Introduction to Internship#

Telegram Group
There is also a Telegram chat, managed by students of the degree course, dedicated to topics related to the thesis and internship.

How the Internship Works#

The Bachelor’s degree programme includes a compulsory internship, which is part of the ECTS credits required by the study plan. At the end of the internship, students must write an internship report, which is defended during the graduation session as the internship examination and final examination. The internship must therefore be completed before graduation, and its completion is required to participate in the relevant graduation session.

The internship allows students to put into practice the skills acquired during the degree programme. It may be internal, external, or recognised on the basis of previous work activity consistent with the degree programme.

The internship:

Internal: It is carried out within the University, under the supervision of a professor or their research laboratory. During the internal internship, the student can engage in research, design, development, testing, and evaluation of computer systems in various thematic areas.
External: It is carried out at a company or an external organization, under the supervision of a company tutor (External Supervisor) and a professor from the University (Internal Supervisor). During the external internship, the student will have the opportunity to apply the skills acquired during the degree program by working on real projects and tackling typical challenges of the professional world.
Recognised on the basis of previous work activity: Recognition may be requested when work already carried out is consistent with the degree programme. The request is assessed individually, and the internship report and graduation procedures remain compulsory.

Attention
The internship corresponds to an indicative commitment of about three months. For external internships, the training project provides for 375 hours; internal internships are not subject to formal hour tracking, and the agreed project and the Internal Supervisor’s assessment are what matter. The 105 days are therefore not the duration of the internship: they are the reference period between assignment and the graduation session, leaving time for the report and the final administrative steps.

Internship report guides
When you start preparing your final report, read the guide on how to write the internship report and consult the report examples shared by other students.

When can I request the internship?#

You can request the internship assignment from the second semester of the third year, after acquiring at least 126 ECTS credits.

Individual course units that have already been passed but not yet recorded may also count towards the threshold. In the internship-assignment request, you may therefore self-declare the total number of ECTS credits including those units.

Suggested timeline#

Once you have chosen the graduation session you are aiming for, work backwards:

Internship request and assignment: choose the type of internship, follow the relevant procedure and submit the forms listed under internal internship or external internship. For recognition of previous work activity, see the dedicated section. The internship must have been assigned at least 105 days before the graduation session. The assignment date corresponds to when the professor signs the internship assignment form, provided that the subsequent checks do not reveal any issues.
For approximately three months: complete the internship and write the report under the supervision of your Internal Supervisor, consulting them throughout the work. External training projects provide for 375 hours; internal internships are not subject to formal hour tracking. In every case, at least 90 days must elapse between the internship assignment and submission of the report.
By the deadline for the selected session: submit the graduation application. The deadline is normally around 30 days before the session, but the official calendar always takes precedence. The deadline is binding: without an application submitted on time, you cannot graduate in the selected session.
Approximately 15 days before the graduation date: send the report according to the instructions received from the Educational Affairs Office. Do not upload the report to Infostud.
During the final 7/5 days: once the exam session is available, book the internship/final examination on Infostud and check the published schedule for the place and time.

Exact deadlines vary between sessions: check the calendar for the academic year in which you intend to graduate. For the procedure, see the graduation-application page, and for the final score see the graduation-grade page.

Which Internship Is Best for Me?#

The choice between an internal and external internship depends on your preferences and academic path. Here are some considerations that may help you make the right decision:

An internal internship allows you to enter the world of research, working on innovative projects and tackling topics related to all areas of computer science. If you’re interested in continuing your studies or pursuing a PhD, an internal internship could be the best choice for you. The academic environment also offers greater flexibility, especially in managing time and study.
An external internship allows you to immediately enter the workforce, a completely different context from academia, where you can develop practical skills that may be useful in your future career. The external internship also gives you the opportunity to work on significant business projects, which could be a great chance to gain experience and build your career.

How to Apply for the Internship (Internal)#

Applying for an internal internship is a fairly simple process that requires a few steps:

Visit the professor’s website to learn about their research area and any available internship/thesis projects. If no information is available on the website or if you already have a project idea, contact the professor directly for more details.
Reach out to the professor, expressing your intention to complete the internship with them. If they respond positively, agree on the project and internship details together.
Fill out the internship assignment form, including the internship topic agreed upon with the professor. The form must also be completed and signed by the professor supervising the internship.
Fill out the authorisation form for the transfer of personal data to companies and institutions for placement purposes.
Complete the declaration of acknowledgement of the guidelines on anti-plagiarism control.
Download your transcript of records from Infostud. To do this, log into Infostud, select the “Certificates” button, and download the transcript of exams taken.
Submit the completed and signed forms, along with the transcript of records, by filling out the Google Form.

How to Apply for the Internship (External)#

The company posts the internship announcement on TSP Sapienza and awaits approval.
If there are existing agreements between the student and the company, but the degree program is not listed as a target in the announcement, the student can ask Professor Gorla to add it, providing the necessary explanations.
Apply to the announcement on TSP Sapienza.
The company evaluates the application and, if accepted, approves it.
Professor Gorla will ask if a supervisor has already been identified or if they should be used as the supervisor. It is possible to choose a professor who deals with topics similar to those of the internship.
Professor Gorla approves the training project.
The company prints the training project from TSP Sapienza and sends it by email already signed. If not sent, contact the company.
The student signs the project and sends it to Professor Gorla for the final signature from the University.
Download the internship assignment form, similar to the one used for internal internships, and have it signed by the chosen supervisor.
The signed form is sent to Professor Gorla if it has not already been signed by him.
The training project, with all signatures, is returned to the student.
All documentation must be submitted to the administration via the Google Form, along with the other required forms: the authorisation form for the transfer of personal data to companies and institutions for placement purposes (optional) and the declaration of acknowledgement of the guidelines on anti-plagiarism control.
The internship can begin. It is advisable to check with Professor Gorla that all documentation is in order.

How to request recognition of previous work activity#

To request recognition of previous work activity, contact Professor Daniele Gorla (gorla@di.uniroma1.it). The assessment may require:

the employment contract;
the identification of a single product developed entirely by you, together with a short description of the work you would like to have recognised as your internship and final project;
a statement from your company supervisor confirming that the work was carried out entirely by you and not as part of a team;
confirmation that no confidentiality or non-disclosure restrictions prevent you from adequately describing the work and including significant portions of code in the report.

The internship report and all graduation procedures remain compulsory. This route generally tends to receive a limited graduation score, indicatively no more than 4 or 5 points out of the 9 available. This is only a general indication: the actual score depends on the quality of the work and the graduation committee’s assessment.

On the day of the graduation session#

During the graduation session, you will discuss your internship report with a subcommittee at the place and time indicated in the session schedule.

Students and guests must comply with the current rules on conduct during graduation sessions, available on the official Sapienza Graduation page.

Useful official resources#

For general information about curricular and external internships, see:

the Sapienza Internships page;
the Regulations for curricular internships (in Italian);
the internal Career Service page, which covers TSP Sapienza, internship searches and applications.