Traineeship in Biology
During this advanced course you work as a trainee at a workplace outside of Stockholm University, where you use biological knowledge and skills that you have acquired during your education.
Applying your skills and knowledge at a workplace of biological relevance is a great way to gain work life experience. Traineeship in biology allow you the possibility to test your own abilities, try out a workplace and grow your professional network.
If you are not sure what you want to do next traineeship in biology is a way to spend some weeks in a workplace and find out if it is right for you. If you know exactly where you want to go next a traineeship is a way to get a foot in the door and to prove yourself to them.
Course evaluations show that students appreciate the opportunity to gain insight into a workplace. Overall satisfaction with the course is 4-5 (on 1-5 scale). Feedback also suggests that the format of the course means that you feel part of the group, not just a visitor, which gives you a good impression of what working there would be like.
Course aims
The aim of traineeship in biology is for you to gain both experience of working life in general, and experience in particular of a workplace in which biological knowledge is used. You are expected to apply the knowledge and skills that you have acquired during your education. The aim is also that you learn how work with biological aspects is organised and carried out at, for example, a company or an authority.
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Course structure
Before you apply you should read under the heading More information to find out where you can do the traineeship, how you find a work place and what to think about when you write the work plan.
Teaching format
Traineeship means that you take part, under supervision, in the work a company, authority or other work place. You should work the same hours as employees at the work place. What your work assignments are during the traineeship should be clear in your work plan. It is important that you interact with other parts of the work and other employees than just your supervisor. If this changes during the traineeship this must be approved by the examiner.
Each day you will summarise and reflect on your day in your traineeship journal. At the end of the first week you submit the journal to the course coordinator for feedback. This way we are able to see that your journal meet the expectations and that the traineeship has got off to a good start.
Assessment
You present your traineeship in writing (the journal) and orally at a seminar. About three seminars are held each semester and teachers and students are invited to listen.
The course is assessed by a committee which consists of the examiner and the study councellor. The course is graded as either pass or fail.
Examiner
Cecilia Kullberg
E-mail: cecilia.kullberg@zoologi.su.se
Phone: +46 8 16 4713
Room: D550c -
Schedule
The schedule will be available no later than one month before the start of the course. We do not recommend print-outs as changes can occur. At the start of the course, your department will advise where you can find your schedule during the course.Traineeship in biology 15 credits should be equivalent to 9 full time work weeks. The course does not have set start and end dates, but you should apply for the course the period that best fits when you plan to do the traineeship. Which weeks you will work and what workhours you should keep is an agreement you make with your supervisor, these are then specified in the work plan which must be approved by the examiner.
In the schedule below, you will find planned presentaitons of completed traineeships.
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Course literature
Note that the course literature can be changed up to two months before the start of the course.
Traineeship in Biology does not have any official literature. Depending on your traineeship you may be expected to read different forms of literature, if so, this is something that you will discuss with your supervisor.
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Course reports
Collated answers are for the full year (not only spring term)
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More information
Traineeship in Biology is offered as 7.5 and 15 credits. You can take both courses (7.5and 15 credits) but you have to be at different workplaces, and you can only count a total of 15 credits toward your degree (including Research traineeships).
Traineeship in Biology 7.5 hp (BL8006)
Traineeship in Biology can be conducted in Sweden or abroad. As a student at Stockholm University, you can apply for funding through Erasmus+ to complete a work placement/traineeship at a company or organisation in a country participating in the Erasmus+ programme.
How to apply
Before you start your internship, you must follow all these steps:
- Apply at Antagning.se for the period that best matches your plans (see "Schedule" above).
- When the application is closed, you will receive an e-mail with a link to a form where you fill in your work plan (see "the work plan" below). The deadline for submitting the work plan is normally about one month after the application closes.
- Once the work plan has been approved by the examiner, you will be admitted (assuming you are eligible) and you can register online. You can not start the internship until you have registered for the course! This is important because you are not insured by the university in the workplace until you are registered.
The workplace
The traineeship in biology is conducted at a workplace where biological knowledge is relevant but where research is not the main work, ff you prefer to do a traineeship at a biological institution, then you should take one of our research traineeship courses. If you are unsure whether your intended workplace can be approved for an internship in biology, or if you are unsure of which course you should apply for, you should contact the examiner (see "Course structure").
Read more about the difference between our traineeship courses
Finding a traineeship position
It is your responsibility to find a workplace and a supervisor, BIG does not provide details of traineeship opportunities. Although you might wish that we supplied a list of traineeship places, there are very good reasons why we choose not to. This is an excellent opportunity to practice job-hunting skills. And students that have completed the course agree, they feel it encourages them to get involved and take responsibility for their career.
To get the most out of the course, you need to think hard about what your personal aims are with the course, and what workplace might help you achieve those goals. As well as how to contact your workplace, is there a traineeship position you can apply for (see for example Mycareer eller Sustainergies), someone in your network that can support you, or make direct contact with you intended supervisor?
Get in touch early with the workplaces where you would like to do the traineeship, preferably before you apply for the course, some workplaces need good time margins to be able to schedule a traineeship.
If you do not really know where you want to work in the future, and want to discuss you future career; get in contact with our study counsellors.
The work plan
The work plan is an agreement between you, your supervisor and the examiner, to ensure that your work during the traineeship is relevant to the course. Writing the workplan is an opportunity for you to acquaint yourself with the workplace, your supervisor as well as their expectations of your work. It is, therefore, important that you draw up the work plan in consultation with your supervisor, while you write the plan independently.
When you have applied for the course, and the application round has closed, you will receive a link to a form where you fill in and submit your work plan. In order for you to be admitted to the course, the work plan must be approved by the examiner (see "How to apply" above). The following points must be included in the work plan:
- Supervisor's name, position and e-mail address
- Preliminary start date
- Description of the workplace (max 150 words)
- Job assignments (max 150 words)
- Expectations and own learning objectives (max 150 words)
- Time plan where you specify approximately how many days/weeks you will spend on each task
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Contact
Student office- Visiting address
Arrheniuslaboratory, room E315
Svante Arrhenius väg 20C
- Office hours
Mon-Thur: 13.00-15.00
Study counsellor for advanced level
- Visiting address
Arrheniuslaboratoriet, room E315
Svante Arrhenius väg 20 C
- Office hours
By request
