Information for Students
COMPULSORY INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME (CIP)
*CIP must be completed in Year 3 Semester 1 or Year 3 Semester 2 for JC Students, or Year 2 Semester 2 or Year 3 Semester 1 for Polytechnic Students.
For questions about the year that CIP must be completed by, please refer to the FAQ tab.
OVERVIEW OF CIP
For cohorts 2016 and onwards, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' (FASS) students pursuing Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences, NM major and NM as Second Major will need to complete the Compulsory Internship Programme (NM3550Y). The Compulsory Internship Programme is not applicable to students who pursue either Double Degree programmes or a Minor in NM. Non-FASS students reading NM as Second Major are also not required to complete CIP.
CIP is a graduation requirement and failing to complete it on time may defer graduation.
The duration for CIP is 20 weeks, and it can fall on either semester 1 (Jul – Nov) or semester 2 (Jan – May). The upcoming CIP dates are:
- 6 Jan – 22 May 2020
- 6 Jul – 20 Nov 2020
Students are allowed to begin their internship later by no more than one week from the official start date of the internship. For questions about the start and end date of CIP, please refer to the FAQ tab.
The objective of the CIP is to ensure that our students gain industry experience through a structured internship programme and will be able to apply academic theories to practice.
The internship semester counts towards students’ candidature and you are thus required to pay full semester fees (this also means that you get to maintain your status as a current NUS student during your internship and thus enjoy continued access to NUS medical and insurance benefits.)
TUITION FEES
During the course of internship, regular semester fees remain applicable, as students receive module credits for their participation in the internship programme. Consequently, students are not allowed to earn module credits if they have been granted a Leave of Absence to perform their internships.
CONTACT
For students’ internship queries, please email cnminternship@nus.edu.sg.
Important Note
Do note that students from cohort 2016 onwards are bounded by the Normal Candidature period and partial fee penalty should you stay beyond the Normal Candidature allowed for a BA degree (6 regular semesters) and Honours degree (8 regular semesters).
This means that you will have to pay the partial non-subsidized fees, culminating in full non-subsidized fees, during the extended semester(s):
(i) If you are unable to complete your BA degree requirements; or if you are not promoted to *ARS4 / SOC4 by the end of your 6th semester of study; and/or
(ii) If you are unable to complete your Honours degree requirements by the end of your 8th semester of study,
(*To qualify for the honours track, students must have completed at least 110 MCs including 44 MCs of major requirements AND have a minimum CAP of 3.20 in order to be promoted to ARS4 / SOC4 by the end of their 6th semester of study)
Candidature URL: http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/education-at-nus/undergraduate-education/continuation-and-graduation-requirements.html
Fees URL: http://www.nus.edu.sg/registrar/education-at-nus/undergraduate-education/fees.html
Students shall not use this reason to appeal to departments to allocate the modules that students have planned for in their intended study plan; and
Students are to look for internships in the semester before they go for internships. Students will apply for internships on TalentConnect or look for internships themselves (self-sourced internships). All internship offers must be made on TalentConnect
To be eligible for the Compulsory Internship Programme, students must:
- Be an NM Major student who has been promoted to ARS3
- Have read and passed a minimum of 80 MCs (of which 24 MCs are of NM modules)
Before students source for internships, they are strongly recommended to read CFG1002 Career Catalyst. This module teaches students to write effective resumes and cover letters, and also teaches networking and personal branding skills. Students will also be guided on appropriate workplace and intern behaviour.
Specific internship jobs require specific skill sets. To accommodate such specialised work areas, students are strongly encouraged to have read certain modules to prepare themselves for the job. For example:
- Students pursuing Communications Management placements are strongly advised to have read NM2219, NM2220 and NM3219
- Students pursuing game design placements are strongly advised to have read NM3216
Students are NOT advised to go on exchange in the semester before CIP. Otherwise, students may have to look for internships while overseas on exchange.
CIP is a mandatory programme and a graduation requirement and must be treated as a priority. If students want to opt for non-compulsory activities such as the SEP, the summer programme, camp activities or any other activities, they should plan them around the CIP, and not the other way around. Non-compulsory activities should not be used as reasons for delaying or cancelling your participation in the CIP. Further, students taking summer programme from May to July must not take internship. Do plan your summer programme in advance as no exception will be allowed. Taking of Internship programme must be given priority over summer programme at all times.
The department recommends a minimum monthly allowance of S$1000. No CPF contributions are required
|
Instructional Period of preceding Semester |
Action |
|---|---|
|
Recess Week |
Department invites students to select their jobs in NUS TalentConnect |
|
Week 7 – 8 |
Students are expected to complete their job selections in NUS TalentConnect |
|
Week 9 – 11 |
Employers shortlist candidates and conduct interviews |
|
Week 12 |
Employers offer job positions to successful candidates through NUS TalentConnect; Deadline for submission of self-sourced internships for CNM's evaluation and approval. |
|
Week 13 |
Students accept/reject offers through NUS TalentConnect |
|
Reading week |
Department assigns Academic Supervisor; Students complete administrative procedures of the internship such as receiving their placement letters and selecting their MOOC modules |
|
Internship |
Students undergo internship with respective employer |
Students participating in the Compulsory Internship Programme are assigned a worksite supervisor as well as an academic supervisor. The worksite supervisor will guide and mentor the student at the workplace, and is responsible for the final feedback on the student's performance during the 20 weeks.
The academic supervisor, on the other hand, will be in touch with the student throughout the internship and provide the student with guidance, especially in the context of applying theory to practice. The academic supervisor will also assess and grade the submissions, including the final report.
Internship Period Semester 1 Semester 2 Grades will be made available in
- Semester 1: Jul - Nov NM3550 (IP) NM3550Y (Final) Early Dec
- Semester 2: Jan - May NM3550Y (Final) Early Jul
Students are not allowed to terminate their internships without the department’s approval. The department takes termination very seriously. If in the event that the student drops NM3550Y, the following grade penalties apply:
|
Activity |
Semester 1 & 2 |
|
Drop module without grade penalty |
By end of Instructional Week 2 |
|
Drop module with ‘Withdrawn’ grade |
1st day of Instructional Week 3 through last day of Recess Week |
|
Drop module with ‘Fail’ grade |
1st day of Instructional Week 7 onwards |
SELF-SOURCED INTERNSHIPS
Although students are strongly encouraged to look for internships on TalentConnect, they are nonetheless allowed to source for internships on other job portals. Internships found on portals other than TalentConnect are considered self-sourced internships. Self-sourced internships require the department’s approval before they are accepted.
To have a self-sourced internship be approved, please write in to cnminternship@nus.edu.sg with the following information:
- Name of internship position​
- Company Name
- Internship job description
- Start and end dates of the internship
- Name and email of a contact person from the company
In the meantime, please urge the employer to create a TalentConnect account and make the job posting as soon as possible. If they require guidance, please write in to cnminternship@nus.edu.sg.
MOOC MODULES
OVERVIEW OF MOOC MODULES
Alongside internship, students are required to read MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), which will either be Level 2000 or 3000 modules. MOOCs are only offered to students who are doing their compulsory internship, and are pre-determined by the department every semester. Prior to the start of the internship, students are given the option of reading either a minimum of one or a maximum of two MOOCs during their internship. Each MOOC is worth 4 Module Credits, which count toward the NM Major.
Because MOOCs are often a customised version of an ordinary module, students are encouraged to check for the relevant alerts on the module's IVLE space. This information is important because students may reserve reading that particular module until their compulsory internship comes along.
MOOCs have been designed to be interactive, where most lessons are hosted online. MOOCs will also have a manageable amount of face-to-face sessions, which will be conducted in the evenings.
MODULE CREDITS
The Compulsory Internship Programme is coded as NM3550Y, and is worth 12 Module Credits. If a student chooses to read one MOOC, then the total number of Modules Credits for that semester is 16. If the student chooses to read two MOOCs, then the total number of Module Credits for the semester is 20. These Module Credits count toward the NM major.
EXEMPTION FROM MOOC MODULES
Students are encouraged to take charge of their study plan and candidature. For students who intend not to study any MOOCs and/or plan to overload, they are reminded to work out their study plan ahead of time so as not to risk delaying graduation and failing to graduate on time. Students are also strongly encouraged to closely follow their proposed study plan.
Past batches of students who have went for the internship programme have given feedback that they found it difficult to manage an evening MOOC class on top of the internship.
To request for an exemption, students may write in to cnminternship@nus.edu.sg. Please send in a study plan of all the modules that the student has taken thus far, not just NM modules, from Semester 1 to graduation in the following format:
Programme: Single Major [B.A.] or Single Major [B.Soc.Sci.(Hons)]
Advanced Placement Credits (if applicable): XX MCs
Sem 1 AY18/19:
1 Level 1000 NM module:
- NM1101E (4 MCs)
2 Level 1000 FAS module:
- FAS1101 (4 MCs)
- EL1101E (4 MCs)
Total MCs (semesters): 12 MCs
Total MCs (all semesters): XXX MCs
NOC OVERSEAS INTERNSHIP (TR3202)
OVERVIEW
Students may choose to do an overseas internship with NUS Overseas College (NOC) instead of through the Compulsory Internship Programme. In this case, the overseas internship module code will be TR3202. The CIP will be mapped to the NOC internship. Students should contact cnmbinternship@nus.edu.sg and inform the CIP team about their intention to undertake an NOC internship such that their names will be taken off the CIP list.
Students should have planned their entire academic plan (i.e. from Year 1 Semester 1 to graduation) and have had their plans checked by the NOC coordinators before going on NOC.
MAPPING OF TR3202 TO NM3550Y
Mapping of TR3202 to NM3550Y is automatic and does not require students to handle any administrative procedures. An extra semester is needed for TR3202 to be mapped onto NM3550Y, which the NOC coordinators should have informed the students about.
However, please take note that NM3550Y may not be mapped in the event that students do not fulfil the responsibilities and assignments required of them by the overseas company. Thus, students are strongly encouraged to take their overseas internships seriously and complete any assignments on time.
FAQ for Students
Can I complete CIP in Year 1/2/4?
CIP must be completed in Year 3 Semester 1 or Year 3 Semester 2. Students are not advised to take CIP in any other year, barring special circumstances.
Please write in to cnminternship@nus.edu.sg immediately if CIP is not able to be completed by Year 3 Semester 2.
Can I start or end my CIP earlier or later than the stipulated dates?
The stipulated start and end dates are a minimum guideline to fulfill the required twenty weeks. Thus, students are allowed to extend their internships beyond that. In fact, many companies ask for six-month internships. This would be considered a private arrangement between the employer and the student.
For instance, if a student is to go for the 8 Jul – 24 Nov CIP, they may opt to extend their internship by beginning on 1 May and/or ending on 31 Dec.
However, although students are allowed to start earlier, they are not allowed to start any later than one week from the official start date.
How do I register for MOOCs?
An email will be sent out near the end of April/November to request for students’ MOOC choices.
I have ___ activity that prevents me from starting CIP on time. Can I start later?
Students may start CIP no later than one week from the official start date. Take note that CIP is a mandatory programme and a graduation requirement. All other non-compulsory activities should be scheduled around CIP.
Students may wish to negotiate with employers for one or two days off to fulfill non-compulsory activities instead of delaying CIP.
My company is offering me a stipend lower than $1000. Is this allowed?
On average, the stipend is about $1000, however there are companies that may offer lesser.
Who will be my academic supervisor?
The academic supervisor is Dr Jinna Tay.
Can I use my current FAS2551 internship/other internship to fulfil CIP?
Students are allowed to use internships they are currently undertaking to fulfil CIP. This would be considered an extension of their current internship. Thus, students are encouraged to negotiate the details with their employers.
However, the internship has to be captured on TalentConnect. Thus, employers will be required to post the job on the portal. For further queries, please contact cnminternship@nus.edu.sg.