Information for students

Option A: Regular registration for the internship

The following must be submitted before the start of the internship

• the internship certificate,
• a job description (without stamp and signature of the institution).

The following must be submittedafter the internship

• the original internship certificate including signature and stamp of the institution as proof that the internship has been completed to the extent of 200 hours.

Variant B: Recognition of a study and examination achievement (e.g. a relevant
relevant voluntary internship before the start of studies)

In this case, the following must be submitted

• the original signed application for recognition of a study or examination achievement,
• an internship contract with details of the scope of the internship and the signature of the institution and the intern,
• a job description.

The internship contract and the job description must be signed and stamped by the institution.
signed and stamped by the institution and submitted in the original.
The recognition of relevant professional activities or training as internships is also possible upon application. It does not matter whether the internship was completed part-time or full-time.
Please note that the recognition only relates to the internship; the examination
examination (= report) must still be completed.
You can find the application for recognition of an examination on the Examination Office website.

Institutions and fields of activity that are related to adult and continuing education, personnel and organizational development, education management or related areas are suitable. The internship should enable students to apply the knowledge they have acquired during their studies to complex practical requirements and gain insights into organizational, pedagogical or management-related processes.

Possible internship institutions are, for example:

• Companies and HR departments,
• Further education providers and educational institutions,
• Universities and research institutions,
• consulting and coaching companies,
• public institutions, associations or non-profit organizations,
• Institutions in the education and healthcare sectors,
• Organizations with a focus on digitalization, learning or change management.

Suitable fields of activity include:

• Personnel and organizational development,
• Adult and continuing education,
• education and project management,
• training and course management,
• quality management,
• digital learning environments and e-learning,
• Human Resources / People & Culture,
• Consulting and coaching,
• research and evaluation.

The decisive factor is less the type of organization than the opportunity to work independently on relevant specialist tasks and establish links to the course content.

Previous internships have been completed in companies, universities, further education institutions, consulting companies and research and educational institutions - including in the areas of personnel development, course management, education management, digital learning platforms, organizational development, human resources or training management.

Not sure? Contact the current internship officer in the degree program or the student advisory service.

The report is 10 typed pages long, using standard formatting.
It is intended to demonstrate that students:

• can not only describe but also analyze real-world situations
• can appropriately apply relevant theoretical concepts
• reflect on the relationship between the organization, professional practice, and their own role
• can structure their experiences in a reasoned manner and present them academically

However, it does not require an empirical study with a research question, data collection, etc.; it is not an “objective” evaluation of the internship site, nor is it a comprehensive organizational diagnosis, but neither is it merely a narrative of personal experiences.

Ideally, the report combines three levels:

• Description: What is the organization/activity?
• Analysis: How can this be understood using concepts from professional development, organizational development, etc.?
• Reflection: What tensions, learning processes, and professional demands became apparent?

What else do you need to keep in mind?

1. Not just a chronological account

The report should not be a list of weeks or activities.

Instead:

• A selection of key situations, projects, or observations
• thematic grouping
• analytical synthesis

For example:

• Dealing with resistance in change processes
• The role of informal communication
• Tensions between educational aspirations and pressure for efficiency
• Professionalization of continuing education
• An organization’s management logic

2. Theoretical Framework as an Analytical Tool

Students should not simply reproduce a “collection of theories,” but rather make use of a few key concepts in a targeted manner.

Examples:

• Organizational Culture
• Learning in Organizations
• Micropolitics
• Change management
• Professionalization
• Governance
• Role and System Theory
• Reflection Models of Professional Practice

It is important to:

• Theory explains or structures observations of practice
• not merely an illustration (“This is reminiscent of Model X”)
• not an overloaded literature review

The report uses selected theoretical concepts to analyze concrete experiences and organizational contexts.

3. Reflection Instead of Self-Contemplation

“Reflection” should not mean:

• “What did I like?”
• “What did I learn?”

But rather:

• What professional challenges became apparent?
• What role conflicts arose?
• What implicit assumptions about learning or organization became apparent?
• Where did a tension between theory and practice emerge?
• How has your own perspective on organizational development and professional development changed?

In other words:
reflective professional development, not an account of personal experiences.

4. Clear scholarly format

• Research question or guiding perspective
• Theoretical framework
• Analytical argumentation
• References
• Coherent structure

Not required:

• research design
• Methods section in the narrow sense
• Data analysis
• Hypothesis testing

Possible guiding questions could include:

• “How was change communication structured within the organization?”
• “What tensions arise between pedagogical goals and organizational management?”
• “What role did informal learning play in day-to-day work?”

Below is a suggested structure for your report: (You are, of course, welcome to use your own meaningful chapter headings):

0. Title of the internship report

1. Introduction (approx. 1 page)

• Internship Setting and Context
• Focus/Key Question
• Structure of the report

2. Organization and Scope of Work (approx. 2 pages)

• Organization
• Scope of Responsibilities
• Relevant Framework Conditions
• Own Role

Not purely descriptive, but already analytically focused.

3. Main Analytical Section (approx. 4–5 pages)

• Selected observations/situations
• Link to theory
• Analysis of organizational processes
• Discussion of tensions/contradictions

This is the core of the report.

4. Reflection on professional learning (approx. 2 pages)

• One’s own role
• Competency development
• Limits of one’s own perspective
• Relationship between academic study and professional practice

5. Conclusion & Outlook (approx. 1 page)

• Key Findings
• Reference back to the central question
• Any Open Questions