Kine Lie intern at Amnesty International Norway in Oslo; represented Amnesty at a major global gender conference.

Kine Lie intern at Amnesty International Norway in Oslo; represented Amnesty at a major global gender conference.

Internship Stories: Global Development Studies | NMBU

Internship Stories: Global Development Studies

Internships are a fantastic opportunity offered by the master’s programme in Global Development Studies, giving you the chance to apply your academic knowledge in practice, deepen your expertise, and build a valuable professional network.

During your studies, you can undertake an internship that aligns with your interests, whether in NGOs, research, international and national organisations, advocacy work, or elsewhere. Below, you can discover inspiring stories of where our students have undertaken their internships and how these experiences have shaped their academic and personal journeys.

Kine Lie: Intern at Amnesty, Autumn 2025

During my third semester, I completed a 20-credit internship at Amnesty International Norway in their Policy and Foreign Affairs Department. This meant that I spent three full days a week in their offices in Oslo as part of their team of political advisors.

Amnesty International is one of the biggest human rights organisations in the world, and is non-governmental, thus reliant on fundraising and members. My tasks included assisting the various political advisors with these tasks by doing research on the different parties in the Sudan war, and mapping potential entry points and partners in the new parliament after the national election for example. One day per week was also spent categorizing death penalties for the annual death penalty report that Amnesty publishes every spring.

Given my specialisation in social justice and gender studies, interning with Amnesty gave me valuable insight into human rights and social justice work by showing me the practical side of organisational and policy work. I also got to nurture and develop my activism and knowledge of development issues and human rights while learning how to operationalize this knowledge and passion in a job after my studies.

A personal highlight from my internship was being given the trust and responsibility of representing Amnesty at a big conference discussing and highlighting research and policy work on contemporary gender issues. Not only was this the perfect opportunity for me to network with the industry and people sharing my interests, it was an educational experience as the program included researchers and policymakers from all over the world. Being trusted for both my professionalism and knowledge at a big conference like this boosted both my confidence and my internship experience. The level of trust and responsibility I received at Amnesty, in general, was the biggest highlight.

Anupama Angbo: Intern at NORCAP, Autumn 2025

I had the opportunity to undertake an internship as a Climate Communications Intern at NORCAP as part of my studies. NORCAP, part of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), is a global provider of expertise and solutions that support humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding efforts.

As a Climate Communications Intern at NORCAP, I primarily supported the Agricultural Resilience through Climate Services (ARCS) project in Malawi and Ethiopia. My responsibilities included creating content for the project’s LinkedIn page and website, drafting web stories, coordinating the publication of smallholder farmer stories, and producing communication materials. A key responsibility was leading the production of an introductory video for the Africa Climate Summit, which was later adapted for an AI agro-advisory launch event as well. I also contributed to one-pagers, visual communication guidance, infographics, and strategic planning discussions within NORCAP’s climate resilience unit.

The internship closely aligned with my academic interests in climate change, gender, development, and communication. It allowed me to apply skills in strategic storytelling, digital communications, content creation, and translating complex information into accessible formats. Through projects such as ARCS and engagement with NORCAP’s Female Accelerator Program, I gained valuable insight into inclusive climate adaptation and the intersection of gender and climate resilience. Beyond the professional experience, I greatly appreciated the social aspect of the internship, from team activities and informal coffee chats to networking events, which helped me build meaningful connections and feel genuinely included in the organisation.

My internship at NORCAP deepened my understanding of how international humanitarian organisations operate and strengthened my professional network. Most importantly, it inspired my master’s thesis research on climate governance and gender. My personal highlight was leading the ARCS summit video project and seeing its impact across multiple high-profile events, giving me a strong sense of ownership, responsibility, and professional growth.

Marthe Sponberg: Intern at Windle International’s field office in Uganda, Autumn 2025

For my thesis, I was connected to a collaboration programme Noragric has together with two universities in Uganda, Makerere University and Gulu University. Therefore, I conducted an internship at Windle International’s field office in Adjumani, where I was conducting fieldwork for my thesis. Windle International is an International NGO working on educational programmes.

Through my internship I learnt about the challenges of working on the ground, the unpredictability of donor funding, the challenges of local governments trying to keep on top of all the projects going on within their jurisdiction and avoid duplication of projects, and much more. The internship gave me valuable insight into the challenges on the ground, issues I had not considered when first mapping out my thesis outline, which in turn impacted my research and my thesis to better reflect the reality on the ground.

Victoria Agbamoro: Intern at Laerdal Global Health, Spring 2026

During spring 2026, I have been completing my internship at Laerdal Global Health, an international social enterprise that works to improve healthcare quality and access, particularly for mothers and newborns in low-resource settings.

My work focuses on healthcare education, simulation-based learning, and health system strengthening through research, user experience (UX) design, and stakeholder engagement. A key part of my internship has been contributing to SimBegin, a simulation-based healthcare training programme, where I conduct user research and support the design of learning experiences to improve engagement and accessibility for healthcare workers.

This internship has allowed me to apply knowledge from Global Development Studies, including global health, sustainable development, research methods, and systems thinking, while also drawing on my professional background in product design and human-centred design. Through this experience, I have gained valuable insight into global health practice, healthcare workforce development, and international collaboration. The most rewarding aspect has been seeing how user-centred design can contribute to stronger health systems and better health outcomes, reinforcing my passion for creating social impact for women, children, and underserved communities.

Irene Efua Nyaniba Aggrey: Intern at ICT4COP, Spring 2026

I undertook an internship at ICT4COP — Community Policing and Prevention of Radicalization, a collaborative research initiative that brings together scholars and practitioners from multiple countries to examine how community policing models can be applied in post-conflict and conflict-affected settings.

I had the opportunity to engage with the project’s ongoing research activities, contribute to its work, and develop both professionally and intellectually in ways that have meaningfully shaped my understanding of research, security, and conflict. I also had the chance to develop practical skills in digital communication, particularly in relation to web-based knowledge sharing. One of the most formative aspects of my internship at ICT4COP was the opportunity to observe how academic research is actually produced. This experience fundamentally changed my understanding of what good research looks like in practice.

My internship with ICT4COP has been an experience of genuine and multifaceted growth. I leave the internship with a deeper understanding of how collaborative academic research is conducted, a far richer intellectual grounding in the politics of community policing and conflict, and a set of practical digital skills that will serve me in future professional contexts.