Students will engage in a 6-8 week period of Professional Practice in one of the IMBRSea (main or associated) partners. Those partners include universities, research stations, companies and NGOs. During Professional Practice students will work under the guidance of a mentor in this host organisation and an academic supervisor from the partner universities.
The main objective of the IMBRSea Professional Practice is for the student to become familiar with different work functions and roles expected for a particular profession. The Professional Practice should allow the student to understand how knowledge acquired through formal learning may be applied to solving problems in real-world situations. Over the Professional Practice the student will be immersed in the working environment and will get acquainted with real-life job world.
Professional practice topics & selection
The Professional Practice topics will be made available to students during their first semester of studies. After a mutual agreement with the professional practice partner responsible, a contract will drawn up, outlining the rights and duties of both the student and professional practice provider.
Final competences
- Describe how their Professional Practice experience has improved their professional competence (e.g.through an improved ability to: communicate and work effectively with others; show initiative and work independently; organise their workload and set priorities; respond to new challenges and changing situations).
- Critically evaluate how they have contributed to their host organisation's objectives.
- Explain how they applied previously acquired theory and practical knowledge to their professional duties in the host organisation.
- Explain how their Professional Practice experience has modified their career aspirations.
- Assess the effect of their Professional Practice on their future employment prospects
Examination methods
The evaluation of the professional practice will be based on several elements:
- An online reflective portfolio
- A final reflective report
- An evaluation by the Professional Practice mentor on student’s performance and adaptation to the working environment
- An exhibition stand at the Annual Symposium or at the Summer School* in which the professional practice is presented. All students are expected to be physically present to present their Professional practice exhibition.
In their Reflective Portfolio learners will be expected to explain how their Professional Practice experience fulfils the learning outcomes of the module and will be expected to provide evidence to support their explanations.
The online reflective portfolio counts for 10%, the final reflective report counts for 60%, and the Professional-practice exhibition presentation counts for 30% of the final grade.
Who can offer a professional practice?
In principle, only non-academic partners allied to any of the partners (main or associated) can offer a professional practice, however, in specific cases, other institutions can submit professional practices as well. In this case, the institution must become an associate member of the IMBRSea consortium before the start of the professional practice. This membership will be approved by the IMBRSea management board and regulated through a signed bilateral agreement. Note that professional practices should be posted through the appropriate form by professional practice providers and NOT by students.
More information on how to offer a professional practice can be found here: https://www.imbrsea.eu/partner/professional-practice
Further guidelines on the online reflective portfolio and the final reflective report are provided in the Professional Practice Guidelines. Further course information can be found here: https://studiekiezer.ugent.be/2026/studiefiche/en/C003906
Please find the guidelines, as distributed to students, below.
