Frequently asked questions

• Available to domestic and international students
• Can be paid or unpaid depending on the industry partner
• Available in a wide range of host organisations, including for profit and not-for profit
• Includes academic and work supervisor assessment activities
• Students can find their own industry placements and projects (student-led option) or apply to be matched with a Monash industry partner (Monash-sourced option)

To be eligible for an internship unit you need to:

• have enough points left to be able to take the unit within your course progression, and
• meet the entry requirements.

If you are unsure, you can contact Monash Connect to make sure you have room for this unit in your course progression. Check the prerequisites of the unit you’re interested in via the Handbook.

Refer to the Industry internship experiences website for details of how to apply for a Monash or student-led internship.

It is possible to ‘self-source’ an internship opportunity and submit a student-led application. You can do this by:

• Viewing recruitment sites and professional networking sites such as:
  Seek
  LinkedIn
  GradConnection
  Indeed
  ProBono
  Ethical Jobs
• Tapping into your networks - explore opportunities via your friends, family, fellow colleagues and students
• Checking career pages - many  companies have opportunities listed on their career pages, if you have a particular company in mind, consider visiting their career page and connecting with their teams.

Once you have identified an opportunity, it will need to be approved by the Industry Experience Placements Team and the relevant Unit Coordinator.

Approval of a host is based on matters such as:

• Offering enough hours to meet the requirements of the unit
• Level of professional standing and ideally a workforce of more than 5 employees
• Duties associated with internship
• Adequate supervision by a qualified supervisor for the duration of your placement
• Host must be able to comply with the relevant Monash insurance and OH&S requirements

If you are unsure if the company you have approached is suitable, you should contact the relevant Unit Coordinator and they will be able to advise you if the placement/project is suitable for an internship. The placement needs to be relevant to your course.

If you are in the process of securing a student-led placement and require additional time to complete the required paperwork, you can start a draft application and let the placements team know (ie.science@monash.edu).

If you are approaching a potential host institution, Careers Connect can help with your CV and your Expression of Interest. It is also useful to remember that Monash looks after insurance matters with approved hosts.

The Industry Experience team are keen to match you up with an internship that meets your needs. For internship opportunities, students complete a comprehensive application form which records information such as: area(s) of study; career objectives; employability skills; personal goals; availability and restrictions.

The Industry Experience team uses this information to match you with a suitable internship opportunity.

The investment of hours for a 6-point internship is 3 weeks full-time of part-time equivalent hours. This is usually completed within 3-12 weeks although exceptions can be made for special opportunities.

Remember, there are also coursework requirements associated with this unit, and these will also make demands on your time.

For further information regarding the required placement hours for your chosen unit, view the unit handbook or contact the unit coordinator.

You require permission of the unit co-ordinator and Science Student Services if you want to enrol in 30 credit points (including the Internship unit) in semester 1 or semester 2, or you would like to enrol in additional summer or winter unit/s with the Internship unit.

Yes, all marks and grades come from a range of assessment tasks.

Yes. You can complete an internship overseas with a number of our internship units.

Under some circumstances it is possible to receive payment while undertaking an internship. The Industry Experience team will be able to advise on this.

No. It is not possible to apply for credit for an internship or work placement after it has been completed, or after the point where your remaining hours would no longer meet the minimum time requirements.

You can enrol into the internship unit through the WES system only once you have been confirmed for an internship by the Industry Experience placements team. The placements team will communicate the WES period dates with you. In some cases, Science Student Services may enrol you if you are unable to self-enrol. Students should not enrol unless their placement has been confirmed by the placements team. Students cannot commence their internship until they are enrolled in the relevant unit at Monash.

Usually, we ask students to make a decision on this. Once we start the Monash-sourced matching process, we don't want students to pull out if they suddenly get a self-sourced placement as it may damage the host relationship. If you are unsure and need some guidance on this, please contact the Industry Experience team.

Placement opportunities per intake may vary and places can be limited. Monash has partnered with a range of host organisations across various sectors.

Assessments vary per unit. You should visit the relevant unit handbook for further information of the assessment requirements for your chosen unit.

To successfully complete an industry experience unit, you will need to complete the required unit internship placement hours and assessments.

If you have any further questions regarding the assessments, please contact the relevant unit coordinator.

Internship placements with current employers will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

By completing an internship, you should be gaining experience you normally wouldn't be exposed to, and the tasks undertaken during your internship should align with the skill-set developed through your course.

The relevant unit coordinator and the Industry Experience team will need to approve your application to ensure the internship tasks are aligned to your course of study and are suitable for the Industry Experience internship unit.

The Monash-sourced option is a competitive process but this should not deter students from applying. It is highly recommended students should prepare their application well, submit a detailed and professional CV, provide good application question responses and well articulated video interview responses.

During the Monash-sourced process, the student CV, along with application and video responses are shared with host companies during the matching and shortlisting process. Given host opportunities may differ per intake and opportunities may be limited, students should ensure they have a strong application, providing the best chances of being selected during the host selection process.

Students are also recommended to put in their application early and keep an open mind as to the type of opportunities they are looking for.