Internships

Internships give you practical experience in scientific, technical, or professional contexts related to computational linguistics and language technology. They may be completed internally at the Department of Computational Linguistics or externally at a company, public institution, research organization, or another suitable organization in Switzerland or abroad.

You are responsible for finding a suitable internship or internal supervisor. Internal internships depend on the availability of appropriate departmental projects, while external internships must be arranged directly with the host organization.

Internship modules cannot be booked directly by students. The internship and its expected workload must first be approved by the module coordinator. After approval, the module is booked administratively for the semester in which the main part of the internship is completed.

For an external internship, you must have successfully completed all compulsory modules. Before the internship begins, send the module coordinator information about the host organization, your role, the planned tasks, and the expected duration so that eligibility for credit can be confirmed.

There is no entitlement to an internship module. Internal internships can only be offered when a suitable position is available in a departmental project.

Internal internships usually take place within research projects at the Department of Computational Linguistics. You must independently contact a suitable member of the department, for example a lecturer whose course you have completed, and ask about possible project opportunities.

Depending on the project, your work may include reviewing scientific literature, preparing or annotating data, applying statistical or machine learning methods, developing software, contributing to evaluation processes, or supporting workshop and conference publications. You normally work on a defined subproblem within a larger research project.

Internal internships are unpaid.

After the internship has been completed, your supervisor informs the module coordinator so that the module can be recorded as passed. Please consult the corresponding module description in the UZH course catalogue for the current administrative requirements.

External internships take place in companies, public institutions, research organizations, or other professional settings connected to computational linguistics, language technology, or a closely related field. They allow you to apply knowledge from your studies while gaining experience with professional workflows, organizational structures, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

You are responsible for finding a suitable internship placement. Before the internship begins, contact the module coordinator by email and provide information about the organization, your role, the planned tasks, and the expected workload.

External internships may be paid or unpaid.

After the internship has been completed, you must contact the module coordinator and provide the documentation required for crediting. Please consult the corresponding module description in the UZH course catalogue for the current administrative requirements.

The number of ECTS credits is agreed with the module coordinator before the internship begins.

The tasks, role, supervision, and expected workload should be agreed before the internship begins.

Third-country students

Students from third countries, meaning non-EU/EFTA nationals, may require a permit to complete an external internship or other paid work in Switzerland. The future employer must normally apply for this permit, and the requirements may vary by canton. You should therefore clarify the permit requirements early with the employer and, where necessary, with the responsible migration authority.

The department may provide a letter confirming that a specific internship is highly beneficial and recommended for your academic and professional development. However, internships are not mandatory under our study regulations. Support letters are issued by the Dean’s Office and coordinated through the study advisor.

Further information is available from UZH Career Services.

Please consult the administrative details in the corresponding module description in the course catalogue. If anything remains unclear, please contact the study advisor.