How it works
Postgraduate courses with an integrated paid placement year are available to full-time applicants who start their course in September.
You will take part in an interview process for a placement position with an organisation, and if you are successful, you are usually employed on a temporary or fixed term contract for the duration of your placement.
Whilst your masters with placement will take two years, the work placement gives you the chance to apply your learning to real-life situations and challenges, to meet and network with potential employers, and have opportunities to get work experience in your area of expertise before you graduate – something that employers value highly.
During your placement you will also complete a business project. This project is assessed as part of your masters and, depending on the topic that is agreed between you and your employer, could also provide a valuable piece of insight for your placement employer.
Our placement partners include BMW, Bosch, Disney, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HSBC, IBM, Ipsos Mori, L’Oréal, Nike, Metropolitan Police and The Pensions Regulator.
Your work placement project
As part of your work placement you will complete a work-based project that replaces your final year project and contributes directly to your final masters degree mark. This is how your placement year is assessed, and is worth 40 credits.
Courses with placements
The placement option is only available to full-time students who start in September on the following courses:
The majority of our postgraduate courses offer the option of a placement year. The following courses do not offer a placement due to the structure of the course, or accrediting body requirements.
International students
Our two-year masters are available to UK, EU and international students. If you are an international student, you will not require a work visa because the placement is part of your studies.
Please contact us for more information about our two-year international study visa route for our masters with placement courses.
How to find a placement
We offer the same placement support to all our students, and recommend that masters students book a discussion with a member of our Placements Year Team at the end of their first term.
Placements are not automatically guaranteed and it is a competitive process similar to making job applications.
Whilst the team will assist you in finding a suitable placement, giving you support and access to placement opportunities and recruitment fairs, you are responsible for applying for as many positions as possible to help your chances of successfully getting a placement.
Careers Connect
As a School of Business and Law student you will have access to Careers Connect, an online placements system presenting placement options in the UK and Europe. It gathers together all the job opportunities, events and resources you need to help you with your professional development.
Placement and recruitment events
Placement fairs are held twice a year involving companies from well-known names such as Enterprise-Rent-a-Car, Nike, BMW and IBM, through to smaller and more local businesses.
Our regular Employability Weeks offer activities designed to enhance your employability, including LinkedIn workshops, sessions on working abroad, advice from the university’s volunteering service and support from the wider university Careers team.