Frequently asked questions

ENGR90033 is a 25 credit points subject, which can be undertaken in Semester 1, Semester 2, or the Summer Term.

Full eligibility requirements can be found in the subject handbook:

• ENGR90033 Internship

If you are eligible, you will receive an e-mailahead of each semester with further information about the subject. You will also be given access to the Engineering and IT Internship Portal where you can find and apply to University-sourced internships through a competitive process.

It is important to double check your eligibility before you apply for any positions. If you change your specialisation or make changes to your course plan, this can impact your eligibility.

You cannot enrol into this subject if don’t have 25 points of free elective credit points.

The easiest way to check if you have 25 points of free electives is to add Internship (ENGR90033) to My Study in my.unimelb as ‘planned’.If you have followed the ‘Am I eligible to apply for an internship subject?’ instructions and are still uncertain, we recommend you contact the Course Planning Team at Stop 1.

You cannot self-enrol in the internship subject. Enrolment will be actioned by the University once the following steps have been completed:

1. You have secured your internship with a host organisation and submitted all the internship information
2. All relevant legal documents have been signed and returned by your host employer to the Faculty

The University will send you an email confirming your enrolment is in progress. You will be enrolled in the subject within 5 business days of receiving this email.

The ENGR90033 Internship subject has a very heavy workload and you will need to manage your time carefully. You should be aware that subject and placement workloads are not grounds for extensions.

If you require any course advice or enrolment assistance, please book an appointment with an advisor at Stop1.

If you would like to complete the internship subject concurrently with a capstone subject or an industry project, these could be approved under the following conditions.

1. You have a WAM of 75+.
2. You have a WAM of 70+ and are completing less than 50 points in the semester.
3. You have a WAM of 70+, and an average of 70+ in the previous semester and completing 20 hours or less a week of placement.

In each case, please be advised that the internship subject workload is very high and that you are not eligible for exemption from their work in the internship or other subjects.

If you do not meet these requirements, please email engit-placements@unimelb.edu.au.

As ENGR90033 is worth 25 elective credit points (equivalent to two subjects credit points), the fees that you will be charged in total to complete this subject is equivalent to two 12.5 credit point. This subject is worth 25 points as it require a combination of industry placement and assessment.

Some courses give you the option to complete a specialisation. Some of these specialisations fill elective spaces in your study plan; as such, if you are completing a specialisation, you may not have sufficient available credit points for ENGR90033.

If you do not see ENGR90033 listed in the handbook entry dedicated to your preferred specialisation (found in the ‘majors, minors, and specialisations’ tab of your course handbook entry), you cannot complete both ENGR90033 and your preferred specialisation. You will need to choose which to complete.

We encourage you to consider your reasoning for wishing to study the specialisation and ENGR90033 and whether you could get a similar experience or outcome without completing . You can then choose which to complete based on what is most important to you. If you need some support with making this decision, you can seek advice.

1. If you reasoning is career related, you may wish to get advice from the Careers and Employability Team
2. If you reasoning is related to your course requirements, you may wish to get advice from the Course Planning Team
3. If your reasoning is related to your academic goals, you may wish to consult your course coordinator.

If you successfully complete Internship (ENGR90033) or Chemical Engineering Internship (CHEN90028), your Engineering Practice Hurdle completion will be automatically registered. You do not need to do anything further to fulfill the requirement.

Both self-sourced and university-sourced internships are great options and it is up to you to decide if you would prefer to find your own or not.

If you have a specific organisation you would like to work for and the university does not have a relationship with them yet, then a self-sourced internship maybe the option for you. When self-sourcing, you will need to research if the organisation has internship positions available and approach them when appropriate.

The purpose of the internship subject is to support you during an industry internship. The work you are undertaking on a day-to-day basis must compliment your degree.

In some cases, research placements may be considered where the experience will be suitably similar to an industry placement. Typically, this is where students work in cohesive teams with deliverables for clients.

Visit the self-sourced internships or self-sourced international internships pages for more information.

Referees are people who know you well. You can identify referees from past workplaces, university (this could be a lecturer or course coordinator, depending on your relationship with them), or through other activities like volunteering or mentoring. Employers may contact referees during the hiring process to gather extra information or investigate any concerns they may have.

It’s essential that you choose referees who can talk confidently about your skills and experience.

Include your referees at the end of your resume. You can either write ‘Referees available upon request’ or list their names, contact details (phone and email) and your relationship to them (for example, manager or supervisor).

To help your referees give you the best possible recommendation:

• Ask your referee for their consent in advance
• Discuss the types of jobs you’re applying for and provide them with a copy of your resume
• When you find out you have an interview, forward details of the job to your referees and brief them on what the employer is looking for so they know what sort of questions to expect.

It is most likely that you will be asked to provide details of a referee rather than a letter of recommendation, however, if necessary you may request

Note regarding letters of recommendation: Usually, students don’t need a letter of recommendation, however if necessary (or if requested) you may ask your referee to provide one. If you want to ask a lecturer/course coordinator for one, you should consider if you have an established relationships with them before asking.

When submitting your internship application, it’s important to submit a good resumé, tailored cover letter and, if required, to address Key Selection Criteria. Visit the Careers and Employability webpages to access tools and resources to support you.

It’s important to prepare yourself, as well as your application documents. This might include gaining extra skills and experience, developing your employability and professional skills and preparing yourself for interviews.

From 1 July 2023, work restrictions for student visa holders will be re-introduced and capped at 48 hours per fortnight. This impacts students undertaking an internship from Semester 2, 2023 onward. Find out more here on our Working on a Student Visa page.

This restriction applies to: 
- Paid and unpaid work (unless the unpaid work meets the definition of volunteer work, which work undertaken as part of ENGR90033 does not)
- Work undertaken in Australia including remote work for a company based overseas

Please note that work undertaken as part of ENG90033 is not formally registered as part of your course because they are elective subjects and not a mandatory component.

As a result, work you undertake within your internship must be limited to approx. 24 hours per week and totaling no more than 48 hours per fortnight. It is suggested that students complete the internship over 14 weeks, which at 24 hours per week equates to 336 hours (meeting the minimum requirement of 320 hours). Read more here.

Full-time hours are typically between 36 – 40 hours per week.

Typically, the lower limit is 10-weeks. If you wish to discuss a shorter internship, email engit-placements@unimelb.edu.au

If you are an on a student visa you must be mindful of any limits on the number of working hours you can undertake per fortnight.