University of Alicante

Curricular Placements : They are part of the students' academic training so, by passing them, they get credits as follows:

• Optional or free-elective credits for degrees being phased out
• Optional credits in the Undergraduate Degrees of Biology, Marine Sciences, Geology, Mathematics and Chemistry (6 ECTS, equivalente a 25 horas por crédito) .
  
• Compulsory credits in the Undergraduate Degree of Optics & Optometry  (18 créditos) . .

Extracurricular Placements : These are voluntary-based placements out of the students' study plan so they will not be displayed on students' transcript of records. Only students who have passed 50% of their degree credits can apply for these placements. Curricular placements take precedence over extracurricular placements and students can only get one extracurricular placement by undergraduate degree taken as envisaged by the UA regulations.

CURRICULAR PLACEMENTS

• Degrees being phased out:  having passed 50% of the degree credits.
• New undergraduate degrees:
  • Meeting the  registration requirements stated on the UA regulations on continuation of studies .
  • Having passed 120 credits on registration.
  • Undergraduate degree in Optics & Optometry: having passed 180 credits, 24 of which should be related to the subjects of Optometry and Contactology.  See course info sheet .
• Master's degrees: those derived from the study plan.

EXTRACURRICULAR PLACEMENTS  

• Being enrolled in any of the Faculty of Sciences' degrees (undergraduate, master's or those being phased out).
• Having passed 50% of credits in either an undergraduate degree or a degree being phased out. Master's students do not need a minimum of credits passed.

Pursuant to UA regulations, students can only undertake one extracurricular placement managed by this Faculty.

FOR OPTIONAL CREDITS:

Placements take place during the first term, second term or summer. Find next a timetable for you to apply within the right dates depending on the placement period of your choice:

* Please note that you cannot enrol for the optional curricular placement course from the Virtual Campus. We will proceed with your enrolment in September if you either are going to apply for a scholarship or need a minimum of credits for any other reason, no matter if you are planning to do the internship during the first term, the second term or during the summer. You should apply for this at OPEMIL, either in person or sending an email to qualitat.ciencies@ua.es.

If you have not applied for your placement period within the deadlines established, you can apply for it at OPEMIL before 30 April of current academic year.

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN OPTICS & OPTOMETRY AND MASTER'S DEGREES WITH COMPULSORY PLACEMENT PERIODS: enrolment for the placement course should be made through the the Virtual Campus within the regular period established. Information on the application procedures for the placement centre will be given at the beginning of the academic year.

APPLICATION FORM FOR EXTERNAL PLACEMENTS

The application form will be active in July and August for students willing to perform their placements during the first term. The form will be active in October for applicants for the second term and summer periods.

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN OPTICS & OPTOMETRY: the application form will be active in September only for students enrolled in this degree.

Collaboration centres for this purpose will undergo a selection process if it is required. Whenever demand exceeds supply, the point-system assessment will be based on a 5-point scale (2 points will be related to the student's marks on the itinerary related to business activity;  2 points related to the student's GPA (Grade Point Average); and 1 point related to justification of the option chosen).

Placement centres

You can apply for a placement in the companies included in our database of external collaborators and for the traineeships offered by UA departments, institutes and services. It is advisable to apply for more than one company or department.

External collaborating companies and UA Departments/Services

Collaborating companies for the Undergraduate Degree in Optics & Optometry  

You can also propose to carry out your placement in company or institution different from those listed above and provide us with contact details. Preference will be given to the student who promoted the agreement.

• In the first place, you will be assessed by the company's appointed tutor according to a Pass/Fail criterion, except for the Undergraduate degree in Optics & Optometry where the point-system scale goes from 1 to 5. If a student gets a Fail, it will be reported as the final mark for the placement course.
• Once the student gets a Pass within the period of fifteen days prior to the corresponding final mark issuance, they should hand in the placement report to the acadéemic tutor, who will score it with a numeric mark.

 Optional/free-elective placement courses will under no circumstances be given a Distinction with Honours.

Deadlines for submission of assessments and reports:

The exact dates for final marks issuance will be yearly published on the academic calendar .

Will I be paid?

The work placement does not involve any labour relation with the company, so it is not committed to pay for the traineeship. Nevertheless, in some cases the company may offer an economic compensation.

Obligations

Students will be subject to the conditions established in the Annex work programme, and they must keep in touch with supervisors. They have to respect confidentiality of the tasks as well as the results obtained. When they finish the traineeship, they need to draft a Report, and deliver it to your academic supervisor. The activities carried out during the traineeship have to be explained on such as report,  and its qualification will be the basis of their final mark.

Placement insurance

Students under the age of 28 years are covered by the basic compulsory school insurance,  included in the enrolment fee .

Students who are 28 or above need to subscribe a covering insurance  during the traineeship. They can choose any one of the voluntary insurances offered by the University of Alicante. Otherwise, we will subscribe the most inexpensive insurance for them.

Also, the University of Alicante, through the Office of the Vice President  for Students, is covered with a civil liability insurance for the student placements in different national companies.