Starting this summer, the study progress reform will come into force for all students at AU and Denmark’s other universities. From now on the general rule is that you must register for 30 ECTS credits each semester.

So no more taking a semester off or postponing courses in order to do an internship or find the time to work alongside the degree programme. Regardless of how relevant you believe this could be.

If you want to do an internship, the crucial factor will be whether you can get the internship approved for academic credit. And if it’s worth less than the required 30 ECTS credits, you will have to be prepared to participate in courses and take exams at simultaneously with the internship. Or spend the summer holidays at summer university to accumulate the necessary credits.

Many more questions

According to Michael Mejlgaard Udby, spokesman for AU's student counsellors, all things being equal, the study progress reform will limit the students' flexibility in relation to internships and will also mean that they risk an extra workload if they want to get outside the university and gain some practical experience.

"During the spring the students are going to really begin finding out what this means. We expect to receive many more questions about all aspects of planning degree programmes," he says.

BSS is preparing for an increasing number of students at the Summer School, says manager of AU Career at BSS, Thomas Hvergel Jensen. 

"If you want to do an internship and think that it is important for your career and study programme, then the Summer School is the obvious place to look when it comes to filling up on ECTS credits," he says.

The medical students bemoan the fact that it is no longer possible to take locum tenens positions, while Dean Allan Flyvbjerg denies that there is a need for more practical experience in addition to that which is already required in the academic regulations.

And at Arts, chairman of the ARTScouncil Jeppe Kaas fears that the study progress reform will mean that fewer Master’s degree students at his faculty will gain experience of the labour market through an internship.

Translated by Peter Lambourne