Gaining work experience during your Master's degree can help you build professional skills and explore career paths. But you'll need to balance this carefully with your busy study schedule. You might want to boost your employability, explore a career change, or gain experience in a specific industry. Whatever your goal, there are opportunities that can fit around your studies.
Make the most of your degree
Your academic work builds professional skills too, even though it's not traditional work experience. If you're working on a dissertation or project, this is a significant piece of independent work. It demonstrates valuable skills that employers seek.
You might carry out research, analyse data, manage a complex project, or solve real-world problems. These experiences are relevant to many graduate roles. Think about how your project demonstrates skills like project management, analysis, problem-solving and independent working. If your project involves industry collaboration or tackles a business challenge, highlight this in your applications and interviews.
Micro Internships
Our Micro Internship programme offers paid, one- to five-day placements exclusively for University of Bath students. Internships may take place remotely or in person, depending on the employer. We schedule internships for the end of the semester wherever possible, so you can gain work experience even if you have a busy academic schedule.
Find out more about Micro Internships
Part-time work
Part-time work gives you regular income while you study. It also helps you build valuable transferable skills. Whether you work in retail, hospitality, or administration, part-time work shows you can balance commitments. It often leads to more responsibility over time.
Many University departments hire students, including Campus Services, Professional Services teams and academic departments.
You can find part-time jobs, including University roles, on the SU jobs board.
Be your own boss
Being self-employed can mean freelancing or starting a small business. Many students begin with services like tutoring, design, or social media management. This builds entrepreneurial skills and lets you earn income on a flexible schedule.
Find out more about enterprise support at Bath.
Volunteering
Volunteering lets you support causes you care about while gaining valuable experience. It's flexible around your studies. You can explore different sectors, build transferable skills, and grow your network.
Find volunteering opportunities via the SU
Student groups and extracurriculars
Student groups, societies, sports clubs and other extracurricular activities help you develop valuable skills while pursuing your interests. Take on a committee role to gain experience in leadership, event planning, budget management or marketing. As a regular member, you'll build teamwork and communication skills through activities and events.
The SU offers many groups you can join. These range from academic societies related to your course to performing arts, cultural groups and competitive sports. You can even start your own society if there's a gap.
Find groups and societies via the SU
Virtual and online work experience
Online work experience schemes are becoming more common. They're popular because they're flexible and accessible anywhere. These programmes help you develop digital workplace skills and gain experience across multiple industries.
Explore online resources to boost your employability on MyFuture.
Find virtual work experience platforms on MyFuture.
Other University opportunities
The University runs a range of other programmes on campus. Keep checking the work experience page and look out for emails from your department.
Some regular opportunities include:
- Vertically Integrated Projects
- Campus Buddies
- Peer support schemes via the SU - there is a specific PGT Buddying scheme
- Consultancy Projects
Work experience tips
- Check MyFuture regularly - new opportunities are added throughout the year.
- Be realistic about your academic workload - choose experiences that fit alongside your studies, not compete with them.
- Consider combining different experiences - part-time work, volunteering, and student groups all help build your skills.
- Record your experiences and skills as you go - this will help when you update your CV or apply for opportunities.
- Use MyFuture resources to help you at every step of your career journey.
- You don't need all the answers straight away - short-term work experience, like an internship, is a great way to try out a role or industry.
Developing your employability skills
You can take workshops and courses to develop your employability skills while you study:
- Professional English for Employment: Exclusively for PGT students, this workshop series builds your confidence in workplace English and professional communication skills.
- Workplace Essentials: Six practical, 50-minute workshops that build confidence in the core skills employers value most.
You can also use My Employability Profile to personalise your skills development and focus on the areas you want to build.