About the Scheme
The Overseas Internship Scheme (OIS) lasts from late May/early June till August for a period of 2.5 months during which students conduct their placement overseas. Apart from real work experience, OIS students also gain the valuable opportunity to appreciate life in a different culture and develop a global perspective.
Support from industry and institutional partners
The host company / institution is expected to:
- provide a training programme / research project relevant to the student’s major study.
- assign a host supervisor to co-supervise the student with a CityU supervisor.
- assist the student in seeking accommodation as appropriate.
Student disciplines
Student joining OIS are in their third year from the following disciplines:
- architecture and civil engineering (surveying)
- biomedical engineering
- electrical engineering
- materials science and engineering
- mechanical engineering
- systems engineering
Enquiry
Course Registration
FS4005 Overseas Internship Scheme (OIS)
Students accepting the OIS offer will be registered on a 3-credit units course FS4005 Overseas Internship Scheme by the Co-operative Education Centre in summer. Students of the Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) and the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE) will be registered on either FS4005 or a course as advised by the Department. The status of FS4005 in a programme major varies from department to department. Students are advised to consult the parent department.
FS 4005 Overseas Internship Scheme is a research-based 3-credit unit course. While the participants from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering may receive a monthly allowance from the hosts, all other OIS job offers are non-remunerated.
Note
The maximum number of credit units permitted for a degree is as follows:
- 4-year degree: 144 credit units (Academic Regulation 4.1)
- Advanced Standing I: 114 credit units (Academic Regulation 6.4.1)
- Advanced Standing II: 84 credit units (Academic Regulation 6.5.1)
Students who have exceeded the maximum credit units permitted will not be allowed to register for further courses in subsequent semesters / terms except for (a) those pursuing a double major or double degree paying the extra credits; or (b) those who have been granted special approval to exceed the maximum credit limit due to change of home major. For details, students are advised to check with Academic Regulations and Records Office (ARRO) and / or their parent department.
If a student anticipates that he/she will exceed the maximum credit limit upon the enrolment of FS4005 (3 credit units), they should seek advice from the Co-operative Education Centre and his / her parent department before submitting the application.
Course Requirement
Pre-departure training and post-internship debriefing
- To better prepare for the OIS, students are required to attend both the pre-departure workshop and final briefing normally scheduled on the following weekday right after the examination period in May.
- After returning to Hong Kong, students are required to attend a post-internship debriefing to consolidate their learning experience in the last week of August.
- Full attendance is compulsory.
Joint supervision
- Students are jointly supervised by a host supervisor and a CityU supervisor.
- Both supervisors shall meet at least once on Zoom to discuss and monitor the progress of the students, preferably in the middle of the internship period.
- It is the students’ responsibility to arrange the Zoom meeting and the final presentation to supervisors.
- Recommendation of an overall pass grade is needed from both supervisors for students to pass the course, FS4005 Overseas Internship Scheme or the equivalent course.
Assignments
Students are required to complete the following assignments on time.
| Logbook | To complete a logbook and submit to the host supervisor/CityU Supervisor for weekly review. The CityU supervisor shall sign it upon students’ return to Hong Kong. Students should submit the signed logbook to the Co-operative Education Centre by 20 August. |
| Progress report | To submit a progress report by 30 June. |
| Final report | To submit a final report by 15 August. |
| Final presentation | To deliver a final presentation: (a) to the host supervisor on site before returning to Hong Kong. (b) to the CityU Supervisor in Hong Kong before Semester A begins. |
| Reflection essay | To submit a reflection essay on how the student benefits from the learning experience by 20 August. |
| Photos | To submit 5 photos at work and 5 photos outside work illustrating students’ involvement in OIS for record and future promotion by 20 August. |
| Video | To Submit a one minute video capturing the essence of OIS by 20 August. |
| Expenses summary | An expenses summary for reference of future OIS participants by 20 August. |
| Feedback Questionnaire | To complete a feedback questionnaire on OIS by 20 August. |
Failure to complete any of the above listed assignments will result in failure of the course. In addition, the subsidy will have to be returned to CityU in full.
Overseas Internship Scheme (OIS)
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Promotion to host partners | Nov to Jan of the following year |
| Information Sessions | December |
| Student Online Application | Mid-December to early January |
| Selection interview | Week 1 to Week 4 of Sem B |
| Announcement of Shortlist and Job Mapping | February |
| Host Screening and Offer | February and March |
| Acceptance of offer | Within 3 working days upon offer |
| Final briefing & Pre-Internship Workshop | First Week during Semester Break |
| Report duty | Late May / Early June |
| Interim Zoom Meeting with Host Supervisor and CityU | Late June / Early July |
| Post-internship Debriefing | The Week before the new Semester starts |
Online application
Eligibility
- Full-time undergraduate students, local or non-local, in College of Engineering.
- They should be penultimate year at the time of application.
- The applicant is required to achieve a CGPA at or above 2.50 at the time of application. A drop in CGPA after application may render the student ineligible for OIS participation. The Co-operative Education Centre reserves the right to stop processing the application or withdraw the offer.
- Students will be invited to apply via QuestionPro.
- Students are required to attend the pre-departure workshop and final briefing normally scheduled on the following weekday right after the examination period. The OIS begins in late May/early June. There will be little room for adjustment to meet individual needs. Students whose exchange study ends by mid-June should not apply.
- IELTS overall score ≥ 6.5 (individual component ≥ 6.0) is required for some UK and USA institutions.
Important notes
| Application | Invitations will be sent to eligible students in December. Students will apply online via QuestionPro. Late application will NOT be accepted. |
| Departmental interview | A departmental interview is compulsory. It is scheduled between Week 2 to Week 4. Failure to attend will be considered as withdrawal. Other than scheduled classes, no reason(s) will be accepted for absence or change of interview schedule. Selection criteria
|
| Host interview (Feb - Mar) |
|
| Offer & Acceptance | Once an offer is made, students are required to sign an Acceptance of Offer and a Student Agreement within THREE working days. |
| Pre-attachment training & Post-Internship Debriefing | Students are required to attend the pre-departure workshop and the final briefing scheduled on the following weekday right after the examination period in May, and the post-internship debriefing before Semester A starts in late August. Failure to attend will result in the immediate termination of the internship and failure of the course FS4005 Overseas Internship Scheme or the equivalent course. |
| Other Assignments | Students are required to complete the assignments as advised by CEC. |
| Final Presentation | Students are required to deliver a final presentation to the host supervisor on site. Upon returning to Hong Kong, a final presentation is to be conducted to the CityU supervisor in August and before the commencement of Semester A. |
Financial Support
A block subsidy will be granted and will be released in two instalments:
First Instalment : By June
Final Instalment : After full completion of OIS and obtaining a “Pass” grade by mid-October
| Region | Subsidy (HKD) |
|---|---|
| North America | 25,000 |
| Europe | 25,000 |
| Australia | 22,000 |
| Asia (Japan, Korea, Singapore) | 16,000 |
| Asia (other than Japan, Korea, and Singapore) | 11,000 |
Student-initiated OIS
Co-op Centre does NOT process student-initiated OIS.
Enquiry
OIS Vacancies
| Department | Host University/Company | Job no. | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE) | Rider Levett Bucknall, Auckland, New Zealand | OIS2025-RLB-01 | |
| Rider Levett Bucknall, Canberra, Australia | Pending Job Specifications | ||
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA | OIS2025-UTK-01 | CGPA 3.0 and above | |
| Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) | Imperial College London, UK | OIS2025-ICL-01 | |
| National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan | OIS2025-NYCU-01 | ||
| University of Sydney, Australia | OIS2025-SYD-01 | ||
| University of Montpellier, France | OIS2025-UM-01 | ||
| University of Montpellier, France | OIS2025-UM-02 | ||
| University of Saskatchewan, Canada | OIS2025-US-01 | ||
| Department of Electrical Engineering (EE) | National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan | OIS2025-NYCU-01 | |
| Simon Fraser University, Canada | OIS2025-SFU-01 | ||
| University of Sydney, Australia | OIS2025-SYD-01 | ||
| Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland | OIS2025-TCD-01 | ||
| Tohoku University, Japan | OIS2025-TU-01 | ||
| University of Birmingham, UK | OIS2025-UB-01 | ||
| University of Birmingham, UK | OIS2025-UB-02 | ||
| University of Freiburg, Germany | OIS2025-UF-01 | ||
| University of Freiburg, Germany | OIS2025-UF-02 | ||
| University of Montpellier, France | OIS2025-UM-03 | ||
| University of Montpellier, France | OIS2025-UM-06 | ||
| University of Saskatchewan, Canada | OIS2025-US-01 | ||
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA | OIS2025-UTK-01 | CGPA 3.0 and above | |
| Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) | Imperial College London, UK | OIS2025-ICL-01 | |
| National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan | OIS2025-NYCU-01 | ||
| University of Sydney, Australia | OIS2025-SYD-01 | ||
| Tohoku University, Japan | OIS2025-TU-01 | ||
| University of Montpellier, France | OIS2025-UM-04 | ||
| University of Montpellier, France | OIS2025-UM-05 | ||
| Department of Mechanical Engineering (MNE) | Imperial College London, UK | OIS2025-ICL-01 | |
| National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taiwan | OIS2025-NYCU-01 | ||
| Simon Fraser University, Canada | OIS2025-SFU-01 | ||
| University of Sydney, Australia | OIS2025-SYD-01 | ||
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA | OIS2025-UTK-01 | CGPA 3.0 and above | |
| Department of Systems Engineering (SYE) | University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA | OIS2025-UTK-01 | CGPA 3.0 and above |
Information Session
