The internship consists of a temporary, guided and supervised placement within companies, public or private bodies, cooperatives, associations, research centres, and any other organization connected with the profile of the degree program.

For the internship to be as effective as possible, the chosen host organization should be particularly consistent with the selected curriculum. To this end, both curricula indicate a specific list of institutions and companies with which the degree program maintains regular contacts, thus ensuring coherence with the educational profile.

By way of example,

for the Institutions and Politics curriculum, students are directed towards:

• Regional Council and Regional Government of Tuscany
• Parliamentary and council groups
• Municipal executives and councils
• Offices of political parties and trade unions

for the Institutions and Markets curriculum, students are directed towards:

• Departments for budget, social policies and services of Tuscan municipalities
• Publicly owned companies, such as Publiambiente and Publiacqua
• IRPET — Regional Institute for Economic Planning of Tuscany

Students may apply for one of the internships offered directly by the University Internship Service, or submit their own project to the Degree Program Internship Committee, agreed upon with an academic tutor and a supervisor from the host organization. In the latter case, together with the application, students must submit appropriate documentation certifying the host organization’s availability and a general program of the tasks to be carried out. If the Internship Committee considers the project suitable, it approves it, subject to the signing of an agreement between the host organization and the University, according to the procedure adopted by the Internship Service.

In all cases, assessment of the internship results follows the procedures established by the Internship Service and is subject to the supervision of the Degree Program Internship Committee.

By resolution of the Degree Program Council, the credits corresponding to the internship activity may be recognized on the basis of appropriate documentation certifying the completion of work experience consistent with the profile of the degree program and satisfying the minimum requirements for internship activity.

 

The person responsible for internships in the degree programme is Professor Andrea Terlizzi, who provides support and guidance in choosing the internship, signs internship projects, and oversees their accreditation and recording.

To activate an internship, please consult the page Curricular internships: what you need to know, which also reports the contacts of Internship Office/Service of the School of Political Science. 

Internship opportunities

 

Two types of internship

Starting from the 2025/26 cohort, internship credits are included in the group “Additional activities (12 ECTS) ”. Students may choose either a 6-CFU internship — in combination with language credits or workshops — or a 12-CFU internship, in which case it covers the entire credit slot. The group allows full freedom in combining CFU, meaning that, instead of internships, students may acquire language credits, workshop credits, or combinations thereof.

• For 6-CFU internships, the duration must comply with the regulations in force: not less than 150 hours, approximately two months on a part-time basis. The experience must in any case ensure a qualifying educational path.
• For extended 12-CFU internships, greater training intensity and a longer duration are required, generally not less than three months, to be carried out at qualified institutions. These may be based on calls for applications, selected from the programme’s portfolio of international contacts — for example, Erasmus Traineeship — or activated through agreements established by the degree programme. In the case of extended internships abroad, independently arranged internships are also admissible, provided they are approved by the degree programme internship coordinator and by the thesis supervisor, who must certify their coherence with the development of a thesis with a professionalizing profile.

It is possible to carry out the internship abroad by applying for the annual Erasmus+ Traineeship call.

A partire dalla coorte 2025/26, i crediti per tirocini fanno parte del gruppo “A scelta tra le seguenti attività formative 12 CFU”. Il tirocinio può essere scelto dallo studente da 6 cfu (in combinazione con crediti di lingua o laboratori) o da 12 CFU (e in questo caso esauriscono lo slot di crediti).  Il gruppo prevede piena libertà di combinare i CFU e dunque in luogo dei tirocini possono essere acquisiti crediti di lingua, laboratori o loro combinazioni.

Extended internships and professionalizing thesis

The extended 12-CFU internships constitute a professionalizing opportunity linked exclusively to specific internships agreed upon with particular institutions. These may include, for example, internships already tested through a joint call by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and the Region of Tuscany, or placements at think tanks, research institutes, public administrations and other bodies whose activities are consistent with the study plan and involve a longer stay connected to a specific project-based educational activity.

These pathways must always be agreed upon with the internship coordinator and, since an outcome in terms of the final thesis is required, with the thesis supervisor.

The thesis with a professionalizing profile is therefore intended for students of the PIM Master’s degree programme who choose to undertake the 12-CFU curricular internship, as provided for in the study plan starting from the 2025–2026 cohort.

The total credits for the final thesis — 15 CFU — will be divided into 9 CFU for the traditional preparation of the thesis, in a lighter form than standard theses, and 6 CFU for the more professionalizing component of the thesis. This structure is designed to reward this particular activity and to ensure that the certification records the experience gained through the connection between internship experience and academic reflection.

This opportunity therefore aims to enhance the commitment of the student, as well as the knowledge and skills acquired through an intensive and extended internship experience. It also aims to facilitate entry into the labour market through a pathway requiring active, continuous and qualified participation. The professionalizing thesis is intended to produce a final paper capable of critically and consciously presenting the skills acquired.

Starting from the second year, and after agreeing on the educational project for the extended 12-CFU internship with the internship coordinator and the thesis supervisor, students may modify their study plan by including the corresponding activities:

12-CFU Internship + 9-CFU Final Examination + 6-CFU Thesis Preparation Internship or Thesis Preparation Abroad

Previous work experience of working students is excluded from the 12-CFU extended internship pathway. Although such experience is often of high value and prestige, it does not fall within the specific pathway designed as a bridge between university and the world of work.

Goals of the professionalizing thesis

• integrate the knowledge acquired with a concrete work experience consistent with the objectives of the degree programme;
• promote the development of practical and applied skills, strengthening competitiveness in the labour market;
• facilitate graduation within the expected timeframe, allowing faster access to professional opportunities.
• enhance 12-CFU internships as pathways involving a particularly strong educational commitment and capable of generating a direct link with research and thesis preparation;

Topic of the professionalizing thesis

The topic of the professionalizing thesis must be connected to the internship experience and agreed upon in advance with a lecturer of the degree programme, who will supervise its development.

The presence of a co-supervisor from the host organization is desirable, though not mandatory, in order to strengthen the link between academic analysis and professional activities.

Structure and content of the professionalizing thesis

The content of the professionalizing thesis must be connected to the activities carried out during the internship, with particular attention to practical and applied aspects.

For this purpose, the presence of an external co-supervisor — for example, from the host organization — is strongly recommended, in order to enrich the empirical dimension of the analysis.

The empirical dimension may be predominant and may include case analyses, policy recommendations, operational tools, and similar outputs.

The professionalizing thesis may also take the form of an operational report or a policy report, favouring a practical approach over a traditional theoretical thesis. The minimum required length is approximately 70 pages — Times New Roman 12, 1.5 line spacing — including abstract, table of contents, main text, bibliography and any appendices.

Even if the theoretical part may be less central, scientific rigour must be maintained, with appropriate use of citations and a complete bibliography.

Any use of AI tools must be declared transparently, for example for language revision or bibliography management.

Discussion of the professionalizing thesis and graduation

The professionalizing thesis allows PIM students to consolidate their professional profile already during their studies, facilitating a faster and more informed transition into the world of work.

Since the professionalizing thesis will be partly written during the internship experience, it is desirable that the thesis discussion take place within six months of the end of the internship and, in any case, no later than the last graduation session of the relevant academic year.