International Research Program
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Internship Abroad
Are you considering spending time abroad during your studies and would like to gain practical experience? An internship abroad could be just what you are looking for. It will give you an opportunity to gain international work experience, put what you have learned into practice, set up a career network, and, at the same time, improve your language skills. Be inspired by the travel reports written by former outgoing students following their internships abroad.
Research or Company Internship?
The most important question concerns the type of internship you are looking for: Are you more interested in a company internship, or would you prefer a research internship, for instance, at a foreign university? Our partner institutions offer several programs and current offers for research internships that are open to students from the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology (CIT) depending on their subject area. In addition, you can independently look for suitable research internships.
Basically, both company internships and research internships are self-organized plans. When choosing your destination, you are not tied to any of CIT’s partner universities or institutions.
It is possible to use your research internship for your thesis or for a selected, research-based module that is part of your curriculum. In this case, the regulations for writing a thesis abroad apply.
Please note: If you study in the subject area of Mathematics, you need to complete a professional internship. That is also possible abroad.
Preparing for the Internship Abroad
There are several points to observe and to decide upon when organizing an internship abroad. Therefore, we recommend that you start planning early on – ideally six to nine months in advance.
In contrast to studying abroad, you are considerably more flexible when planning internships abroad. However, you should think about a suitable timeframe in advance. This time period can vary depending on your individual academic progress. When planning an internship abroad, make sure that it does not clash with an upcoming TUM examination phase or that you miss the start of a new semester at TUM due to the internship.
In addition, we recommend not going on the internship abroad too early. Before the internship begins, bachelor’s students should have successfully completed the first two years of studies so that the internship will build on them. Master’s students should have at least successfully completed the first semester before they organize an internship abroad.
In some countries, an internship agreement is required – particularly for company internships. It is signed by the internship provider, the intern, and the home university (e.g., “Convention de Stage” in France and “Convenio de Prácticas” in Spain). It governs country-specific insurance and data privacy protection issues that we, as a German university, cannot agree to for legal reasons. Therefore, we cannot sign such an internship agreement. Please consult your internship provider about this in advance.
Inquire about any visa requirements for your destination country in good time. The type of visa required may vary depending on your plans for the stay abroad. You can obtain information from the respective embassy or representative office.
If you are considering applying for a leave of absence during your internship abroad, find out in advance about the respective conditions and requirements set by the Admissions and Enrollment Office.
An internship abroad often involves high costs, and internships are not always sufficiently remunerated to cover these costs. Therefore, there are different scholarships to support you financially:
- ERASMUS+ internship (Europe & worldwide)
- SEMP internship (Switzerland)
- Further scholarships
Important: If you are studying in the subject area of Electrical and Computer Engineering, you may also be eligible for one or more subject-specific foundation scholarships.
Programs for Research Internships
International Research Program
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Informatics: Imperial College – London
International Research Program
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Informatics: École Polytechnique – Palaiseau near Paris
Current Offers
Call for Research Program
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Umeå University – Sweden
Call for Research Program
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University of Alberta Research Experience – Canada
Call for Research Program
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