Professional Experience Year

Complete a year of work experience as part of your postgraduate degree.

Students walking out of the business school

Ambitious about your future? Want to enhance your career opportunities?

Our unique Professional Experience year will blend academic skills with hands-on professional experience, so you can excel.

After completing your first year of study on your chosen postgraduate degree, you'll then complete your Professional Experience Year. This will give you real career experience through an immersive range of work experience programmes designed to enhance your employability.

If your degree includes a Professional Experience Year, you have the option of undertaking a 30-week placement or participate in the Career Immersion Programme on campus. This unique opportunity provides you with distinct pathways to develop your expertise.

See below for the structure of the programme and the relevant degree pathways.

Work experience options

In your second year, there are two different pathways you can take, both of which offer work experience.

You will be invited by the Placements team to attend a series of workshops, to help you prepare and decide which option is best for you.

You can select one of the following options (subject to availability and meeting selection criteria).

Option 1: 40-week placement

Complete a 15-week placement with an employer. Our partners Student Futures will help to source placement opportunities with local SMEs and established corporate networks, but students can also source their own placements. These placements cannot be guaranteed.

Option 2: Career Immersion Programme

You’ll firstly take part in a series of on-campus workshops and seminars aligned to your area of specialism, which may include presentations by employers, immersion weeks, and authentic assessments focused on challenges in industry.

Following these workshops, you will then complete a short virtual internship or industry project.