Thesis Internship

Internships come in different shapes and sizes and vary in the Netherlands by program. For example, you have a thesis internship, which we will tell you more about on this page. There are also full-time internship, graduation internship or a research internship. In particular, University of Applied Sciences (HBO in Dutch) internships are common because this is often a required part of study. At university level, this is often not the case, which is why most students seeking internships are University of Applied Sciences students. 

Students are often looking for different types of internships. This depends on the study, but also on which year they are in. For example, in the early period of a degree program, there is often room for a full-time internship or cooperative internship, and toward the end, the second internship takes place and this usually involves a graduate, research or thesis internship. 

Below, we will focus particularly on the thesis internship, which is also called thesis project. 

1. What is a thesis internship?
2. What is the difference between a thesis internship and a graduate internship?
3. What components does a thesis internship consist of?
4. How do you find a thesis internship?

Let’s dive in!

1. What is a thesis internship?

This name research internship already suggests what this type of internship is about, namely doing research. This internship occurs mainly as a final internship, just like the graduate internship. It varies by program whether students should look for a graduate internship or research internship. 

Thus, the thesis internship focuses primarily on conducting a research or thesis project in which the student must prepare a final recommendation for the company in which the research is being conducted. During a research internship, a student will not participate in day-to-day business operations. However, the student will look along to better understand and perhaps optimize processes. Examples of research internships include market surveys, an advisory report or developing a new design for a particular process. 

2. What is the difference between a thesis internship and a graduate internship?

The similarity between a thesis internship and graduate internship is that they both occur at the end of most degree programs. It varies by study whether students should look for a research internship or graduate internship. They both have the same purpose only during a graduate internship there is more time to also work with the organization. You could think of a graduate internship as a combination of a collaborative internship and a thesis project. With a research internship, the full focus is on the graduation assignment. There is often no room to work within the company. 

Students looking for a research internship from their studies generally have more difficulty finding a thesis internship than students looking for a graduate internship. This is because companies do not always have research on the shelf that students can conduct, in addition, companies also tend to benefit more from students who are able to work several days in addition to graduation. 

3. What components does a thesis internship consist of?

A thesis internship revolves primarily around the final project. This is why students looking for a research internship also often immediately indicate that they are not looking for an internship in the form of collaborating, but for a final project. During a research internship, students are not allowed to cooperate, or only to a very limited extent. The main focus of the research internship is a consultancy report or market research that can be presented to the educational institution and the company at the end of the internship.

4. How do you find a thesis internship? 

A thesis internship is difficult for many students to find. This is because not every company is open to interns who may only do research. As mentioned earlier, companies are more often looking for students who can also collaborate in the organization. In addition, it is difficult for many students to get a good overview of all available companies. This is the main reason why we created Fiks.

At Fiks, students can directly leave all criteria while applying for Fiks WhatsApp Service. On this basis, they are sent WhatsApp messages about suitable internships. In addition, students can also look online themselves at Fiks among the hundreds of internships posted online each semester. The great thing about Fiks is that all internships on our site offer an internship stipend to students. So if you are looking for a research internship with an internship stipend, then Fiks is the right place!