Stage Curricular Internships for Master’s Degrees (Old System)

Curricular Internships for Master’s Degrees (Old System)

The information on this page and the related items are valid only for students currently enrolled in the 2nd year of the Master’s Degree LM 51 (enrolled in the academic year 2022/23) or for students from previous cohorts who need to complete their study program with the 6 ECTS for internship activities.

 

• How to obtain 6 ECTS for the internship activity
• ATECO codes for Psychology
• Ethics seminars
• Mandatory Workplace Safety Course
• Definitions and guidelines for conducting curricular internships
• Students4Students

 

All requests and communications from students to the various offices must be made exclusively using the institutional email address (name.surname@edu.unifi.it).

Definitions and Guidelines for Conducting the Internship

 

1. Definition
   "Formative Internships" refers to the type F training activity worth 6 credits aimed at acquiring useful knowledge for entering the job market. This is included in the second year of the Master’s Degree programs of class LM-51 managed by the School of Psychology at the University of Florence. This activity is respectively called "Formative Internships" for the Master's Degree in Clinical and Health Psychology and Neuropsychology, and "Formative Internships and Deontology" for the Master's Degree in Lifespan Psychology and Contexts.
   The assessment of the skills achieved by the student in this training activity is expressed through a suitability judgment.
   
   
2. Objectives of the Training Internships
   The purpose of the Formative Internships is to place the student in a work context of psychological relevance with the following objectives:
   To familiarize with the corporate environment by analyzing its institutional mission, the regulatory framework within which the activities are conducted, and the organizational structure.
   To deepen the understanding of the prevailing communication models, paying particular attention to the vertical, horizontal, and group dimensions in the observed contexts.
   To identify the main psychological needs that manifest in the context and the ways in which personnel address these needs.
   In cases where a Psychology Service is present, it is important for the student to come into contact with the operational practices of this service, understand its objectives and tasks, the organizational model, and the organizational chart. The student should be able to describe the formal and informal competencies required for the various roles present and identify the models or practices that enable the multidisciplinary integration of competencies.
   The learning objectives of this teaching module aim for an initial comparison between the competencies acquired by the student during their studies and the demands of the work contexts. This constitutes an important phase in the personal development and professional identity of the future psychologist.
   The deontological module of 20 hours aims to analyze the ethical, deontological, and legal aspects related to the professional activity of psychologists, with particular reference to the principles outlined in the Code of Ethics of Italian Psychologists and Legislative Decree 196/03 (privacy regulations).
   
   
3. Attendance Requirement
   The training activity known as “Formative Internships” consists of internship activities in professional contexts (120 hours), accompanied by group supervision activities coordinated by university tutor instructors (10 hours) and professional ethics seminars (20 hours).
   Attendance at the activities of the Formative Internships is mandatory; the Councils of the master's degree programs establish the methods for verifying attendance. The activity referred to as Formative Internships can be carried out in either the first or second semester, but must be completed by September 30 of each academic year.
   The internship in business contexts must be preceded or activated simultaneously with the deontological training, unless there are justified exceptions to be submitted to the president of the degree program. Deontological training is mandatory and must be attended according to the terms and conditions set forth by the degree program; it can be completed in either the first or second year.
   The Student Office provides the university tutor with a list of students eligible to participate in the Formative Internships, taking into account the list of students enrolled in the second year of the program for each academic year. Any requests to advance or postpone part or all of the training activities, motivated by participation in the Erasmus program or documented health reasons, can be submitted in writing to the president of the degree program.
   For the Deontology activities, online registration by the student is required via a specific form published on the school's website.
   
   
4. Distribution of Activities
   The Council of the Master’s Degree Program in Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology has established the following distribution of hours for the activities:
   a) Certification Course on Safety (before starting the internship);
   b) Deontological Seminars: 20 hours (5 seminars of 4 hours each, with a mandatory attendance of at least 3 out of 5 seminars);
   c) Supervision of the internship process: 2 hours of classroom teaching and 8 hours of supervision (3 group meetings) with mandatory participation;
   d) Internship in an institution affiliated with the University: 120 hours of mandatory attendance.
   
   The Council of the Master’s Degree Program in Lifespan Psychology and Contexts has established the following distribution of hours for the activities:
   a) Certification Course on Safety (before starting the internship);
   b) Deontological Seminars: 20 hours (5 seminars of 4 hours each, with a mandatory attendance of at least 3 out of 5 seminars);
   c) Supervision of the internship process: 10 hours of mandatory teaching and supervision;
   d) Internship in an institution affiliated with the University: 120 hours of mandatory attendance.
   
   
5. Deontological Seminars
   The deontological seminars are held at the beginning of each semester (October and March) and consist of 5 meetings of 4 hours each, totaling 20 hours. They must be attended before or concurrently with the internship in the respective contexts.
   
   
6. Structure of Internships at the Host Institution
   The structure of the internship is defined by the University "Guidelines" approved by the Academic Senate, according to which:
   The internship activity can be carried out at a facility affiliated with the University of Florence;
   It requires a university tutor who guarantees the suitability of the internship project concerning the educational objectives, and a tutor from the host facility who is responsible for the adequacy and effectiveness of the interactions between the intern and the host facility itself.
   
   
7. Procedure for Activating an Internship
   The procedure for activating the internship is described on the website page http://www.unifi.it/vp-607-stage-e-tirocini.html#stage. Once the student has chosen and contacted a structure (even in the absence of offers) and made arrangements with it, they must communicate the name of the chosen structure and their student ID number to the internship office via email at stage@psico.unifi.it. The Internship Office will then match the student with the structure.
   To initiate an internship, it is necessary to fill out an online training project that involves three parties: the student, the university tutor, and the host structure. The training project drafted by the student and agreed upon with the company tutor must be signed by the university tutor, the legal representative, and the company tutor of the host structure. The completed and signed training project must be submitted to the Internship Office of the School of Psychology at least 10 days before the scheduled start date of the internship in the company. The student’s presence in the company must be recorded in a specific attendance diary.
   It is possible to organize the internship in a customized way, provided that the structure proceeds with the accreditation process at the University of Florence database.
   
   
8. Conclusion of the Internship at the Host Institution
   At the conclusion of the internship, the student, the company tutor, and the university tutor must each complete an online evaluation questionnaire. The company tutor is also responsible for filling out the final report online, which must also be validated by the university tutor.
   
   
9. Conclusion of the Procedure and Assignment of CFU to the Student
   The university tutor, after validating the final report and verifying that the student has fulfilled the attendance requirement for the other training activities (deontological seminars and supervision meetings), certifies on a specific form that the student has achieved suitability for the internship and submits the document to the Internship Office of the School of Psychology. The Internship Office then proceeds to register the document, keep a copy, and deliver the original to the Student Secretariat, which will, in turn, record the suitability achieved in the student's academic career. The registration of suitability results in the allocation of 6 ECTS credits to the student’s academic record.
   
   
10. Erasmus+ Program Students
    Students participating in the Erasmus+ Program can carry out internships abroad through an ad hoc agreement with a company proposed by the student and deemed suitable by the Internship Commission.
    Incoming students in the second-level Erasmus+ Program are also eligible for the internship. Incoming students must have a B1 level in the Italian language and are required to complete the activities indicated in point 4 during the semester in which they participate in the Erasmus period at the degree programs of the school. If required by the home institution, the certification of grades will be issued by the Delegate for International Relations.
    
    
11. Recognition of Activities
    It is possible to request the validation of Civil Service activities as formative internships by submitting a request to the Internship Office via email at the address stage@psico.unifi.it.