27769 Professional Internship for Graduates

Subject level: Postgraduate

Handbook description

The subject is designed for graduate students in arts, events, sport and tourism management and for students in the MBA program with majors in arts or sport. For those students who have limited work experience in the arts, events, sport and tourism industries, the subject provides the opportunity, through a placement, to gain such experience and to relate it to theoretical and applied learning. For those students who are already working in a relevant industry, the subject provides the opportunity for the student to diversify their experience and their theoretical and applied learning. The subject is based on a practical internship of no less than 140 hours, an evaluation of the work experience gained and a report on the internship by way of an individual learning contract developed in association with a supervisor.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. Gain experience of the industry through an industry internship and, through written assignments, to relate that experience to material learned in the course;
2. Demonstrate management and marketing skills acquired through written assignments and internship practice
3. Evaluate an internship experience and relate it to material learned in the course.

Contribution to graduate profile

For those students who have limited work experience in tourism/arts/sports industries, the subject provides the opportunity, through a placement, to gain such experience and to relate it to theoretical and applied learning. For those students who are already working in a relevant industry, the subject provides the opportunity for the student to utilise that experience in a specific way, to evaluate the experience and to relate it to theoretical and applied learning.

Teaching and learning strategies

One member of staff will coordinate the subject overall, but in addition, individual supervisors will be appointed, depending on the student's area of interest. A 'learning contract' will be drawn up, outlining the work experience to be gained or to be taken into account, and the perspectives to be taken into account in the evaluation.

Content

• A. Experiential
  

  The student will be required to prepare an account of a period of professional experience. For those who have not had relevant professional experience a placement will need to be arranged. This can be full-time or part-time and amount to at least 140 hours. For those who are currently employed in a relevant professional position, a suitable period for review will be agreed in the learning contract (see Teaching/learning methods below).

• B. Evaluative
  

  The student will be required to write an evaluative report on their work experience. This will be related to one or more theoretical perspectives and one or more applied perspectives, to be agreed in the learning contract (see Teaching/learning methods below). The perspectives will depend on the nature of the work experience and the coursework completed by the student. For example, the theoretical perspectives could be drawn from conceptual considerations from the core subjects of the MBA or Master of Management programs while applied perspectives could relate to marketing, planning, information use/research, financial issues or human resource issues. Examples are:

• Evaluation of the marketing activity of an organisation in relation to the structural assumptions of the 'Tourism Systems' theory.
• Examination of the use of sales and research data to optimise programming of a sport venue.
• Development of a marketing or sponsorship plan for an arts organisation.

Assessment

Indicative references

Book of Readings