In the Work Placement, the students will carry out a work stay in a research group where they will collaborate in one of their research topics. Research groups can belong to the university departments that participate in this master or to research centers, public institutions or companies that have R+D+i groups with which a collaboration agreement is established. Each student will have an academic tutor, belonging to one of the university departments and in charge of conducting follow-up meetings, and a tutor in the host group, who will help him to set a work plan, and will guide and supervise him during his stay. This tutor will also be responsible for the correct interaction and integration of the student with the rest of the members of the research group.

The reception of students in the different research groups will be carried out under the overall supervision and help of the master's coordinator, based on the preferences of the students and informative talks by the group leaders who are willing to host students in practice. A list of offers for master's students will be published on the Virtual Campus. It is the responsibility of the student to find the research group in which he can carry out the external practices.

Once the host research group has been found, the student, with the help of the coordinator, will fill out the form necessary to draw up the agreement between the UAB and the external institution. The form will clearly indicate the name of the tutor appointed by the company or institution, the academic tutor of the university (appointed by the master's coordinator), the dates and the work plan. Once the form is completed and signed, the student must deliver a copy to the Engineering School's Academic Management one month before the start of the internship. Next, the University will contact the centers to obtain authorization to carry out the internships and sign the official agreement. If the internship takes place in a group that belongs to a department or institute of the UAB, it will not be necessary to draw up any agreement and only an academic tutor belonging to the receiving group will be appointed.

In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted as an integral part of the assignment development, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution from the student in personal analysis and reflection. The student must clearly identify which parts were generated using this technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how they influenced the process and final outcome of the assignment. Lack of transparency in the use of AI will be considered a breach of academic honesty and may result in a penalty on the assignment grade or greater sanctions in serious cases.

The evaluation of Work Placement internships is based on three elements:

• a report prepared by the student describing the work carried out during his internship period, which will be assessed, among other elements, for the clarity and conciseness of his writing, the precision and correctness in the use of technical terminology, and the reflective capacity and criticism on the results obtained in the realization of the practices.
• a report drawn up by the external tutor (70%) where the various aspects of the student's work are assessed, such as: technical capacity and learning capacity, degree of responsibility and personal initiative, ability to adapt and work in a team, receptivity to suggestions and criticism, and oral and written communication skills.
• a report from the academic tutor (if needed) with the assessment of the report prepared by the student (30%) and the progress information gathered during the follow-up meetings, assessing the student's capacity for critical reflection regarding the work done and its evolution during the internship, of its acquisition of skills and competences, and the final results obtained.

The deadlines for submitting these reports will be indicated at the beginning of the course according to the academic calendar set by the School of Engineering.