27769 Professional Internship for Graduates
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2018 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject is designed for graduate students in the UTS Business School, including students enrolled in the MBA program. Ultimately this subject aims to develop employment skills, knowledge and professional networks which can contribute to career goals of students. For those students who have limited work experience, this subject provides the opportunity, through a placement, to gain work integrated learning experience and to relate it to theoretical and applied learning. For those students who are already working in a relevant industry, this subject provides the opportunity to diversify their experience and their theoretical and applied learning. This subject is based on a practical internship of no less than 160 hours sourced by the student, an evaluation of the work experience gained, and a report on the internship by way of an individual learning contract.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| 1. | investigate and analyse a practical issue, problem or challenge through an internship with an organisation within a specific industry sector |
|---|---|
| 2. | apply and integrate conceptual and theoretical knowledge acquired through their respective courses to solve a practical issue or meet a related organisational need |
| 3. | develop appropriate documentation or recommendations for practice |
| 4. | act in the capacity of a professional within the context of their selected organisation and role. |
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject is designed for graduate students in the UTS Business School including students enrolled in the MBA program. For those students who have limited work experience in a relevant industry, the subject provides the opportunity, through an internship placement, to gain 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 to diversify their experience in a related area and to reflect on their theoretical and applied learning and career development.
Teaching and learning strategies
One member of staff will coordinate the subject overall. In addition, individual supervisors with specialist knowledge will be appointed to match the student's area of interest. The subject guide will be developed and tailored to the student's placement giving the timeline of the internship and supervisor-student interaction, outlining the required written work, the type of work that will be undertaken and the scope of the final report.
Content (topics)
Students will be required to identify an organisation in which the internship will occur and to negotiate the internship in the first instance. Students will then draft an internship proposal for the supervisor and the prospective workplace. When agreed, this will then be further developed to detail the objectives of the internship, the specific management context specific to the specialist industry (arts, events, sport, tourism) and the anticipated outcome of the internship (sponsorship plan, marketing plan, project management). Students will undertake no less than a 160 hours internship in an agreed organisation. The timing of the internship can be in blocks or worked fractionally over the semester. Students will be required to write an internship report on their work experience. The report will reflect the theoretical and conceptual base used for the practical work, an analysis of the organisation in the industry context, value of the internship and provide evidence of the applied work undertaken. The theoretical perspectives can be drawn from conceptual considerations from the core subjects of the MBA or Master of Management programs while applied perspectives can 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 services marketing
- 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
- Development and evaluation of a special event
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Proposal and rationale for the internship (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1 and 2 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 30% |
Assessment task 2: Final Project Report (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 1, 2 and 3 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 60% |
| Length: | 3,000 - 3,500 words, excluding Appendices. |
Assessment task 3: Placement Assessment (Individual)
| Objective(s): | This addresses subject learning objective(s): 4 |
|---|---|
| Weight: | 10% |
Minimum requirements
To pass the subject, students must achieve at least 50% of the final overall grade.
Required texts
There is no prescribed text.
References
Beggs, B., Ross, C.M. & Goodwin, B. (2008) A comparison of student and practitioner perspectives of the travel and tourism internship. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education, 7(1), 31-39.
Bennett, R., Eagle, L., Mousley, W., Ali-Choudhury, R. (2008) Re-assessing the value of work-experience placements in the context of widening participation in higher education. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 60(2), 105-122.
Boud, D. & Garrick, J. (eds) (1999) Understanding Learning at Work. London: Routledge.
Bratton, J., Mills, J.H., Pyrch, T. & Sawchuk, P. (2004) Workplace Learning, a Critical Introduction. Aurora, Ont.: Garamond Press.
Busby, G. (2003) Tourism degree internships: a longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 55(3), 319-334.
Busby, G. (2005) Work experience and industrial links. In D. Airey & J. Tribe (eds) An International Handbook of Tourism Education, Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp93-107.
Busby, G. & Brunt, P. (1997) Tourism sandwich placements: an appraisal. Tourism Management, 18(2), 105-110.
Carson, L. & Fisher, K. (2006) Raising the bar on criticality: students’ critical reflection in an internship program. Journal of Management Education, 30(5), 700-723.
Chen, B.T. & Gursoy, D. (2007) Preparing students for careers in the leisure, recreation, and tourism field. Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism, 7(3), 21-41.
Clark, S.C. (2003) Enhancing the educational value of business internships. Journal of Management Education, 27(4), 472-484.
Cunningham, G.B., Sagas, M., Dixon, M., Kent, A. & Turner, B. (2005) Anticipated career satisfaction, affective occupational commitment, and intentions to enter the sport management profession. Journal of Sport Management, 19(1), 43-57.
Gault, J., Leach, E. And Duey, M. (2010) Effects of business internships on job marketability: the employer’s perspective. Education + Training, 52(1), 76-88.
Gower, R.K. & Mulvaney, M.A. (2012) Making the Most of Your Internship: a Strategic Approach. Urbana, IL: Sagamore.
Hurd, A.R. & Schlatter, B.E. (2007) Establishing cooperative competency-base internships for parks and recreation students. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 78(4), 31-34 + 47.
Jowdy, E., McDonald, M. & Spence, K. (2008) An integral approach to sport management internships. European Sport Management Quarterly, 4(4), 215-233.
Knouse, S.B. & Fontenot, G. (2008) Benefits of the business college internship. Journal of Employment Counseling, 45 (June), 61-66.
McCormick, D.W. (1993) Critical thinking, experiential learning, and internships. Journal of Management Education, 17(2), 260-262.
Raybould, M. & Wilkins, H. (2005) Over qualified and under experienced: turning graduates into hospitality managers. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 17(3), 203-216.
Schon, D. (1995) The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. Aldershot: Arena.
Stratta, T.M.P. (2004) The needs and concerns of students during the sport management internship experience. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 75(2), 25-29 + 33-34.
Verner, M.E. (2004) Internship search, selection and solidification strategies. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 75(1) 25-27.
Williams, J. (2004) Sport management internships: agency perspectives, expectations and concerns. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 75(2), 30-33.
Walmsley, A., Thomas, R. & Jameson, S. (2012) Internships in SMEs and career intentions. Journal of Education and Work, 25(2), 185-204.
Young, D.S. & Baker, R.E. (2004) Linking classroom theory to professional practice. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 75(1), 22-24 + 30.
Zehrer, A. & Mossenlechner, C. (2009) Key competencies of tourism graduates: the employer’s point of view. Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism, 9(3-4), 266-287.
