workplace Learning Internship can be used as a free elective or count towards an area of study (e.g.: Communication, Global Studies, Gender Studies and Film, TV & Screen Studies) or towards the general studies U4 requirement.

When you apply for the unit, you can choose whether you want to count it towards a particular area of study or use it as a free elective. If you wish for your unit to count to a major or GS U4 requirement, you will need to demonstrate in your application how the unit aligns with the selected area or units when submitting the latest course progression map. If you cannot demonstrate this, EMO may not be able to approve your application.

4. Are the internship placements required to be remote or onsite?

Due to the current situation, some host organisations will request students to attend onsite (when local restrictions allow), some hosts will deliver the placement 100% remotely, and others will offer a hybrid placement, (a combination of remote and onsite).

When applying for the placement, it is advisable to seek further advice from the host organisations on the type of placement.

5. Are the internships paid?

Host organisations are not required to pay a student completing an internship either as a voluntary internship placement or as a credit bearing unit.

In most instances, the organisation may offer a monthly allowance or subsidise your transport costs. However, it is very rare to negotiate for a salary.

6. Am I allowed to apply for an internship placement beyond my teaching time?

Your internship start date must align with the start date of the teaching period you are applying to. Students can only be placed in standard teaching periods: Summer A (AMU3744) or Summer B (AMG5751) or Summer/Winter (voluntary internship placement).

Any applications submitted with dates outside of standard teaching periods will be made unsuccessful.

7. Can I apply for credit for the voluntary internship placement?

No, it is not possible to apply for credit for the voluntary internship work placement as it is a non-credit bearing unit.

8. Can I enrol myself into the internship unit on WES?

No, you cannot enrol into this unit through the WES system. Once you have been confirmed for an internship and have met all the requirements, please submit your application via InPlace and EMO School of Arts and Social Sciences will facilitate your enrolment.

Applications received outside of the InPlace platform will strictly NOT be processed.

9. When should I start applying for the internship application?

Start early by preparing your application documents (resume, cover letter, course progression map, etc.) and researching the organisations where you wish to pursue an internship or volunteer. We recommend that you start this process at least two or three months ahead.

To begin with the application, kindly submit your application via InPlace to request for an internship letter.

For more information on the deadline to enrol into the unit in WES, please refer to question number 2 below under ‘internship application process’.

10. Is there coursework associated with the unit?

Please refer to the Monash Handbook for more information on the assessment details or contact the unit coordinator for more information: Dr Mark Balnaves(Undergraduate) or Dr Tan Meng Yoe (Postgraduate).

Placements options for SASS

1. Does Monash find me a placement or can I find my own?

All internship placements offered by SASS are student sourced (self-placements or source your own). See here for more information on the internship organisations list.

If you have very specific interests and preferences, you can use your network of contacts to find your own self-placement. You can contact the host organisation and arrange to complete a placement by meeting the following criterias:

a. Undergraduate

• Period: between November to February (Summer A)
• Duration: minimum 2 months or maximum 3 months

b. Postgraduate

• Duration: minimum 4 weeks or maximum 8 weeks
• Period: covers the month of January (Summer B)

2. Where can I intern?

Students typically opt to intern at News agencies, PR consulting firms, Advertising agencies, Aviation, Banking, Insurance or even HR departments/companies. You may opt to intern either in Malaysia or abroad either as a home or international student.

We also strongly encourage students to consider interning at non-governmental organisations (NGO) as past student interns have done, either local or abroad.

3. Must I only pursue an internship that is related to my area of major/minor?

Not necessarily as the Internship offers the students an opportunity to explore different career pathways before deciding on your first job.

4. What type of work is required for a placement?

Placements need to be meaningful and relevant to your studies where you are able to demonstrate what you have learned from your course during your placement in the host organisation.

5. What does the host organisation need to know about?

• To appoint a qualified and experienced mentor/supervisor
• To provide a meaningful experience and a real-world work experience.
• To provide a safe working environment for the student and to complete the following forms before the internship placement:

1. Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (OHSE)
2. Remote work arrangement

• Hosts will be asked to complete a report and will be contacted by the unit coordinator (undergraduate).

6. Resources and useful information

• Monash Malaysia Career Services
• InPlace
• When and where do I access InPlace
• Monash Handbook
• Course Planning

Internship Application Process

1. How to register my internship unit with the School?

Follow the instructions via the following links for more information:

1. Undergraduate students
2. Postgraduate students

2. Are there any deadlines for the internship unit?

Yes, the deadline to submit your internship applications (credit bearing units) are:

1. Undergraduate students: Friday of the second week in October
2. Postgraduate students: Friday of the fourth week in December

Applications submitted after week 2 of the commencement period will have a penalty fee of RM100. Students will be required to seek permission from the unit coordinator before completing the late unit enrolment form and submitting your request via InPlace.

3. When and where can I access InPlace?

Please click here to begin. Otherwise, the tile is provided in my.monash.edu.

4. How can I request an internship letter from the School?

Please refer to question number 1 under ‘Internship application process’ for more information.

5. What is an internship letter?

The internship letter is a general letter issued by the School of Arts and Social Sciences to support students in their internship application with potential employers. Some employers may request for this letter to verify the students university status and internship requirements.

Each student is issued with one letter only with the following information:

• Addressee: "To whom it may concern" (This is done so that you can submit the letter to as many employers as needed).
• Student name
• Student ID
• Course enrolled
• Student status: Domestic or International
• Estimated internship period (November - February / January - February). Specific dates are not provided.

To request an internship letter, please submit your application here.

6. I got an internship placement. When will I be enrolled into the unit in WES?

You must allow EMO time to assess your application. You cannot commence your placement until the School has confirmed your placement and enrolled you into the unit via WES.

The deadline to submit your internship applications are:

7. When is the deadline for the fee payment of the unit?

The fees due for the summer unit is on the first Friday of the semester begins. A late payment penalty will apply after this date.

Contact details of the School of Arts and Social Sciences

Education Management Office (SASS)

Opening hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm on Monday to Friday (except Public Holidays)

Location: Building 2, Level 6, Room 47 (2-6-47)

For more inquiries, please raise a ticket via AskMira for more information.

Dr Mark Balnaves, Internship Coordinator (Undergraduate)

Contact number: 03 - 5514 6000

Email: Mark.Balnaves@monash.edu

Location: Building 2, Level 6, Room 05 (2-6-05)

Dr Tan Meng Yoe, Internship Coordinator (Postgraduate)

Contact number: 03 - 5514 6000 (ext: 44449)

Email: Tan.Meng.Yoe@monash.edu

Location: Building 2, Level 6, Room 36 (2-6-36)

Upcoming Internship Briefing Details

The next internship briefing (final session) will be held end-of-August 2022. The details of the briefing will be broadcast via email to all eligible students prior to the session and you will be required to complete a google form.

Note: Attendance at the internship briefing is mandatory and set by the School.

Please click here to read about student internship experience sharing.