Some of our Master's degrees offer you the opportunity to do a work placement as part of your studies. Depending on your course, a placement may be mandatory (for example, our Master's Nursing, Social Work and Physician Associate Studies courses include mandatory practice placements throughout the two years of study) or optional, and may be short (up to six weeks) or long (30+ weeks). For details of the placement options and requirements for each course, visit our postgraduate course pages.
Going on a placement or having a part-time job while you study not only helps you financially, but also helps you improve your CV, make invaluable contacts for the future and develop the skills that employers want.
It will be your responsibility to find a placement, but our Placement Coordinators and CareersBU team will be there to support you.
International students
If you are a student studying on a visa there may be some restrictions around your placement. To read about this visit our international students placements information page.
In addition, we host recruitment fairs in October, November and in the spring of each year, as well as smaller sector-specific events. Local, national and international employers participate to meet our students and discuss their options. The work we put in to help our students improve their employability means that 83% of our Master’s graduates say that they went on to work in an industry related to their degree (BU Alumni Survey, 2020).
To find out what it's like to go on a work placement as a postgraduate student, read blogs from our current students.
Companies you could work with
We have excellent relationships with many local small and medium sized employers as well as multinational companies – from IBM to Mercedes-Benz – and work closely with employers who take students for work placements. Details of the companies our students have previously worked with on placement can be found on each of our course pages, and you’ll find they cover a broad range of organisations of various sizes across different sectors.
Some of our students even find themselves pursuing placement opportunities in industries or areas that they hadn’t previously considered as options. You may find the perfect opportunity to gain hands-on experience with an independent business with a small team or a global corporation with thousands of employees. No two placements are identical and it’s all about finding a company that will give you the right experience, and that you can provide value to in return.
Many of our students return to their placement employer for their graduate role, having demonstrated their worth to the organisation and gained an insight into what they can expect in a full-time position.
Jess Burton
MSc Marketing Management (Digital)
Going abroad I found a newfound perspective on language, culture, independence and education. All of these are skills that employers love. I also found more confidence within myself and my capabilities which has come through in interviews.
Support and tuition fees during your placement year
You’re still very much a member of the BU community while you are on your placement. You’ll be allocated a Placement Development Adviser who will undertake reviews with you, which may be in person or online, and stay in regular contact with you and your employers.
If you undertake a long/‘sandwich placement’ (30+ weeks), you’ll still pay tuition fees, but they will be considerably lower than the taught years of your degree. Please note that our short placements (typically between two to six weeks) and integrated placements on our Health & Social Care courses do not have a separate fee to pay.
You’ll also have access to all the support services on offer at both BU and the Students’ Union (SUBU). This is in addition to all of the university’s online and on-campus facilities, ensuring you’re able to do any preparation that’s needed before returning to your studies.
Hammed
MSc Information Technology
Taking a placement year was crucial to my final year of university. I’ve gained a plethora of new skills and knowledge, giving me a significant head start on my dissertation.
Getting paid during your placement
We do our best to help all of our students find paid work placements, but this isn’t always possible. We encourage all the employers we work with to provide at least a minimum wage to our students; you can find out more about the National Minimum Wage on gov.uk. Where students undertake unpaid placements, the employer may cover expenses such as travel costs. For placements abroad, you may be able to access funding via the BU Turing Scheme.
International students
If you are a student studying on a visa there may be some restrictions around your placement. To read about this visit our international students placements information page.
