Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
For Students

Yes, however, the information hosted on this portal is specifically for MADA Design students wanting to apply for the credit-awarding elective.

For MADA Design students, you must either have completed your first year of study (undergraduate) or your first semester (postgraduate).

Unfortunately, double-degree students are ineligible to enrol for a credit-awarding ADA3406/5406 WIL Placement.

If you are an Architecture / Fine Arts student, please consult the Moodle EOI resources for further details.

This portal is not for PhD candidates looking for industry internships. Please refer to this resource instead.

At MADA Design, we use Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Placements to describe these opportunities available to all students (via the ADA3406/5406 units).

'WIL' and 'placements' are linked to short-term work experience engagement in an academic setting (i.e. for academic credit). These WIL Placements are structured to provide relevant experience on practical projects in a workplace setting, taking no longer than 80 to 100 hours to compete.

'Internships' is a broader definition that may include WIL/placements, but also refers to any type of internship (paid or otherwise) that can be taken by students outside of ADA3406/5406.

To address this confusion, we are sticking with 'WIL Placements' to clearly define what these opportunities are.

Here are four key reasons:

• The placements available here (including self-sourced options that you submit) have been vetted for job scope relevance for MADA Design students;

• You'll get academic credit (6cp, equivalent to an elective) upon successful completion of your placement;

• You are backed by a formalised Monash agreement that ensures that the WIL Placement partner provides supervision, professional indemnity and liability insurance;

• As an enrolled student, you have the support of your unit coordinator to assist you with any concerns or conflicts arising from the WIL Placement.

As we do not provide university-based support for externally-arranged WIL Placements, we advise that you consider externally-arranged internships with caution, to understand your roles and responsibilities, avoid exploitation of labour, and to be aware of potential hidden costs.

Not with ADA3406/5406 currently. This has to do with timeline, insurance, safety and the unique overseas arrangements that have to be made.

Unique scenarios may be considered on a case-by-case basis–for example, a large multi-national company (MNC) with international offices. Stay tuned for future international placements that are aligned with exchange programs!

While we recognise that life can present obstacles to our timelines, it is your responsibility to inform all parties of any intention to withdraw as soon as possible. This also directly impacts your study map and the consideration for census dates, as you will need to find a replacement 6cp unit to take if you decide to withdraw.

If you have not yet been selected by a WIL Placement host, email the Design Coordinator ASAP of your decision to withdraw. 

In addition, if you withdraw due to relatively superficial reasons, any future WIL Placement applications will be de-prioritised. Such reasons include:

• not getting your first choice (despite putting down other preferences);

• had a casual change of mind;

• no other reason given.

If you have already been selected and enrolled, signing the legal agreement (via DocuSign) confirms your acceptance of the WIL Placement. You must provide, in writing, a letter stating the reasons for your withdrawal. This letter is to be addressed to MADA Design and your WIL Placement provider. Email this to your Design WIL Coordinator.

Do not put in a unit swap request to Monash Connect directly, as your request will not be approved until your letter is received.

A new application Google form is generated for each new WIL Placement round, and the link is published here on this site.

This online application form is accessible only if you log in via your Monash Google Account credentials. If you try to access the form from your personal Google account, you will not be able to see it.

We do not provide application access to a personal Google account.

Shift-Refresh the browser tab to always load the latest version of the page – this is particularly important during the EOI period where postings and other information may be updated regularly.

In the spirit of WIL Placements providing a real-world environment for work experience, we believe that any work disputes or disagreements, either with the supervisor or with team members, should be raised promptly by the student first through clear, professional communication, and highlighted to the coordinator.

For cases that require further assistance, we will provide support by listening to each case and working out a suitable response with the supervisor.

Our Monash Student Safety and Wellbeing Services provides additional resources to assist you.

Useful numbers:

• Counselling Service: 9905 3020

• Afterhours counselling: 1300 788 336

• Emergency Services (Police, Ambulance, Fire): 000

This will no longer be considered a WIL Placement, but a 'generic' internship that you seek on your own.

As with the previous question, there are some key concerns about working as an intern that you should be aware of.

• Internships can be unpaid or paid – and subject to the Fair Work Act 2009.

• You negotiate the terms, with the understanding that the main goal of internships is to gain work experience

• As there are no connections between your internship and Monash University if applied for externally, you need to do your due diligence by researching the agency and making sure that they have reasonable working conditions and hours, insurance, clear roles, and preferably a mentor/direct supervisor providing design mentorship for you. Write to them and/or schedule a call; this is a good way to get some practice in landing a job!

• Be aware that some internship opportunities advertised by external brokers have costs associated with them. Do your research!

You might also find this article on self-sourced applications relevant.

The Artbound Initiative program is not related to our Design WIL Placements. It is an example of an internship as described in the previous Q&A.

See this as alternative internship channel you can seek out on your own. Such international 'guaranteed' (or otherwise) internship programs hosted by external agencies are not eligible for academic credit, as they require students to pay an additional sum of money to get a guaranteed place, outside the domain and remit of Monash University (in other words, you are paying additional money outside of your Monash study fees to take on these internships). That said, these can be good opportunities for overseas engagement, which might be attractive to you.

Likewise, if you come across any posters on campus calling for your participation to 'work with our team' (either internal to Monash, or external), please note that these opportunities have either not been vetted, or were previously turned down as suitable WIL Placement opportunities for MADA Design students.

As with our self-sourced WIL Placements, we advise students to exercise caution when taking on internships this way –  avoid getting exploited for work, and, depending on the job scope, reconsider taking on work that is uninsured. This applies to both internal and external opportunities.

They all sound exciting, but do your research first!

Self-sourced WIL Placements are opportunities that students have identified for themselves and wish to qualify under the ADA3406/5406 unit.

These applications are to be placed during the open windows for each period, i.e. the EOI rounds for students.

The application will be reviewed and assessed to be in line with design-related WIL Placement roles, timeline and work expectations. As with our other partners, self-sourced companies will need to comply with insurance requirements and sign off on the same agreement – please direct them to the FAQ on the REQUEST DESIGN PLACEMENTS page for details.

Self-sourced placement applications made outside of the EOI rounds may be considered, depending on the timeframe and availability of staff to administrate this. Typically, we will only consider applications 4 weeks from the earliest possible start date, due to the vetting and legal agreement processes that need to take place. The legal agreement must be signed by all parties within 2 weeks from the start date.

If you have applied for both listed opportunities and a self-sourced WIL Placement, it is critical that you submit your self-sourced application form as soon as possible, and nominate the order of preference clearly. Depending on your order of preferences, you may lose an allocated spot if you take too long to submit your self-sourced details.

Enrolment into the unit must be done before start of a teaching period or prior to the last date to add units.

Follow this article for full details.

Begin your application with at least a minimum of 4 weeks from the start date of the WIL Placement – this also needs to coincide with the Semester or Winter/Summer period you can be enrolled for. The legal agreement must be signed by all parties within 2 weeks from the start date.

Follow this article for full details.

No. Due to legal requirements and equity for students enrolled in the WIL Placement units, you must not start your own 'internship' before the legal agreement is signed by all parties. We will not approve any applications where the student has already begun their internship and wanting to 'convert' it to a WIL Placement.

This is to ensure that all insurance coverage, intellectual property, job scope and other relevant requirements are agreed upon legally by all parties.

Have you checked this page on Moodle?

This will depend on a few factors:

1. Company's public standing and reputation

2. Job scope that you have negotiated with them – this needs to be design-related, and beneficial to your own advancement in the design profession through a combination of work experience and on-the-job skills learning

3. There must be a design supervisor or an employee at the company that has oversight on design outcomes

4. Insurance cover – companies must have an appropriate level of Public Liability and Professional Indemnity cover for the student (refer to the Requestor FAQ for details).

Follow this article for full details.

This form will require you and the agency to fill in. This provides us with the basic information to commence the preparation of the legal agreement.

You should take the lead in approaching the self-sourced industry partner, but will require their input for company details, required insurance cover, and an overview of the WIL Placement scope.

Follow this article for full details.

Monash University requires that the agency provide Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance coverage for students.

Refer the agency to this link in the Requestor FAQ (scroll down to the first question in the FAQ) to understand this reciprocal insurance requirement as part of our WIL Placement agreement.

Follow this article for full details.

Yes. The job scope must be related to a design discipline relevant and beneficial to your own field of study.

No. The ADA3406/5406 elective unit completion credits cannot be awarded for any 'internship(s)' you have done in the past.

All offerings/self-sourced WIL Placements in the elective go through a review process and subsequent Monash Agreement to ensure equity, relevance and safety of the placements. 

If you want your WIL Placement to qualify for the 80-100 hour engagement, 6-credit point elective, you must follow the procedures and timelines set out in the EOI. This allows us to review the external agency, understand the proposed working arrangement with them, and to establish proper agreements to protect against liability.

You should work out timelines that will coincide with the academic semesters, including the Winter and Summer periods.

There are requirements around your self-sourced Host's ability to provide insurance and supervision. Please direct the Host to the Requestor FAQ section of this website to understand their responsibilities in taking on the WIL Placement.

Design WIL Placements are based on a competitive selection process.

The opportunity listings are left published until the next round to allow future students/Hosts to get a good sense of the type of Design WIL Placements we organise, and what to look out for.

If you have previously applied for the round and wasn't selected, you shouldn't reach out to the Host(s) again after the selection round, as they would have viewed your work and passed on your application, or may have selected other candidates before getting to your application.

If you have not applied for the round and missed the deadline, there is a slim chance that the Host(s) might be open to a future, self-sourced WIL Placement, or potentially for a future round. This is something you need to clarify with them and us. Let us know your intention to contact the Host directly by contacting your Design WIL Coordinator, as the type of WIL Placement / 'internship' that you wish to take on with them will determine the types of application processes you need to complete.

ADA3406 is the undergraduate unit code.
ADA5406 is the postgraduate unit code.

You will be automatically enrolled by Student Academic Services according to your program of study, only after successful selection and confirmation, and when all signatures for the legal agreement are completed.

No. ADA3406/5406 is a competitive application process and you are not guaranteed to be selected for a WIL Placement. You have to submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) when it opens. Refer to the Moodle EOI site for more details – the submission links will be made available here when the EOI round opens.

Please note that 'enrolling' for this Moodle EOI site (on Moodle) is not the same as enrolling for the actual ADA3406/5406 unit – it's just unfortunate that Moodle uses the term 'enrol' when it comes to accessing Moodle content.

If you’re applying for an ADA3406/5406 WIL Placement opportunity during Semester 1 and Semester 2, you’ll need to enrol in a 'placeholder' elective unit. This 'placeholder' unit is the one you will nominate to discontinue from in your EOI application, if you receive and accept a WIL Placement offer. If you do not receive a WIL Placement offer, you will continue to be enrolled in this 'placeholder' unit. We suggest that you pick a 'placeholder' unit that you still want to study in, but are willing to de-prioritise should you get a WIL Placement offer.

No. It's one WIL Placement for a successful enrolment in the ADA3406/5406 unit.

However, you can choose to take as many 'internships' as you like in your own time, it's just that you won't be getting attaining academic credit for those, nor will you have the benefits of getting a proper Monash placement agreement set up with pre-selected and vetted offerings for each round.

No. As there are no electives in a double-degree study plan, these Design WIL Placements are unfortunately not available to you.

However, you are welcome to seek out internships on your own (but it will not qualify for academic credit). Refer to the above tips in the General section for more information.

Please do not enrol in units and that you know might clash with the WIL Placement opportunities you are keen on, as there is significant work involved in selection and/or interviewing. This is especially so for agencies that have already selected you, but you've had to withdraw due to your Monash Innovation Guarantee involvement.

Refer to the active postings and the start/end dates of each of your preferred postings. You can also write in to the contact person to better understand their timeline flexibility before applying.

No, there are no classes scheduled for ADA3406/5406.

You are expected to negotiate a working pattern with your WIL Placement supervisor after your successful selection.

Ignore any timetabled ADA3406/5406 units – you can remain 'unallocated' in ADA3406/5406, and continue to allocate yourself in the other units you have enrolled for in the semester.

Yes. As you are being awarded 6cp for your efforts in ADA3406/5406, the quality of your work needs to be assessed.

This includes a combined PDF document of your placement diary and a reflection report, and a poster summarising your placement. The use of AI in generating your diary and report is NOT allowed.

You are also required to submit a recorded video presentation slide deck summarising your WIL Placement.

This work should be taken into account when negotiating the time needed to complete your 80-100hr requirement.

Full details will be available in the Moodle ADA3406/5406 site – this will only be available to you when you begin your WIL Placement.

You should abide by the NDA, which will vary depending on the project you are taking on. In such situations, mention the NDA in your placement report.

Focus your design diary and reflection on the activities, methodologies and feedback on what you have been asked to do, providing a generalised account here is fine. 

You will find that there are a lot more things you can reflect upon in terms of your own capability development as a result of the WIL Placement, such as communication/presentation skills, the differences between academic learning and professional practice, etc.

The WIL Placement is a PGO/NGO unit – Pass/Fail Grade Only.

You are still assessed using the rubric (refer to the Moodle student briefing recording for details), which is used to review your reports, presentation and feedback from your supervisor.

If you fail the WIL Placement, you will receive the NGO grade. You will also not get the opportunity to take ADA3406/5406 again.

PGO/NGO units do not contribute to your GPA/WAM. Passing the unit means you will be awarded 6 credit points to your study program.

You just have to note down the days in which you worked – ultimately, the 80-100 hours of work will amount to a similar amount of 'entries' in everyone's diary. You are on the right track so long as you are able to prove that you have complete 80-100 hours of relevant design work that you are able to reflect upon at the end.

You can seek out 'internships' on your own, at any time during your studies (and after!). However, they won't be considered for academic credit, nor can they be backdated to qualify for the 6-credit point internship elective that is ADA3406/5406.

We advise students to exercise caution when taking on 'internships' this way –  avoid getting exploited for work, and depending on the job scope, reconsider taking on work that is uninsured.

The Artbound Initiative program is not related to our Design WIL Placements. It is an example of an internship as described in the previous Q&A.

See this as alternative internship channel you can seek out on your own. Such international 'guaranteed' (or otherwise) internship programs hosted by external agencies are not eligible for academic credit, as they require students to pay an additional sum of money to get a guaranteed place, outside the domain and remit of Monash University (in other words, you are paying additional money outside of your Monash study fees to take on these internships). That said, these can be good opportunities for overseas engagement, which might be attractive to you.

Likewise, if you come across any posters on campus calling for your participation to 'work with our team' (either internal to Monash, or external), please note that these opportunities have either not been vetted, or were previously turned down as suitable WIL Placement opportunities for MADA Design students.

As with our self-sourced WIL Placements, we advise students to exercise caution when taking on internships this way –  avoid getting exploited for work, and, depending on the job scope, reconsider taking on work that is uninsured. This applies to both internal and external opportunities.

They all sound exciting, but do your research first!

Generally, no.

You are also not allowed to 'sacrifice' an earlier elective unit that you have completed in any previous period in exchange for enrolling in ADA3406/5406.

Book a session with Monash Connect if you need further help to plan your study path.

No. Your application will be disqualified, and we will not reach out to you individually to correct your application. For example, TAD5400, TAD5500 and DGN4500 ARE core units, and CANNOT be 'exchanged' for ADA5406.

Check your Course Progression Map (2025 edition linked) if you are unsure.

If you need a better understanding of what a core unit is vs an elective unit, please speak with your program coordinator, or reach out to Monash Connect to review your study plan.

No. ADA3406/5406 elective unit completion credits cannot be awarded for any 'internship(s)' you have done in the past.

All offerings/self-sourced WIL Placements in the elective go through a review process and subsequent Monash Agreement to ensure equity, relevance and safety of the placements. 

The selection process is a complex one that has to consider interviews, reviews, and compatibility of job scopes. Just like one might interview for a job, the demands of the some postings might mean a more stringent and specialised selection. It might look like you were passed on a very competitive opportunity, but it is not intentional.

Generally, candidates assigned in the first round are likely to be selected, but getting selected in the second subsequent rounds doesn't mean that you have 'scored poorly' in the reviews.

You might find yourselves receiving a later-round review after some delays, as the agencies might be busy reviewing other candidates, or if other candidate selections fall through. Please be patient, and look out for updates via email.

You might also want to refer to our Selection Process for clarity.

Yes. However, you may not get your only preference. You are allowed to nominate up to 5 preferences (including self-sourced) if you wish to be considered for alternatives.

There is also no need to select the same posting for all 5 preferences – we will assume that you are nominating for only one.

After you receive a successful outcome of the Design WIL Placement, signing the agreement (via DocuSign) confirms your acceptance of the placement.

While we recognise that life can present obstacles to our timelines, it is your responsibility to inform all parties of any intention to withdraw as soon as possible. This also directly impacts your study map and the consideration for census dates, as you will need to find a replacement 6cp unit to take if you decide to withdraw.

This will depend on how quickly our WIL Placement partners review your application. We aim to provide confirmation a month after the EOI process closes, but this can be impacted by how quickly they respond to the review timeline.

All students will be sent a clear final outcome via email.