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Internships and Technical Training

Internships in Graduate Studies

Graduate Regulations (Res. 7493/2018)

The Regulations allow graduate students to undertake internships as part of their training, provided that:

  • The advisor consents
  • It is approved by the CCP and CPG
  • It follows the internship guidelines established by USP

Internships are considered complementary activities to academic training and can contribute to the development of practical competencies relevant to professional careers.

Internships in the Chemistry Program

Program Regulations 2026

Formative internships aim to develop technical-scientific, managerial, and socio-emotional competencies and skills in students, preparing them to work in various professional contexts beyond academia.

Types of Internships

Internships can be carried out in different environments:

EnvironmentExamples
Research laboratoriesResearch groups at USP or other institutions
Companies and industriesChemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic industries, etc.
Research institutionsNational and international research institutes
Educational institutionsInternships for teaching (in addition to PAE)
Public agenciesRegulatory agencies, environmental departments, etc.

Procedure for Implementation

  1. Proposal preparation: Together with the advisor, define objectives, location, period, and internship activities
  2. Submission to CCP: Present the proposal for analysis and approval by CCP and IQ-USP Internship Committee
  3. Approval by CPG: After CCP approval, the request is forwarded to CPG
  4. Formalization: Sign commitment agreement according to USP guidelines

Deadline for Proposal

The internship proposal must be submitted for processing within 5 months after admission to the program. This deadline allows the internship to be planned together with other course activities.

Program Regulations 2020

Graduate student internships may occur with the advisor’s consent and approval from CCP and CPG, following the University of São Paulo’s guidelines for graduate student internships.

Technical Training

Program Regulations 2026

To make the curriculum more flexible and allow for different formative pathways, the Program offers short-duration technical training in research laboratories.

Technical training grants 1 special credit per 15 hours of activity.

Students must complete at least one technical training or internship during the course.

→ See complete details in Technical Training

Assessment

Program Regulations 2026

In internships and technical training, assessment is binary:

ResultDescription
ApprovedThe student satisfactorily completed the planned activities
FailedThe student did not complete the activities or had unsatisfactory performance

Assessment Responsibility

  • Assessment is carried out by the activity supervisor (internship or training supervisor)
  • The evaluation is submitted to the CCP-Chemistry Internship Committee for validation
  • Credits are awarded only after validation of approval

Documentation

The student must present:

  • Report of activities performed
  • Supervisor’s evaluation
  • Proof of hours completed

1 - PAE

Teaching Improvement Program (PAE)

Program Stages

Who Can Participate

Restrictions

Workload

Benefits

Courses

Registration

Procedure

Withdrawal

Legislation

1. Pedagogical Preparation

Preparatory stage that can be fulfilled through:

  • Courses on didactics and pedagogy of higher education
  • Courses and workshops offered by USP
  • Other activities recognized by the institution

2. Supervised Teaching Internship (ESD)

Practical activity in which the student acts as a teaching assistant in undergraduate courses, under the supervision of the responsible faculty member.

  • Master’s and Doctorate students regularly enrolled
  • Must have completed or be taking the Pedagogical Preparation Stage
  • CAPES fellowship doctoral students are required to complete the ESD

The following students cannot participate:

  • Those with employment ties to the University
  • Those with enrollment suspended or on leave
  • Those who will defend their dissertation or thesis during the internship period

Activities performed during the internship cannot exceed 6 hours per week and must be compatible with regular graduate activities.

Credits

Completion of the internship grants special credits, respecting the limit of 20% of total course credits required by the program.

Certification

  • First participation: completion certificate
  • Subsequent participations: participation declaration

Scholarship (when available)

Interns may receive a scholarship according to criteria established in the public notice. Participation can also be voluntary, without a scholarship.

At IQUSP, the ESD is preferably carried out in undergraduate courses. Experimental courses and those with large numbers of students have priority in the allocation of scholarship interns.

Starting in 2025, doctoral students can also complete the ESD in graduate courses, provided they have already fulfilled the CAPES requirement in undergraduate courses.

Instruction

Registration is done through the Janus System according to the calendar defined in a specific public notice published each semester by IQUSP.

The public notice contains:

  • Registration period
  • List of available courses
  • Selection and priority criteria
  • Scholarship values (when applicable)
  • Required documentation
  1. Janus registration: indicate up to 3 preferred courses
  2. Approval: advisor and course supervisor must approve the registration
  3. Selection: evaluation by the PAE Committee according to public notice criteria
  4. Work plan: include in Janus the activities to be developed
  5. Commitment agreement: deliver in person at SPG before the start
  • Withdrawal without just cause places the student in last priority in the next selection
  • Two withdrawals without just cause prevent participation as a scholarship recipient in future selections

PAE is regulated by the following ordinances:

  • Ordinance GR-3588/2005
  • Ordinance GR-4391/2009
  • Ordinance GR-4601/2009
  • Ordinance GR-8603/2024

2 - Technical Training

Instruction

The Technical Training Program offers short-duration practical training in research laboratories. The objective is to develop specific technical skills, promote safe equipment use, and create a culture of continuous training in the program.

Objectives

  • Offer practical training focused on techniques, methods, and best practices
  • Allow conversion to special credits according to regulations
  • Encourage cascade training: those who learn, teach
  • Promote safe, ethical, and standardized laboratory use
  • Develop technical, didactic, and scientific communication skills
  • Expand students’ network of contacts and increase interactions between research groups

Target Audience

Participants

Students regularly enrolled in Master’s, Direct Doctorate, and Doctorate programs.

External participants: for every 5 program students, the training can accept 1 special student.

Instructors

The following can act as instructors:

  • Doctoral students
  • Postdoctoral researchers
  • Laboratory technicians
  • Faculty (preferably in a supervisory role)

Credit Limits

The workload includes:

  • In-person laboratory activities
  • Complementary activities: reading protocols, reports, data analysis

Complementary activities can account for a maximum of 20% of the total training workload.

Considering the limit of 50% special credits in course credits:

ProgramCourse CreditsMaximum Special Credits
Master’s3015
Doctorate4020
Direct Doctorate5025

If the number of credits in technical training exceeds the maximum allowed, the maximum value will be counted as course credits.

Training Format

Duration

  • Minimum: 15 hours (1 credit)
  • Maximum per training: 30 hours (2 credits)
  • Can be distributed over weeks, depending on laboratory availability

Class Size

  • Ideal: 2 to 5 students
  • Maximum: 6 students
  • Small classes ensure safety and training quality

Assessment and Approval

Criteria

  • Minimum attendance of 75%
  • Additional criteria defined by the group offering the training

Result

ResultDescription
ApprovedMet the requirements; credits awarded
FailedDid not meet the requirements

There is no numerical grade.

Cascade Model

Model Benefits

  • Reduces faculty workload
  • Creates multiple students trained in each technique
  • Strengthens the culture of continuous training
  • Ensures continuity even with defenses and leaves

Training Topics

Criteria for Topics

Laboratories should propose topics that:

  • Are clearly defined
  • Can be taught in 15-30 hours
  • Have well-defined protocols
  • Do not involve high-risk procedures without adequate supervision
  • Can be reproduced by other students in the future

Example Topics

  • Good safety practices in chemical laboratories
  • Use and basic maintenance of equipment (HPLC, GC, UV-Vis, FTIR, NMR)
  • Sample preparation and purification
  • Basic organic synthesis techniques
  • Physical-chemical characterization techniques
  • Chemical waste treatment and disposal
  • Data analysis with specific software
  • Writing and organizing laboratory notebooks

For Laboratories

Financial Incentive

Laboratories offering training receive resources for purchasing consumables and services:

ConditionValue
Training offered 2x per year (1x per semester)R$ 500
Limit per laboratoryR$ 2,000/year

The total resources allocated by the CCP for this program equal 15% of the annual PROEX budget.

Advantages of Offering Training

Talent recruitment

  • Period of mutual observation with potential advisees
  • Selection based on real performance, not just curriculum

Operational efficiency

  • Standardized and documented training
  • Reusable teaching materials
  • Less dependence on a single person to operate equipment

Institutional visibility

  • Recognition as a technical reference
  • Can be cited in reports and FAPESP, CNPq, CAPES projects

Safety

  • Formal documentation of training
  • Reinforcement of safety standards

Laboratory Responsibilities

  • Designate a technical supervisor for the training
  • Ensure adequate PPE and infrastructure
  • Provide protocols and teaching materials
  • Follow safety, environmental, and ethical standards

How to Propose Training

  1. Fill out the proposal template (below)
  2. Submit to the CCP for approval
  3. After approval, announce dates and open registration

Training Proposal Template

1. Identification

Field
Training title
Laboratory
Technical supervisor
Contact email

2. Description

Field
ObjectiveWhat will the participant be able to do at the end?

3. Structure

Field
Total workload___ hours (minimum 15h)
In-person hours___ hours
Complementary hours___ hours (max. 20% of total)
Number of spots___ (maximum 6)
Planned dates1st semester: ___ / 2nd semester: ___

4. Assessment

Field
Final activityDescribe what will be required

5. Infrastructure and Safety Confirmation

☐ I certify that we have the necessary infrastructure to offer the training and will provide adequate safety training for the activity.

General Rules

  • The program does not create an employment relationship
  • Does not replace required courses
  • Activities must follow safety, environmental, and ethical standards
  • Use of data generated during training for research purposes requires formal authorization from the principal investigators of the groups involved
  • Each training must be previously approved by the CCP
  • If a student takes the same technical training more than once, credits for that training will only count once