They can even lead to other opportunities for work, study, or research and can help you decide on a career path aligned with your skills, interests, and goals. On completion of a Faculty of Science Internship subject, you will have:
- Reported on a course-related project in a science or technology workplace
- Learned about the nature of careers in science
- Reflected on your own skills, personal development needs, and potential career pathways.
Why do an internship?
Following completion of an internship, students report that they can:
- Identify and articulate their technical and professional skills and apply them to relevant contexts and work-settings
- Produce original work in an appropriate format which demonstrates analytical, research and problem-solving skills
- Understand the value of industry and professional networks and their importance to lifelong learning and career progression
- Gain greater confidence in their ability to contribute to a science-related workplace, and an awareness of areas to further develop beyond their degree.
How to apply for credit for an internship
- Check relevant subject entry in the Handbook to ensure credit eligibility.
- Successfully source an internship (can be paid or unpaid). Please review Faculty of Science Community for resources on sourcing an internship for subject credit.
- Finalise internship as per Key Dates mentioned below.
- Apply for the Subject credit and submit Risk Assessment - Please allow at least 3 weeks between the time you apply for the subject and when you start your internship to allow application processing. NOTE: We are currently undergoing a system upgrade. As such the application process involves two steps and both forms need to be completed and submitted to request credit. You will also need to upload evidence of good governance, this can be found on the public facing site of the organisation. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these changes.
- Add the internship subject to your study plan while your application is being reviewed.
- Complete any legal paperwork/ additional information requested via your student email as part of application process. Please note: Students can only enrol and commence the internship once all legal requirements for your internship have been completed.
- Internships team will then advise you to enrol via email.
- Complete Preparing for Placement/Internship module – different subjects have different requirements.
- Start your internship and complete assessments as per LMS deadlines.
NOTE: Submitting an application for credit does not guarantee approval. If this is your last semester, please ensure you have an alternative study unit planned to ensure you are on track to graduate in case your application is not successful.
Key Dates
Internship start and end dates must align within the semester dates to be counted toward internship hours.
Please note: Internships must be organised within the dates listed below. Summer 2027 applications will open mid August 2026.
| Activity | Semester 2 2026 | Summer 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Earliest internship commencement date | 13 July 2026 | Mid - late November 2026 |
| Latest internship commencement date | 27 July 2026 | TBC |
| Latest internship conclusion date | 23 October 2026 | Mid February 2027 |
| Deadline to submit subject application form | 3 July 2026, 5PM | Early November 2026 |
| Teaching dates | Monday 27 July to Sunday 25 October 2026 | Monday 24 November 2026 to Sunday 21 February 2027 |
Undergraduate internships
Learn more about the internships available to undergraduate students.
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Subject information
Placement hours: 80–100
Location: Australia or overseasInternships can take place on a casual, part-time or full-time basis and can be paid or unpaid. Plan your internship dates according to Key Dates mentioned above.
Found a suitable placement and received an offer? Submit your subject application. Please note: Your placement commencement date cannot be less than 14 working days after the submission of your subject application.
Information for hosts
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Subject Information
Placement hours: minimum 80
Location: Australia or overseasFound a suitable placement and received an offer? Submit your subject application. Please note: Your placement commencement date cannot be less than 14 working days after the submission of your subject application. Plan your internship dates according to Key Dates mentioned above.
Masters internships
Learn more about the internships available to masters students.
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Subject information
Placement hours: 80–100
Location: Australia or overseasInternships can take place on a casual, part-time or full-time basis and can be paid or unpaid. Plan your internship dates according to Key Dates mentioned above.
Found a suitable placement and received an offer? Submit your subject application. Please note: Your placement commencement date cannot be less than 14 working days after the submission of your subject application.
Information for hosts
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Subject information
Placement hours: 200
Location: Within AustraliaKey dates
Plan your internship dates according to Key Dates mentioned above. Applications must be submitted before the application deadline mentioned under Key dates.
If you would like to discuss whether your proposed placement will be a good fit for the subject, feel free to contact Subject Coordinator, Dr Antanas Spokevicius, at avjs@unimelb.edu.au. Once you have found a suitable placement and received an offer, submit your subject application. Please note: Your placement commencement date cannot be less than 14 working days after the submission of your subject application.
Information for hosts
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Subject information
Placement hours: 200
Location: Outside of AustraliaKey dates
Plan your internship dates according to Key Dates mentioned above. Applications must be submitted before the application deadline mentioned under Key dates.
Once you have found a host organisation that you would like to undertake a placement with, please get in contact with the subject coordinator, Prof Benjamin Henley, on benjamin.henley@unimelb.edu.au. He will need to approve the placement and dates before you submit the subject application form. Please note: Your placement commencement date cannot be less than 14 working days after the submission of your subject application. Please ensure you are submitting an application before the application deadline mentioned under Key dates.
Once you've found a suitable placement and received approval from the Subject Coordinator, submit your subject application.
Information for hosts
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Subject Information
Placement hours: minimum 80
Location: Australia or overseasFound a suitable placement and received an offer? Submit your subject application. Please note: Your placement commencement date cannot be less than 14 working days after the submission of your subject application. Plan your internship dates according to Key Dates mentioned above.
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Subject Information
Placement hours: 200
Location: Australia or overseasFound a suitable placement and received an offer? Submit your subject application. Please note: Your placement commencement date cannot be less than 14 working days after the submission of your subject application. Plan your internship dates according to Key Dates mentioned above.
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Subject Information
This Internship subject is only available to current students admitted into the MC-FOODPI Master of Food Packaging & Innovation.
Found a suitable placement and received an offer? Submit your subject application. Please note: Your placement commencement date cannot be less than 14 working days after the submission of your subject application. Plan your internship dates according to Key Dates mentioned above.
Internship suitability FAQs
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Most international students will be studying in Australia on a student visa, which means you are not permitted to work for more than 48 hours per fortnight (starting 1 July 2023). Internships taken as part of Faculty of Science degrees will be counted towards this 48-hour limit unless the internship is taken outside of Australia. This means that you must count hours completed for an internship as you would for any other job, regardless of whether the internship is paid or unpaid.
We highly recommend you check the exact conditions of your visa on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Note: some Masters level courses have a mandatory work experience component and are therefore exempt from the 48-hour limit. To check if this applies to your course, see the University's information on student visas.
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Yes. If you are already based internationally, you may complete an internship in your country of residence through a for-credit internship subject.
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Yes. Feel free to think broadly and ‘outside of the box’ when exploring internship opportunities. Whilst the assessments for the subject will require you to draw connections between your studies and the work you will undertake during your internship, you are welcome to explore career options outside of your specific discipline areas.
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Yes. All internship placements require Subject Coordinator approval to ensure the Learning Objectives are met. The Objectives are not location-based, which means online/virtual internships can meet the Objectives.
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No. Your internship must be a new opportunity in a new organisation that you have sourced specifically for the Internship subject. Entering an entirely new work environment is an important requirement of this subject.
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No. Internship applications where relatives or family members also work become ineligible for credit. The faculty encourages you to reach out to your personal and professional networks to source an internship. However, when it comes to interning in an organisation, the experience needs to be independent of any personal relationship. This is required to ensure your internship experience is free of biases and there is no conflict of interest.
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Yes. However, it must be a paid experience where you would be a paid employee of the host organisation and covered by their insurance. This is because unpaid not for-credit co-curricular opportunities are not covered by University's insurance.
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No. If you have already commenced an internship, it will not be eligible for inclusion in the internship subject.
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The subject application form requires you to attach correspondence confirming your internship offer. This can be either: a) An official offer letter from your host organisation on company letterhead; or b) An email from your host supervisor with their contact details visible. The offer letter/email must be in English, must specify your internship start and end date, and should include a brief description of your duties whilst on your internship.
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Stipends/allowances are processed by the University and internship applications with such an arrangement require additional processing time. Please note Faculty of Science does not process stipends related to overseas internships.
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This will depend on the unit you are applying for. The majority of units where minimum requirement is 80hrs, the maximum total hours allowed is 150hrs. However, for some units, the minimum hour requirement is 200hrs. Internships in this case cannot exceed 200hrs.
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All applications must be submitted at least 3 weeks before commencement or the application deadline as noted on the Key Dates for each unit. The application process is highly complex and requires participation of multiple stakeholders. No extensions are provided beyond the application deadline as stated for the relevant semester intake for each unit. Students are encouraged to plan their internship and enrolment accordingly.
What do students say about their internships?
Rose-Maree Locsei, Bachelor of Science
"My internship revealed the significant differences between university and the professional working environment. I learnt how collaborative sharing of knowledge can be the most time and resource effective mode of acquiring and strengthening the understanding of domain-specific knowledge.
I was able to gain some insight into the working culture of a global, private company which I have found incredibly useful when considering my path towards my future. Most importantly, the internship has encouraged me to provide support to women in the Mathematics and Technical industries."
Scott Gigante, Bachelor of Science majoring in Mathematics and Statistics
"During my internship, I learned three different programming languages and familiarised myself with virtualisation, an exciting area in computer science. On top of that, I had the opportunity to submit an invention disclosure for the work that I did, which one day may lead to a patent application!"
Holly Dillabough, Master of Environment
"The experience of researching potential host organisations, tailoring my CV, cold-calling for positions and interviewing was invaluable experience that will help me more confidently enter the professional world after graduation."
Do you have a question that isn't covered above?
Contact the Careers and Industry team to discuss.