ENG6500 · Research internship

Overview

Students enrolled in this elective unit will undertake an eligible* research internship with a host organisation. The internship is a co-curricular activity providing an opportunity to apply knowledge and research skills to a professional context and improve work readiness. It is an opportunity to turn research theory into practice, build industry networks, enhance resumes and develop soft skills to support & complement research expertise. Students are mentored by their academic supervisor and may have an industry supervisor from within the organisation, overseeing their internship. Students can undertake a research internship at any time during their candidature, however we strongly recommend an internship commences after the confirmation milestone. The research internship should be a minimum of 3 months or at least 60 working days (full-time equivalent). Your internship should be secured and the approval of your supervisor and industry partner via this letter of intent prior to 18 months of commencement of your course. A Letter of Intent is not necessary if you will have a formal contract agreement by 18 months of candidature. A research internship can be undertaken on-site with an organisation, on-campus and online; and part-time or full-time. Students must meet the following requirements: • Currently enrolled in the Engineering Monash Doctoral Program coursework mode. You must remain enrolled throughout the period of the internship • The internship will be completed prior to thesis submission and within your candidature period (4 years FTE) • Your supervisor is supportive of you undertaking the internship • Internship placement must be approved by the Unit Coordinator/Faculty *A research internship is defined as a position with a research end-user (e.g. business, governments, non-governmental organisations, communities and community organisations), where a student has undertaken research and development (R&D) related to their higher degree by research (HDR). To find out more about how to secure an internship, please refer to this website.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.

Final grades: PGO (pass grade only) or NGO (fail)

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. A research internship as part of the PhD program must be related to the student's area of research, making use of or contributing to research skills and experience that will be of benefit to their research area and/or their own development as researchers. In this internship, students will work with a research end-user external to academia, with objectives and terms of engagement agreed in advance.
2. Independently identify the practices and protocols of the industry in which they are undertaking the internship
3. Critically evaluate the potential impacts of relevant research area to research end user/s
4. Identify appropriate areas for industry engagement
5. Identify and critically assess personal strengths, weaknesses, future career development needs and career goals
6. Critically analyse the impact of workplace cultural norms upon the identification and resolution of workplace challenges
7. Successfully reflect on the quality of the contribution they have made to the organization and understand what skills are transferable to new contexts

Workload

The research internship should be a minimum of 3 months or a minimum of 60 working days (full-time equivalent). On most occasions, the intern will be expected to undertake their internship project during regular business hours, spending at least 36.75 hours per week on their project. The intern will be expected to maintain contact with their academic mentor throughout the internship, through face-to-face or phone meetings, as appropriate. The intern and their academic mentor will have the opportunity to negotiate the project's scope, milestones and timeline during the project planning stage.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.