Practical Training of Students at HSE University

Practical training is a type of academic activity as part of a degree programme where students gain hands-on experience for their future professions. It involves a higher degree of independent work compared to other types of coursework. There are no lectures or seminars involved, but students can ask questions and receive feedback from their supervisors.

• A special "Internship" module is included in each degree programme. To find information on the practical training elements (PTEs) in your programme, visit your programme’s website and open the "Practical Training" section. There you will find the Internship Programme and a summary table describing all required PTEs you are expected to complete. The list is also included in the curriculum under the "Documents" section. Typically, PTEs include term papers, graduation theses, and internships, depending on the programme structure.
• In some programmes, practical training is part of "Major" or "Minor" modules. In such cases, the PTEs are described in the relevant course syllabi. These may include lab work, practical sessions, and other hands-on activities that develop practical skills.

Depending on the degree programme specifics, its "Internship" module may include up to three types of internships (elements). Your programme may include some or all of these types.

• Professional internship (Work placement)—focuses on helping students acquire practical skills and become familiar with their future work environment. Formats include industrial internship, introductory training, pre-graduation internship, teaching practice, etc.

• Project-based internship—involves solving practical problems. The result may be a designed and justified project solution, a business plan, a case study, or a product. Forms include applied projects, project-based term papers, and project-based theses.

• Research internship—helps develop research skills and generate new knowledge by formulating and testing hypotheses. Formats include research-based theses, term papers, research projects, and research internships.

An internship programme is a document that outlines the conditions for completing all PTEs in a degree programme. It serves as the student’s main guide for completing practical training and is available in the "Practical Training" section of each degree programme’s website.

Yes, term papers and theses are included in the "Internship" module and may be either research- or project-based. Usually, students choose the type, but some programmes may require a specific format. Details are available in the Internship Programme and Guidelines for Thesis Preparation, both available in the "Practical Training" section of each degree programme’s website.

More details about formats for term papers and theses is available in the Procedures for Writing Theses and Term Papers for Degree Students at HSE University (Annex 8 to the Regulations on Practical Training of Students under Core Bachelor’s, Specialist and Master’s Programmes at HSE University).

Refer to the Internship Programme of your degree programme for exact requirements. The following documents are typically required for each:

• PTE Proposal: Prepared by the PTE supervisor, this document outlines the specific objectives, tasks, and implementation conditions for the practical element.

• PTE Assignment: A personalised task sheet detailing the student’s responsibilities for the PTE. The student must review and sign the assignment. Failure to fulfil the tasks without a valid reason will result in academic failure.

• PTE Report: A summary of the work completed and skills acquired. For term papers and theses, the final version of the work serves as the report.

• PTE Assessment Record Sheet: Completed by the PTE supervisor, this includes the student’s evaluation. The PTE is officially considered complete only after the grade is recorded in the university’s electronic system.

Some PTEs may also require a plagiarism report and supervisor/reviewer feedback (mandatory for Master's theses; optional for Bachelor’s theses and depends on the degree programme's requirements).

A practical training agreement must be signed between HSE University and any organisation where a student will complete a Practical Training Element (PTE). This requirement applies even if the student independently arranges the placement, for example, for a professional internship. The obligation to formalise such agreements is also established by federal law.

HSE University has existing agreements with many organisations, and in other cases, faculty staff are responsible for managing the signing process. However, if a student independently secures a placement, they are often required to act as an intermediary to help establish the agreement between the University and the organisation. In such cases, the student should contact their programme’s study office to obtain the official agreement template and receive guidance on the procedure.

If an organisation is unwilling to sign a formal agreement, an alternative approach is possible: the University may send an offer letter, and the organisation may respond with an acceptance letter. Template versions of these letters are available from the study office or, if applicable, the faculty’s Practical Training Centre, which oversees the coordination of PTEs.

Important: Once the documents have been signed by all parties, the student must submit a copy of the signed agreement or the acceptance letter from the organisation to their study office or the faculty’s Practical Training Centre.

The assessment of Practical Training Elements (PTEs) is carried out by the assigned supervisor and follows two criteria:

• A grade on a 10-point scale (or pass/fail for 1–2 credit PTEs).

• Credit value representing the workload (not applicable to theses, where credits are fixed by the curriculum).

What does this mean?

For example, a student signs an assignment for a PTE worth up to 5 credits and completes the full workload, but the quality of work is low. In this case, the student receives all 5 credits, but the grade is reduced.

Conversely, a student may complete only part of the assigned workload but produce excellent results. The supervisor might then award 2 credits but give a high grade for quality.

This assessment model applies to all PTEs, except for term papers and theses, where the credit value is fixed. A reduction in credits is usually applied to project work when the actual workload is insufficient.

To calculate the workload completed, multiply the number of weeks worked on the PTE by the average number of hours per week and divide by 25.

25 astronomical hours = 1 credit (or 38 academic hours).

Examples:

• A student completed a professional internship that lasted 4 weeks, working 40 hours per week: 4 × 40 / 25 = 6 credits

• A student worked on an applied project for nearly the entire academic year (say, 35 weeks), spending about 3 hours per week: 35 × 3 / 25 = 4 credits

First, this depends on whether the PTE is mandatory or optional in your programme’s curriculum. For example, if a PTE is mandatory, it must be completed either by the end of the academic year it is scheduled for, or within the deadline set in the Internship Programme.

If the PTE is optional, it must be completed no later than the beginning of Module 3 of the final year. This usually applies to various types of projects.

Second, academic failure can occur in the following situations:

• The PTE supervisor assigns a failing grade.

• The student violates the conditions of the PTE assignment.

• For optional PTEs: the student does not complete the required PTEs by Module 3 of the final year, or does not include them in their individual curriculum.

Further conditions for academic failure are outlined in the Regulations for Interim and Ongoing Assessments of Students at HSE University:

1. If the grade for a PTE included in the student's individual curriculum is "fail" or below 4 on the 10-point scale, this constitutes an academic failure, which is taken into account in HSE’s student rating system and in any decisions where academic standing is relevant.
2. If a student is removed or excluded before completing the PTE due to non-compliance with assignment terms, lack of interim results, or refusal to perform the assigned work without valid reasons, their work is considered unsatisfactory, no credits are awarded, and this is recorded as academic failure.
3. Academic failure also occurs if, by Module 3 (final semester) of the final year, the student has not included or completed PTEs worth the required number of credits according to the modular curriculum. In such cases, the student is not allowed to proceed to the Final State Certification.

Academic failure can be resolved through retakes, if the specific PTE allows for this. Details about retake procedures can be found in the Regulations for Interim and Ongoing Assessments of Students at HSE University.

If retakes are not allowed, the student must complete another PTE of the same type (usually a project or term paper). The procedures for retakes may also be described in the programme’s Internship Programme or the specific PTE proposal.

If you want to complete a PTE not listed in your curriculum (e.g., a service project or a project outside HSE), it may be included in your individual study plan upon your written request, as an elective.

If you want to have an external activity credited as a PTE listed in your curriculum, you must obtain your academic supervisor’s approval, prepare a PTE proposal, and submit the required reporting documents.

Please note: some PTEs may be difficult or impossible to credit. For example, the university can only send you for an internship at another organization if a formal agreement has been signed. Therefore, HSE cannot credit internships completed at organizations that do not have a contract with the university.

Be sure to review your programme’s Internship Programme and coordinate early PTE completion in advance by submitting a formal request to your academic supervisor.

If your current curriculum includes an elective project, you can use the university-wide Fair of Practical Training Elements (SmartPro).

Other methods for finding and organizing projects may be offered by faculties and degree programmes. For details about alternative options, consult your study office or your faculty’s PTE Centre.

Students independently choose their elective projects based on academic and professional interests. Using SmartPro, you may apply to any project recommended for your degree programme.

If you apply for a project not recommended for your programme, it can only be credited as an elective, upon your written request.

The project supervisor has the right to reject your application if it does not meet the project’s requirements. In both approval and rejection cases, you will receive an automatic notification at your HSE corporate email.

SmartPro lists three types of projects, based on their goals and expected outcomes:

• Research projects — the main goal is to conduct research. Outcomes may include articles, publications, reports, analytical reviews or memos, grant applications, teaching aids, or other scholarly outputs.

• Applied projects — the main goal is to solve practical or commercial tasks. Outcomes may include a project solution, business plan, case study, or a product created for a client.

• Service projects — aimed at handling administrative or support tasks for the university. Outcomes may include contributions to events (e.g., conferences, Olympiads, tours, open days, admission campaigns) or organisational processes (e.g., feedback systems, technical support for teaching materials, class logistics, or database organization).

Project applications can be submitted from the date of publication on SmartPro until the registration deadline.

To apply, log into SmartPro with your MyHSE account credentials. You must include a motivation letter (max. 200 characters) explaining why you want to join the project, and optionally attach a resume.

Once the deadline closes, the project supervisor will review applications and contact selected students. If your application is rejected, you’ll receive an email notification.

Students who were selected by the supervisor but did not register through SmartPro must submit the signed assignment to the study office or PTE Centre (a scanned copy is acceptable) to have the project added to their individual study plan.

If your application was approved but you cannot participate, you may withdraw without penalties within 10 days of the project start. Send a withdrawal request to your study office or PTE Centre by corporate email, copying the project supervisor.

If more than 10 days have passed since the start of the project, withdrawal is only possible with a valid reason (e.g., medical certificate) and the supervisor’s written approval. Both documents must be submitted to the study office or PTE Centre before the project can be removed from your individual study plan.

Also note: because students can choose when to complete an elective project (before Module 3 of the final year), the grade for such a project does not affect the current academic rating.

Guidelines for staff members submitting applications for projects in SmartPro + Video-instructions for staff members: How to submit an application for a project

Guidelines for students submitting applications for projects in SmartPro + Video-instructions for students: How to submit an application for a project

As of now, no. Only Bachelor's, Specialist, and Master's degree programme students can apply for projects in SmartPro.

SmartPro does not yet support doctoral student accounts. For now, doctoral students may only join projects directly through the project supervisor.

A doctoral student can submit a project to SmartPro only if they are officially employed by HSE. If not officially employed, the project must be submitted via a student or staff member who names an officially employed HSE supervisor in the application.