Guaranteed internships for Business School Masters students

Give your career a head start and gain real-world experience with our Guaranteed Internship Scheme for all Business School Masters students.

Students engage in discussion in a seminar

Gain experience of industry and employment

A guaranteed internship is available to every Masters student in the University of Sussex Business School.

The Business School Postgraduate Guaranteed Internship Scheme is open to international and UK students beginning courses in September 2026 or January 2027.

The precise hours and timings will depend on the requirements of each internship provider, but your internship will usually last between four and 10 weeks, and will always fit around your study timetable.

There is no cost to register for the Internship Scheme, which is optional.

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Are you eligible for the Internship Scheme?

To qualify for the scheme, you must be studying a full-time or part-time campus-based MSc or MBA course in the University of Sussex Business School.

If you are studying a part-time course, you must complete your internship no later than 31 December 2027.

You must sign up to the Internship Scheme by the deadline in your first term of study. We will email you in your first few weeks at Sussex, inviting you to sign up and confirming the deadline.

Selecting your internship

When you sign up for the Internship Scheme you will be asked to select your first and second choice of internship type.

We will always try to allocate you your first choice but this will not always be possible. Our guarantee to you is that we will assign you to your first or second choice.

Please note that we cannot guarantee that the internship will match your specific area of study or sector interest.

Find the right internship for you

We have two types of internship on offer through this scheme:

  • Collaborative internship through our Student Consultancy

    You will work in a small multi-disciplinary team of students as consultant to a UK employer, developing a solution to a challenge they are facing and pitching it to the client at the end of the consultancy period. 

    This collaborative internship will include in-person training on campus and remote (online) working. It will be part-time alongside your study (during term or the summer). This is a paid opportunity.

    Project briefs will be set by organisations from different sectors, including charities and NGOs, startups, and large corporates. You will develop skills in teamwork, client management, project coordination and presenting. 

    Previous student consultant teams have worked with organisations such as:

    AECOM: a global infrastructure consultancy firm which solves complex challenges for clients in water, environment, energy, transportation and buildings. Our student consultants supported AECOM to develop a net zero strategy for one of their clients.

    Komedia: an entertainment venue in Brighton which hosts one of the largest arts programmes in the UK. Our student consultants helped Komedia grow its YouTube channel. 

    Mindlab: a technology-enabled market research company which works with large companies such as Uber and on initiatives like the BBC’s Children in Need. Our student consultants helped Mindlab understand potential new audiences to guide their marketing strategy. 

    By taking part in student consultancy you can benefit real-world organisations:

    Emma Bush, Sustainability Analyst at Hastings Direct, said her experience working with the student consultant team was: “really positive – the students demonstrated a good understanding of the project brief, and gave some valuable and specific insights. It was a beneficial experience for our department to get a fresh perspective on the project topic in order to implement a new initiative.”

    Having consultancy experience can really help you in shaping your career after graduation. I would highly recommend all students participate in this programme and I’m sure you won’t regret it.” Omid Fazeli
    Collaborative internship participant
  • Online internship with an employer in or outside the UK

    In partnership with Virtual Internships, we offer a range of remote internships with employers in the UK and around the world. These provide experience of working on live projects and tasks from home.

    These internships are part-time alongside your study and unpaid. You can start the internship at several points in the year.

    Whether you’re working remotely for a law firm in the United States, a food business in Finland, or a tech business in Sri Lanka, as an online intern you’ll develop skills in project and time management and cross-cultural communication.

    As part of this internship, you will attend a mid-point coaching call. The coaching covers various topics, including developing your CV and LinkedIn profile, job search strategies, networking techniques, and effectively framing your internship experience to future employers.

    Virtual Internships is a long-standing partner of the University of Sussex. It has a network of over 20,000 host companies operating in over 100 countries.

    I felt welcomed and supported in my online internship. People were open to my ideas, which made me feel confident and motivated to contribute.” Skye Hicks
    Online internship participant

Your responsibilities on your internship 

When you are applying for and undertaking an internship, you should:

  • proactively engage in the Internship Scheme process, including any application or selection stages 
  • respond to communication from our Careers and Entrepreneurship Team and the internship provider during the Internship Scheme process
  • conduct yourself professionally during the course of the internship and follow the rules and expectations of the internship provider 
  • ensure you are compliant with the terms of your visa (if you hold one).

Failure to fulfil your responsibilities may result in you losing your eligibility to take part in the scheme and/or your internship being terminated.

Guidance for international students

As an international student you are typically permitted to work for up to 20 hours per week during term-time. 

Your internship will be classed as work whether it is paid or unpaid and will therefore be included within your allocated allowance.

For example, if your internship is 12 hours per week, you would only be permitted to do a further eight hours of work per week during your internship.

Check your visa carefully to understand your working entitlement. If you are unsure about this, ask our International Student Advice Team before commencing additional work. Checking this will ensure you do not accidentally exceed the 20-hour limit.

We want to support and inspire you to achieve your full career potential. A guaranteed internship will help you kick-start your career, allowing you to gain exposure to employers and real-world experience while you study.” Emily Huns
Head of Careers, Employability and Entrepreneurship

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