Internship
Internships and work placements
The single-cycle Master's Degree Course in Veterinary Medicine includes a practical internship (Table 1) for:
- students under the H08 system (30 ECTS - 750 hours);
- students enrolled since the academic year 2009/2010 (30 ECTS - 750 hours);
- students enrolled since the academic year 2020/2021 (36 ECTS - 900 hours);
- students enrolled since the academic year 2020/2021 (36 ECTS - 900 hours).
The aim of the internship is to provide students with the so-called “Day One Competences” (DOCs), a list of knowledge and skills that new graduates must possess when entering the world of work.
For this list of DOCs, our Degree Couse draws inspiration from those prepared by the European Coordinating Committee on Veterinary Training (ECCVT) and, for students enrolled from the academic year 2023-2024 onwards, these must also correspond to those formulated in the Syllabus prepared by the National Federation of Italian Veterinary Professional Associations (Ministerial Decree 652 of 5 July 2022).
The internship is mandatory for:
- admission to the qualifying examination for the practice of Veterinary Surgeons for students enrolled in the H08 programme and for students enrolled since the academic year 2009/2010;
- admission to the qualifying examination for the practice of Veterinary Surgeons or to the practical assessment test for students enrolled since the 2020/2021 academic year;
- admission to the practical assessment test for students enrolled since the academic year 2023/2024.
With the entry into force of Ministerial Decree 652 of 5 July 2022, the areas in which the internship must be carried out are as follows:
- Area 1: Companion Animal, Horse and Non-Conventional Animal Clinic
- Area 2: Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety
- Area 3: Animal Production and Livestock Medicine
Table 2 lists the internships for each enrolment cohort with the relevant area, ECTS and hours of work.
All activities carried out during internal internships, also known as intramural internships, and external internships, also known as extramural internships, must always be documented and certified as indicated in Table 3, Table 4 and Table 5.
Students enrolled from the academic year 2009/2010 onwards may begin to carry out the practical hospital internship components and enrol in the practical internship shifts for the fourth and fifth years of the course in accordance with the procedures detailed in the regulations set out herein.
Prof. Silvia Modina - President of the Degree Programme
Prof. Cristian Bernardi - Teaching Quality Assurance
Prof. Damiano Stefanello - Internship Coordinator
Cecilia Di Giacomo - 4th year students
Benedetta Bocciardo - 5th year students
Cosp - University Study and Career Guidance Services
For information
E-mail service: stage@unimi.it
Telephone reception (02.503.12032)
- Tuesday from 10:00 to 12:00
- Thursday from 10:00 to 12:00
Information desk
Via Santa Sofia 9/1 - Milan (currently suspended)
- Tuesday and Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m
In this section you can view and download the assigned shifts related to the Inspection area and the other Internship areas for the period January – May 2026.
Students may only begin their internship after completing the training courses required by workplace health and safety regulations:
- General safety training course (permanent validity)
- Specific safety training course (five-year validity)
Students will be notified by e-mail regarding the schedule for both courses.
Students must also be up to date with their tetanus vaccinations.
If their vaccination has expired, students must contact their local ASST vaccination centre or their general practitioner to arrange a booster.
To activate an external internship, students must:
- Be admitted to the ranking list
The ranking list is drawn up twice a year (in May and December) and students enrol by replying to the e-mail sent by the Academic Services. To be included in the ranking list, students must have passed all exams for the three-year period and have attended the first semester of the fifth year of the course.
The ranking list will be published on this page.
- Identify an academic tutor (internal professor) and agree with him/her on the external company where the internship will take place and the training project
The updated list of companies is published below in the dedicated section.
- Students (only for their first external/extramural internship) must publish their CV on the platform managed in collaboration with Almalaurea, by accessing UNIMIA > Work and Internship Section > “Manage your CV”.
- Once the external host company has been identified, the latter will activate the curricular internship according to the procedures indicated in the section “The activation procedure” on the page “Activate a curricular internship” on the University website;
- Ask the external host company to include the name of the academic tutor in the “Internship activities” field when completing the training project.
- Send the certificates for the online course on workplace safety (general and specific) and the tetanus vaccination certificate to the Academic Services (segreteria.veterinaria@unimi.it).
- Once the Academic Services has verified the validity of the documentation sent by the student and their presence on the ranking list, it delegates the approval of the internship to the academic tutor. The academic tutor approves the training project online, which is then approved by the COSP. At this point, the external host company must download the approved training project, have it signed by the student and the company manager, and upload it back onto the system.
- The COSP will activate the internship and the student will be informed of activation by e-mail.
If the student does not receive this e-mail, the internship is not active, and the student cannot begin the activities.
Please note that only facilities affiliated with the University and included in the list below may serve as external/extramural internship sites.
Students may, however, propose new facilities to their tutors in the relevant area. To be approved, the new facility must meet specific criteria:
- it must have a website (for small animals and non-conventional animals)
- veterinary facilities configured as clinics are not eligible for curricular internships (except for internships in gynaecology, obstetrics and reproduction of small animals);
- one of the Veterinary Surgeons at the facility must have completed a free online course provided by UNIMI, which can be accessed by sending an e-mail request to the EAEVE Departmental Committee at CEM@unimi.it;
- receive approval from the professor or professors involved in the internship for which activation is requested (e.g. veterinary surgery and radiology internship, etc.)
If the outcome is positive, the facility will be authorised, and the Internship Committee Coordinator must be informed so that it can be added to the list of authorised facilities.
The Syllabus is the document that outlines the content and objectives of the internship, providing a detailed programme of the activities to be carried out.
Day One Competences for each individual internship to be attached to the corresponding Syllabus.
For each internship area, students must complete a logbook detailing the activities carried out on each day.
- What is the difference between curricular and extracurricular internships?
Curricular internships are internships carried out by students who are regularly enrolled in a degree programme (bachelor's degree, master's degree, etc.).
Extracurricular internships are periods of work experience undertaken by those who have obtained a bachelor's degree, master's degree, single-cycle master's degree, master's degree or doctorate, with the activity beginning within 12 months of obtaining the qualification.
- How can I request information about internships from the Academic Services?
By opening a ticket on the Informastudenti platform.
- Is it possible to activate an internship “in addition” to those provided for by the degree programme?
“Additional” internships are not authorised except for students enrolled in the fifth year who have fulfilled the curricular internship requirements provided for in the study plan.
The planned activities must be assessed by the academic tutor, who verifies their consistency with the degree course and that the student has the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to undertake them.
If, even after non-authorisation, the student still wishes to carry out the activities, they may do so without involving the University.
- How do I find out who the internship tutors are?
This information is contained in the Syllabus for each internship, which can be downloaded from this page in the dedicated section.
- How do I find out when the internships start?
The start date of each internship depends on the shifts chosen/assigned, which will be published on this page following the meetings for their assignment.
For the Animal Handling (first and second year during teaching breaks), Farm Veterinary (third year during the summer teaching break), Small Animal Mobile Clinic (fourth year, second semester and during the summer teaching break) and Large Animal Mobile Clinic (ninth-tenth semester), the exact date may vary from shift to shift based on the shift schedule prepared by the Internship Manager (see Syllabus) or with the academic tutor and, where applicable, with the company tutor and/or contract lecturer. The Large Animal Mobile Clinic (9th semester) corresponds to the shift schedule for the three clinics, which is set before each academic year.
- What time do the internal internships start and where do I need to go?
For this detail, you must contact the tutors of the individual internships by e-mail.
- What is the training project?
The training project is an explanatory summary of the Syllabus that describes the activities to be carried out by the intern. It does not replace the Syllabus, which must be downloaded, read and delivered to the company tutor for external/extramural internships. The training project must detail the hours per day and the number of days the internship will take place. Hours per day and number of days are available in the Syllabus for each internship, which can be downloaded from this page in the dedicated section.
- What should I do if I get hurt during my internship?
Please consult the page Insurance and accidents on the University website.
- Where can I find the University's Insurance Policy?
On the page Insurance and accidents of the University website.
- Are OPA (Small Animal Hospital) and OGA (Large Animal Hospital) shifts considered internship activities?
They are internship activities to be carried out exclusively in the departments of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital according to the shift schedule set by the respective managers.
- Who should I ask for the DOCs I acquire during my internship?
DOCs for students enrolled since the academic year 2009/2010 and for students enrolled since the academic year 2020/2021 are available in each Syllabus, which can be downloaded from this page in the dedicated section.
For students enrolled since the academic year 2020-2021, skills must be requested from the lecturer who provided them using the Electronic logbook 1.0 and recorded in writing in the red booklet. The skills to be acquired are available in each Syllabus.
For students enrolled from the academic year 2023/2024, the list of skills is available on this page in the dedicated section and must be requested from the academic and non-academic tutor using the Electronic logbook 2.0.
- Can I change the internship period on my own?
No. The start and end dates of internship periods must always be approved by the academic tutor for both internal/intramural and external/extramural internships. Please note that the number of hours to be worked per day must match those indicated in the Syllabus for each internship. For external/extramural internships, changes to the dates must be agreed with the academic tutor and must be communicated promptly by e-mail to the Academic Services (segreteria.veterinaria@unimi.it), copying in the academic tutor. Except for OGA and OPA internships, it is not permitted to carry out internship activities at night, on Saturdays and Sundays, or during holiday shifts.
- Where can I pick up the booklet for OPA shifts?
At the DIVAS Department office.
- Where can I get the red booklet?
The red booklet (for students enrolled up to the academic year 2022/2023) is handed out at the meetings for the assignment of internship shifts:
- in May (5th year - for internships from June to September);
- in December (4th and 5th year for internships from January to May)
If the student did not collect the booklet at the meeting, it can be requested to the Academic Services.
- What should I do if my internship activities coincide with exam sessions?
Students may be absent for up to 20% of the days scheduled for each internship. Such absences must always be communicated and agreed upon with the tutor (academic and company).
- What should I do if I have not finished my internship by the deadline for submitting my degree documents?
Students must contact the Academic Services via the Informastudenti Platform to explain the situation.
- Is it possible to do an internship in August?
Yes, and they are carried out according to the shift schedule set up for each internship.
- To whom should I submit my internship documents?
To the Academic Services, by appointment via Informastudenti.
- Can I submit documents without the required signatures on the due date and get them later?
No, the documents must have all the required signatures.
- Who should I ask for copies of the paper logbooks?
The paper logbook (except for OPA) for each internship is available and can be downloaded from this page in the dedicated section.
- Do internship documents have to be submitted “in person”?
Yes, unless you have a proxy. However, for the purposes of verifying the activities carried out, it is best to submit the documents in person.
- Does each logbook have to bear the Department stamp?
No, the Department stamp is no longer required.
- If there are problems with the internship, who should I contact?
You can contact the President of the Degree Programme, the Teaching Quality Assurance, the Internship Coordinator, the Academic Tutor, the Professors and Students of the Internship Committee, the Teaching Committee, the Joint Committee, as well as the Academic Services.
- What is the Internship Committee?
The Internship Committee (CT) is a committee of the single-cycle Master's Degree Programme chaired by the President of the Degree Programme or, on his behalf, by the Internship Coordinator. The Internship Committee consists of professors representing the scientific disciplines involved in internship activities and two student representatives.
The CT is responsible for developing, promoting and monitoring the practical activities (internship ECTS) of students on the degree programme, carried out both at the facilities of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences (DIVAS), including the Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the Experimental Teaching Zootechnical Unit, and at affiliated public or private institutions.
The CT carries out the following specific activities:
- proposes updates and amendments to the regulations governing the acquisition of ECTS for internships;
- identifies the requirements necessary for the accreditation of external internship facilities;
- periodically reviews the internship Syllabus and proposes any necessary amendments;
- monitors internal and external internship activities for the purpose of delivering the skills stated in the respective Syllabi;
- proposes changes to the organisation of internal and external internship activities;
- monitors that the animal or animal-derived material available is compatible with the skills provided in accordance with the Syllabus;
- monitors student opinions on progress.
The CT acts in accordance with and in compliance with relevant national laws, ANVUR, the UNIMI Quality Assurance System and DIVAS.