Placements
Both our undergraduate and postgraduate research students go on placements as part of their degrees.
What are undergraduate placements?
- A placement is a period of professional work experience taken in the 3rd year of the undergraduate degree
- The minimum duration is 30 weeks, although most students complete a whole year
- It can take place in a public or private sector organisation and may be paid or unpaid
- The Faculty has built strong connections with a range of leading placement providers
- Students are fully supported throughout the placement process - in finding and undertaking a placement, and in re-integrating into academic life afterwards
- We encourage students with any kind of disability to consider a placement year as we offer coordinated support from our Placement and Disability teams from the outset
“I would highly recommend anyone to take a placement year, it is not only a fantastic experience, it differentiates you from all the other graduates.”
— Tanya Bhattacharyya
Placement at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Information for students
All our undergraduate programmes offer the option of a placement, and some include a professional placement as an integral part of the course.
Our placements;
- are highly valued by employers,
- provide an advantage in the competitive job market,
- are an opportunity to apply learnt theory in a practical context,
- are a chance to evaluate potential career paths,
- enable students to acquire transferable skills and sometimes professional qualifications,
- can provide inspiration and material on which to base your final year dissertation.
Find out more about student placements »
Information for employers
Employers of placement students will find them to be a great asset and benefit to the organisation. Our students;
- will have completed two years of their degree, and will have gained a solid grounding in their chosen topic
- are competent in using a variety of well-known business software,
- have initiative to assimilate information quickly and to take on an increasing degree of responsibility,
- are effective communicators with good analytical skills, and are well accustomed to working in teams,
- have undertaken oral, visual and written presentation of research topics.
Find out more about employing a placement student »
What are postgraduate research placements?
- 1-6 months full-time professional work experience or equivalent part-time work
- Both MRes and PhD students are encouraged to participate
- The host is a non-academic organisation in the public or private sector
- We actively look for project based and research related paid placements
- Student will normally receive corresponding extension to their research period according to the length of the placement
The postgraduate research placements are provided via the ESRC South West Doctoral Training Centre Placement Scheme. Students on all ESRC recognised pathways are eligible to participate, regardless of their funding status.
