Preparation of the internship

The independent search for internships relevant to the social sciences and making contact with potential employers are part of the internship-related requirements for students. The potential fields of activity are wide-ranging and can be geared towards personal interests, provided that the social science relevance of the activities can be justified. However, it should be noted that activities in the field of social work and social pedagogy in the narrower sense are not sufficiently relevant. The Internship Office advises students on all questions relating to potential fields of activity and provides support in the selection process. There is also the opportunity to take advantage of further offers from the university.

Registration of the internship

The internship must have an objective connection to the degree course or to a potential professional field for social scientists. It must therefore have a social science focus. The application for the internship must be accompanied by an informal description of the activities agreed or planned with the internship provider. The application form must be submitted to the Internship Office by e-mail or printed out together with the description of the planned activities. After checking these documents, the Internship Office will confirm whether the planned internship is eligible for recognition by the faculty. If you have any questions or uncertainties about possible internships, the internship reports archived in the Internship Office provide a good insight into possible fields of activity. In addition, the Internship Office will be happy to advise you on relevant questions as well as on questions regarding the recognition of relevant activities already completed.

Application form

Accompanying seminar

The accompanying seminar is an obligatory part of the internship module. This course supports students in the preparation and follow-up of the internships and serves in particular to work out and reflect on the differences between an academic and a (professional) practical examination of problems that arise in the respective field of activity. The dates of the respective semester will be announced in the electronic course catalogue (ekvv).

Find a mentor

You will need to find a mentor to accompany you during your internship and to read and evaluate your internship report. Unlike in the Master's degree program, the internship report in the Bachelor's degree program is an ungraded examination, but must be signed off as passed by the mentor. Mentors are also a possible point of contact for questions and problems in all phases of the internship. Any person in the Faculty of Sociology who is authorized to conduct examinations can act as a mentor, i.e. any lecturer. Lecturers (without a position) should only be chosen in justified exceptions. Due to the mentoring function, we strongly recommend that the mentor is approached and appointed at an early stage. It is essential to have a mentor at the latest for the completion of the internship and the associated submission of the signed internship certificate.

Complete an internship

As soon as the formalities have been clarified in advance (successful search for an internship, registration of the internship, search for a mentor/ a mentor), you can start your internship. From a university perspective, you have a high degree of autonomy in terms of the time period and weekly workload. You can therefore work full-time or part-time (if necessary in consultation with your employer), complete the internship during the lecture period or during the lecture-free period and attend university courses according to your individual wishes or requirements. The only decisive factor is that you stick to the agreed activities that you have communicated via the registration form. Should any problems or questions arise during your internship, please contact your mentor/ or the internship office in good time. Also remember to remind your employer as early as possible that you need a work or internship certificate. This is a mandatory part of the documents to be submitted.

Internship report and internship certificate

Apart from the internship certificate and the work reference, the internship report is the most important part of the documents to be submitted. In the Bachelor's degree course, this comprises approx. 8-10 pages and includes a description of the organization and activities as well as an academic reflection on the internship. The report is based on the standards of academic work and writing. Further details can be found in the module handbook or discussed with the mentor. Below you will also find a guide to writing the internship report. As soon as you have completed the internship report, have it evaluated by your mentor. To do this, you fill out an internship certificate and give it to your mentor together with the report. They will confirm that you have passed the internship on the internship certificate. Please note that you will receive the internship certificate and the report back .

Submission of documents

The following documents must be submitted in full for the internship module to be recognised:

• the completed internship certificate signed by the mentor,
• confirmation from the employer or internship centre about your work, e.g. in the form of an employer's reference (please only submit copies and not originals)
• the internship report. If you are not prepared to make your internship report available for other students to view anonymously at the internship office, please state this explicitly when submitting it.

You can either send the complete documents by email to pbuero@uni-bielefeld.de, hand them in personally during the open office hours (current office hours, see contact) or post them in the post box of the internship office (Building X Level C2 No.: 327; near the examination offices).

The subsequent review of the documents and the booking by the examination office usually takes two working weeks. If you need an urgent booking, please let us know.

Preparation of the internship

The independent search for internships relevant to the social sciences and making contact with potential employers are part of the internship-related requirements for students. The potential fields of activity are wide-ranging and can be geared towards personal interests, provided that the social science relevance of the activities can be justified. However, it should be noted that activities in the field of social work and social pedagogy in the narrower sense are not sufficiently relevant. The Internship Office advises students on all questions relating to potential fields of activity and provides support in the selection process. There is also the opportunity to take advantage of further offers from the university.

Registration of the internship

The internship must have an objective connection to the degree course or to a potential professional field for social scientists. It must therefore have a social science focus. The application for the internship must be accompanied by an informal description of the activities agreed or planned with the internship provider. The application form must be submitted to the Internship Office by e-mail or printed out together with the description of the planned activities. After checking these documents, the Internship Office will confirm whether the planned internship is eligible for recognition by the faculty. If you have any questions or uncertainties about possible internships, the internship reports archived in the Internship Office provide a good insight into possible fields of activity. In addition, the Internship Office will be happy to advise you on relevant questions as well as on questions regarding the recognition of relevant activities already completed.

Application form

Accompanying seminar

The accompanying seminar is an obligatory part of the internship module. This course supports students in the preparation and follow-up of the internships and serves in particular to work out and reflect on the differences between an academic and a (professional) practical examination of problems that arise in the respective field of activity. The dates of the respective semester will be announced in the electronic course catalogue (ekvv).

Find a mentor

You will need to find a mentor to accompany you during your internship and to read and evaluate your internship report. Unlike in the Master's degree program, the internship report in the Bachelor's degree program is an ungraded examination, but must be signed off as passed by the mentor. Mentors are also a possible point of contact for questions and problems in all phases of the internship. Any person in the Faculty of Sociology who is authorized to conduct examinations can act as a mentor, i.e. any lecturer. Lecturers (without a position) should only be chosen in justified exceptions. Due to the mentoring function, we strongly recommend that the mentor is approached and appointed at an early stage. It is essential to have a mentor at the latest for the completion of the internship and the associated submission of the signed internship certificate.

Complete an internship

As soon as the formalities have been clarified in advance (successful search for an internship, registration of the internship, search for a mentor/ a mentor), you can start your internship. From a university perspective, you have a high degree of autonomy in terms of the time period and weekly workload. You can therefore work full-time or part-time (if necessary in consultation with your employer), complete the internship during the lecture period or during the lecture-free period and attend university courses according to your individual wishes or requirements. The only decisive factor is that you stick to the agreed activities that you have communicated via the registration form. Should any problems or questions arise during your internship, please contact your mentor/ or the internship office in good time. Also remember to remind your employer as early as possible that you need a work or internship certificate. This is a mandatory part of the documents to be submitted.

Internship report and internship certificate

Apart from the internship certificate and the work reference, the internship report is the most important part of the documents to be submitted. In the Bachelor's degree course, this comprises approx. 8-10 pages and includes a description of the organization and activities as well as an academic reflection on the internship. The report is based on the standards of academic work and writing. Further details can be found in the module handbook or discussed with the mentor. Below you will also find a guide to writing the internship report. As soon as you have completed the internship report, have it evaluated by your mentor. To do this, you fill out an internship certificate and give it to your mentor together with the report. They will confirm that you have passed the internship on the internship certificate. Please note that you will receive the internship certificate and the report back .

Submission of documents

The following documents must be submitted in full for the internship module to be recognised:

• the completed internship certificate signed by the mentor,
• confirmation from the employer or internship centre about your work, e.g. in the form of an employer's reference (please only submit copies and not originals)
• the internship report. If you are not prepared to make your internship report available for other students to view anonymously at the internship office, please state this explicitly when submitting it.

You can either send the complete documents by email to pbuero@uni-bielefeld.de, hand them in personally during the open office hours (current office hours, see contact) or post them in the post box of the internship office (Building X Level C2 No.: 327; near the examination offices).

The subsequent review of the documents and the booking by the examination office usually takes two working weeks. If you need an urgent booking, please let us know.

Preparation of the internship

The independent search for internships relevant to the social sciences and making contact with potential employers are part of the internship-related requirements for students. The potential fields of activity are wide-ranging and can be geared towards personal interests, provided that the social science relevance of the activities can be justified. However, it should be noted that activities in the field of social work and social pedagogy in the narrower sense are not sufficiently relevant. The Internship Office advises students on all questions relating to potential fields of activity and provides support in the selection process. There is also the opportunity to take advantage of further offers from the university.

Registration of the internship

The internship must have an objective connection to the degree course or to a potential professional field for social scientists. It must therefore have a social science focus. The application for the internship must be accompanied by an informal description of the activities agreed or planned with the internship provider. The application form must be submitted to the Internship Office by e-mail or printed out together with the description of the planned activities. After checking these documents, the Internship Office will confirm whether the planned internship is eligible for recognition by the faculty. If you have any questions or uncertainties about possible internships, the internship reports archived in the Internship Office provide a good insight into possible fields of activity. In addition, the Internship Office will be happy to advise you on relevant questions as well as on questions regarding the recognition of relevant activities already completed.

Application form

Accompanying seminar

The accompanying seminar is an obligatory part of the internship module. This course supports students in the preparation and follow-up of the internships and serves in particular to work out and reflect on the differences between an academic and a (professional) practical examination of problems that arise in the respective field of activity. The dates of the respective semester will be announced in the electronic course catalogue (ekvv).

Find a mentor

You will need to find a mentor to accompany you during your internship and to read and evaluate your internship report. Unlike in the Master's degree program, the internship report in the Bachelor's degree program is an ungraded examination, but must be signed off as passed by the mentor. Mentors are also a possible point of contact for questions and problems in all phases of the internship. Any person in the Faculty of Sociology who is authorized to conduct examinations can act as a mentor, i.e. any lecturer. Lecturers (without a position) should only be chosen in justified exceptions. Due to the mentoring function, we strongly recommend that the mentor is approached and appointed at an early stage. It is essential to have a mentor at the latest for the completion of the internship and the associated submission of the signed internship certificate.

Complete an internship

As soon as the formalities have been clarified in advance (successful search for an internship, registration of the internship, search for a mentor/ a mentor), you can start your internship. From a university perspective, you have a high degree of autonomy in terms of the time period and weekly workload. You can therefore work full-time or part-time (if necessary in consultation with your employer), complete the internship during the lecture period or during the lecture-free period and attend university courses according to your individual wishes or requirements. The only decisive factor is that you stick to the agreed activities that you have communicated via the registration form. Should any problems or questions arise during your internship, please contact your mentor/ or the internship office in good time. Also remember to remind your employer as early as possible that you need a work or internship certificate. This is a mandatory part of the documents to be submitted.

Internship report and internship certificate

Apart from the internship certificate and the work reference, the internship report is the most important part of the documents to be submitted. In the Bachelor's degree course, this comprises approx. 8-10 pages and includes a description of the organization and activities as well as an academic reflection on the internship. The report is based on the standards of academic work and writing. Further details can be found in the module handbook or discussed with the mentor. Below you will also find a guide to writing the internship report. As soon as you have completed the internship report, have it evaluated by your mentor. To do this, you fill out an internship certificate and give it to your mentor together with the report. They will confirm that you have passed the internship on the internship certificate. Please note that you will receive the internship certificate and the report back .

Submission of documents

The following documents must be submitted in full for the internship module to be recognised:

• the completed internship certificate signed by the mentor,
• confirmation from the employer or internship centre about your work, e.g. in the form of an employer's reference (please only submit copies and not originals)
• the internship report. If you are not prepared to make your internship report available for other students to view anonymously at the internship office, please state this explicitly when submitting it.

You can either send the complete documents by email to pbuero@uni-bielefeld.de, hand them in personally during the open office hours (current office hours, see contact) or post them in the post box of the internship office (Building X Level C2 No.: 327; near the examination offices).

The subsequent review of the documents and the booking by the examination office usually takes two working weeks. If you need an urgent booking, please let us know.

Preparation of the internship

The independent search for internships relevant to the social sciences and contacting potential employers are among the internship-related requirements for students. The potential fields of activity are wide-ranging and can be geared towards personal interests, provided that the activities are relevant to the social sciences. The Internship Office is happy to provide support if required and advises students on all questions relating to potential fields of activity. There is also the opportunity to take advantage of further offers from the university. The special feature of the internship in the Master's degree program is the completion of a scientific question in the form of a term paper. This must be clarified in advance with the relevant mentor (for further details, see Finding a mentor)

Registration of the internship

If the internship and the associated academic question and the term paper have been clarified with the supervising mentor, it can be registered at the internship office. The internship must be completed in an area relevant to the degree program or a potential professional field with a focus on the social sciences. An informal short report on the planned activities must be enclosed with the application for the internship. The registration form must be submitted together with the activity report to the Internship Office by e-mail or in printed form. After a positive review of the documents by the internship office, the university will confirm the possibility of recognition. If you have any questions or uncertainties, the internship reports archived in the Internship Office provide a good overview of the possible fields of activity. The Internship Office will also be happy to advise you on further questions regarding the recognition of activities already completed.

Application form

Find a mentor

A mentor is the person who evaluates the term paper and signs your internship certificate. In addition to the internship office, a mentor is another point of contact for questions and/or problems during the internship process. Any authorized person from the Faculty of Sociology can be considered as a mentor. It is irrelevant whether this person has the status of a professor or is a member of academic staff in the form of a lecturer. The mentor is already relevant in the run-up to the desired submission of the internship certificate and the associated submission of the signed internship certificate, as the term paper to be submitted must be discussed with him/her.

Complete an internship

As soon as the formalities have been clarified in advance (registration and, if necessary, finding a mentor), you can start your internship. From a university perspective, you have a high degree of autonomy in terms of the time period and weekly workload. You can therefore work full-time or part-time (if necessary in consultation with your employer), complete the internship during the lecture period or during the lecture-free period and attend university courses according to your individual wishes or requirements. The only decisive factor is that you stick to the agreed activities that you have communicated via the registration form. If you have any problems and/or questions during your internship, please contact your mentor or our internship office in good time. We will be happy to help you. Also remember to let your employer know as early as possible that you need a work or internship reference. This is a mandatory part of the documents to be submitted.

Term paper and internship certificate

In addition to the internship certificate and the reference, the term paper is an integral part of the documents to be submitted. The term paper follows the usual regulations of the Faculty of Sociology with regard to scope and content and must be agreed with the mentor in advance. Further details can be found in the module handbook and any deviations can be discussed with the mentor. Below you will also find guidelines for preparing the internship report. As soon as you have completed your assignment, have it assessed by your mentor. In addition, you fill out the following internship certificate and give it to your mentor together with the report. Your mentor will confirm that you have passed the internship, including the assessment, on the internship certificate. Please note that you will receive the internship certificate and the report back.

Guidelines for seminar papers in the internship module in Master's degree programmes (PDF)

Internship certificate (PDF)

Submission of documents

In order for the internship module to be recognized, we require the complete documents, consisting of the completed internship certificate signed by the mentor, a confirmation from the employer/internship provider about your work, e.g. in the form of a reference (please only submit copies and not originals) and the term paper. (You can either send the complete documents by e-mail to pbuero@uni-bielefeld.de, hand them in personally during the open office hours (current office hours, see contact) or post them in the post box of the internship office (building X level C2 no.: 327; near the examination offices). The subsequent examination of the documents and booking by the Examinations Office usually takes two working weeks. If you need an urgent booking, please let us know.

Preparation of the internship

The independent search for internships relevant to the social sciences and contacting potential employers are among the internship-related requirements for students. The potential fields of activity are wide-ranging and can be geared towards personal interests, provided that the activities are relevant to the social sciences. The Internship Office is happy to provide support if required and advises students on all questions relating to potential fields of activity. There is also the opportunity to take advantage of further offers from the university. The special feature of the internship in the Master's degree program is the completion of a scientific question in the form of a term paper. This must be clarified in advance with the relevant mentor (for further details, see Finding a mentor)

Registration of the internship

If the internship and the associated academic question and the term paper have been clarified with the supervising mentor, it can be registered at the internship office. The internship must be completed in an area relevant to the degree program or a potential professional field with a focus on the social sciences. An informal short report on the planned activities must be enclosed with the application for the internship. The registration form must be submitted together with the activity report to the Internship Office by e-mail or in printed form.

Application form

Find a mentor

A mentor is the person who evaluates the term paper and signs your internship certificate. In addition to the internship office, a mentor is another point of contact for questions and/or problems during the internship process. Any authorized person from the Faculty of Sociology can be considered as a mentor. It is irrelevant whether this person has the status of a professor or is a member of academic staff in the form of a lecturer. The mentor is already relevant in the run-up to the desired submission of the internship certificate and the associated submission of the signed internship certificate, as the term paper to be submitted must be discussed with him/her.

Complete an internship

As soon as the formalities have been clarified in advance (registration and, if necessary, finding a mentor), you can start your internship. From a university perspective, you have a high degree of autonomy in terms of the time period and weekly workload. You can therefore work full-time or part-time (if necessary in consultation with your employer), complete the internship during the lecture period or during the lecture-free period and attend university courses according to your individual wishes or requirements. The only decisive factor is that you stick to the agreed activities that you have communicated via the registration form. If you have any problems and/or questions during your internship, please contact your mentor or our internship office in good time. We will be happy to help you. Also remember to let your employer know as early as possible that you need a work or internship reference. This is a mandatory part of the documents to be submitted.

Term paper and internship certificate

In addition to the internship certificate and the reference, the term paper is an integral part of the documents to be submitted. The term paper follows the usual regulations of the Faculty of Sociology with regard to scope and content and must be agreed with the mentor in advance. Further details can be found in the module handbook and any deviations can be discussed with the mentor. Below you will also find guidelines for preparing the internship report. As soon as you have completed your assignment, have it assessed by your mentor. In addition, you fill out the following internship certificate and give it to your mentor together with the report. Your mentor will confirm that you have passed the internship, including the assessment, on the internship certificate. Please note that you will receive the internship certificate and the report back.

Guidelines for seminar papers in the internship module in Master's degree programmes (PDF)

Internship certificate (PDF)

Submission of documents

In order for the internship module to be recognized, we require the complete documents, consisting of the completed internship certificate signed by the mentor, a confirmation from the employer/internship provider about your work, e.g. in the form of a reference (please only submit copies and not originals) and the term paper. (You can either send the complete documents by e-mail to pbuero@uni-bielefeld.de, hand them in personally during the open office hours (current office hours, see contact) or post them in the post box of the internship office (building X level C2 no.: 327; near the examination offices). The subsequent examination of the documents and booking by the Examinations Office usually takes two working weeks. If you need an urgent booking, please let us know.

Aim

The internship serves the exemplary application of theoretical and methodological content of teaching in professional practice. 

Date

The internship should be completed by students from the 2nd semester at the earliest.

Scope and location

The internship comprises 210 hours and can take place in an organization that deals with issues of gender and gender relations or in an institution in which the intern is working on a gender-relevant topic. Feedback from the intern or the development of a concrete proposal can also raise awareness of gender and gender relations in the organization. Gender knowledge is thus transferred into practice. According to the study regulations, the following professional fields relevant to the course are possible: science/research, education/further education, public administration, private sectora, health/public health, sport, politics, non-governmental organizations.

Finding an internship

The search for suitable internships and the initiation of contact are part of the internship-related requirements for students. However, the Internship Office of the Faculty of Sociology is happy to help with this. It advises and supports students in all matters relating to the organization of the internship. In addition, students are advised on choosing an internship by the lecturers of the faculties involved in the degree program who are authorized to conduct examinations.

Finding a mentor

The internship is supervised by a teacher who is involved in the degree program and is selected by the students. In addition to discussing the tasks to be carried out at the internship institution in consultation with the institution and a final discussion, the mentor's supervision of the internship includes, in particular, support in the preparation of the internship report.

Accompanying seminar

In addition, students must attend a seminar in this module, which is offered every winter semester. As we can only offer this seminar once per academic year for capacity reasons, some students will attend this seminar before their internship, others during and others only after their internship. If students can arrange it, it makes sense to attend the seminar at the same time. In the seminar, the use of analytical tools and the testing of practical skills are supervised by a teacher involved in the course. Students reflect on their practical experience in a collegial peer group and present the results of their internship during the course.

Examination

The examination consists of a non-graded internship report (20-25 pages), which reflects on the practical experience against the background of theoretical concepts and is read by the mentor. The internship report serves to reflect on the experience gained and to put it in relation to the knowledge acquired during the course. The documents listed below are part of the report.

Documents

The following documents must be submitted to the internship office of the faculty as proof of the internship:

• A certificate from the employing institution stating the date of the internship, the duration and the type of activities carried out
• The internship certificate ("Praktikumsschein") signed by the mentor

The internship report usually takes the form of an academic term paper. It is expected that one part of the report is dedicated to the description of the field of practice and the specific activities, while another should deal with the question of the applicability and relevance of the sociological/political science knowledge in the field of practice (see Reflection). The exact length and content of the internship report can be agreed upon with the mentor, but generally follows the provisions of the module handbook with 8 to 10 pages.

The following structure is common, for example:

• Table of contents
• Brief description of the practical interest
• Brief description of the organization and integration of the internship into it
• Description of your own activities and everyday life during the internship
• Detailed reference to your sociological/political science studies (reflection, see below)
• Conclusion and final evaluation of the internship

Reflection of the internship

The internship report should include a longer chapter reflecting on your own activities and experiences during the internship. It is not primarily a matter of describing the field of practice or the problems of practice in sociological/political science terms or of writing a sociological analysis of practical problems. This is possible and can be interesting, but should not be the focus. Rather, you are required to reflect on your own internship experiences in the respective field of practice in relation to your studies. Based on your own experiences, you should reflect on the relationship between theory and practice. If you have problems with the preparation or questions about this, you can look at archived internship reports in the internship office for guidance.

Questions could be, for example:

• What experiences have you had regarding the application/applicability of the knowledge and skills acquired during your studies in this field of practice?
• Which skills were you able to contribute in what way and to what extent - where did you encounter difficulties? What specific skills and knowledge were required in practice?
• In what ways and for what reasons did you come up against the limits of a sociological/political science approach to problems?
• What characterised your internship as an internship of a prospective sociologist or political scientist?
• What could be the general contribution of sociology/political science in this and similar fields? What role do social scientists play there?

Guide to Bachelor's degree programmes

The internship in the Master's degree programs provides for a graded examination in the form of a term paper. As such, it follows the guidelines of the Faculty of Sociology. The examination therefore comprises a term paper with a length of 20-30. This term paper is not an internship report in the sense that it describes and reflects on your own activities during the internship, but is an academic term paper. This paper can be, for example, a sociological analysis of the organization or field in which the internship is completed, a sociological analysis of an aspect of the environment relevant to the internship organization or position, or the sociological treatment of an issue that is otherwise relevant in the context of the internship. The content of the examination must be agreed with the mentor selected at.

For the internship in the Master's degree programme, no previous professional achievements or other activities that have not been specifically agreed as a task-oriented internship with the organisation or position providing the internship are generally recognised as a substitute for the internship. Students who already have practical experience are advised to take the opportunity to choose modules other than the internship module for their studies.

Guidelines for Master's degree programmes