MITRA4400 – Field Term - Internship for Modern International and Transnational History Students
Course content
Students will spend the majority of their third semester on an internship. This opportunity will allow you to apply your academic skills in a non-academic environment and gain work experience and visibility in an international professional environment.
During the internship, 12-18 hours per week must be reserved to working on an research project or a commissioned report for the host institution. The topic of the commissioned report should be decided in collaboration with the host institution. The report should utilize your analytical skills and may consist of a dossier, case study, data analysis or similar.
If your host institution does not assign a report, you are expected to write a resarch project that differs from your master’s thesis. The research project is expected to engage with a different body of scholarly literature, utilize different primary sources and study a different empirical case. Students are encouraged to design historical research projects utilizing resources available at their internship location, although this is not required.
Students that meet the requirements for this course?can:
- apply for internships through an existing agreement between the University of Oslo and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD). Please note that only students with a Norwegian citizenship can apply for placement through UD. The agreement between UiO and UD does not guarantee acceptance of application. The deadline is March 1st.
- apply for internship through the Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History's (IAKH) agreements with the?Peace Research Institute Oslo?(PRIO), the?Peace Research Institute Cyprus Centre, the?Nobel Institute,?the Norwegian Institute Rome?or?C-Rex: Center for Research on Extremism. Applications must be sent to the administration, who will forward them to the relevant institution. The deadline is April 1st.
- find their own relevant internships that meet the requirements of the department. Students must consult the administration to verify the relevance of the chosen internship before making formal arrangements. All internship partners must agree on the cooperation and sign an internship agreement provided by the Faculty of Humanities. The deadline is May 2nd.
Learning outcome
MITRA4400 provides an opportunity to gain work experience that will be relevant for graduates in Modern International and Transnational History. The course allows students to apply the competences and skills they have acquired during their studies in a non-academic environment, helping them in making informed decisions about their future careers. Additionally, students can establish valuable contacts beyond the university and demonstrate relevant work experience in future job applications.
After you have taken this course you are expected to:
- be able to apply the skills and competences acquired during your studies to work in an international non-academic environment
- have gained a clearer understanding of the demands of working as a historian in an international, non-academic environment
- be able to design and conduct a research project, either as an assignment by an employer or as academic research
Admission to the course
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
This course is only for students who are admitted to Modern International and Transnational History (master). The course must be completed in the third semester. It cannot be taken part-time. Only students who have an internship offer from a relevant organisation that agrees to collaborate under the terms set by the department will be allowed to enroll in the course.
Formal prerequisite knowledge
You must have passed exams equivalent to at least 30 credits in the master’s programme Modern International and Transnational History to qualify for MITRA4400. Only students admitted to the MITRA program are admitted to the course.
Teaching
Obligatory activities
Students must fill out an information form before September 15th where their project is outlined.?
Students who plan to work on a commissioned report during their internship should talk about the content of an assignment with a representative of their host institution.
Students who plan to work on a research project will be offered feedback from the MITRA program director or another member of the academic staff on up to two drafts of the project.
Students studying or travelling on field work abroad must have travel insurance. Please make yourself acquainted with your insurance cover as a student.
Examination
The exam consists of either:
- A commissioned report assigned by the host institution and approved by the department of 8000 words, footnotes included. Attachments and bibliography are not included in the word count.
Or
- A research project of 8000 words, footnotes included. Attachments and bibliography are not included in the word count.
The exam has to be submitted during the same semester as the student’s internship. ?
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.
We ask the host institution to provide feedback as to the quality of the commissioned work done by the intern.
More about examinations at UiO
- Use of sources and citations
- How to use AI as a student
- Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
- Withdrawal from an exam
- Illness at exams / postponed exams
- Explanation of grades and appeals
- Resitting an exam
- Cheating/attempted cheating
You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.