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A Placement Year is a fantastic opportunity for you to gain a year (minimum 40 weeks) of work experience in an area that is directly related to your degree programme or potential career path.

You will complete your placement during the third year of your programme. In your first two years, you will develop a thorough knowledge of your chosen subject, which you will then apply in an industry-specific setting in your placement year, before returning to the University for your fourth and final year.

Why a placement makes you more employable

• Most employers require applicants to have relevant work experience, and those who do typically have an added advantage over other applicants. 
• Many companies use their placement year scheme to identify potential candidates for their graduate recruitment schemes. 
• If you have no idea what graduate-level career path you鈥檇 like to explore or what kind of company you鈥檇 like to work for, a placement year allows you to investigate a career or company to help you make a more informed career choice. 
• Not only are you encouraged to apply and develop the skills that you are learning at university, but you鈥檒l also have opportunities to learn new ones depending on the nature of your placement. These could include specialist fields or practical skills, business skills and communications, specialist software and databases, and client-facing skills. 

There are lots of ways to find a placement. Be proactive and be prepared to use a variety of different methods to find your ideal placement.

Preparation and training

The School of Agriculture, Policy and Development has a dedicated placement team to support you throughout all aspects of the placement search and application process. They will cover everything you need to know about placements, including how to:

• Fill out an application form
• Create an effective CV
• Write a covering letter.

The University's Careers and Placement Team can also provide support and advice on all aspects of the application process. You can participate in their mock interviews and psychometric assessments (ability tests) to ensure you are thoroughly prepared for the application and interview process.

Resources available to help you search for a placement

We have lots of resources to help you search for a placement, including:

• An employer database with details of companies that offer relevant placements or that have taken on our students previously
• Our annual Careers and Placement Fairs - these events are attended by a range of companies that have available placements
• Support from the dedicated Placement Team and Careers Consultants
• Access to My Jobs Online - a website where employers advertise placements and you can sign up to receive email alerts.

Networking and direct contact

Don't wait for your ideal placement to be advertised. If you know which company you'd like to work for, then approach them directly. Previous students have gained placements using a direct approach, including:

• Phoning the company and discussing potential opportunities
• Giving their CV directly to a manager, either at a Trade or Career Fair
• Using networking tools such as LinkedIn
• Using existing contacts – friends, family, colleagues.

I didn’t register for the 4-year degree course – can I still do a placement?

• Yes, when you’ve accepted your placement we can arrange a transfer to the relevant 4-year degree course.

What support will I receive during the placement?

• On a day-to-day basis, you will be supported by a supervisor/manager in the organisation you are working for. Additionally, while on your placement you will continue to have access to support and guidance from your Academic Tutor and the University's Placement Team. There will be a placement review meeting during the course of your placement. 

When will my placement start?

• This is often dependent on your employer – some schemes run from July, others from September. 

Will I be assessed?

• Yes, the placement is allocated 120 credits. There is an assessment to complete and a report from your employer.

Will I get paid?

• Employers in the commercial sector typically offer paid placements. Placements in the charitable sector are often voluntary.

Degrees with a Professional Placement Year (also known as Year in Industry or Placement Year) are fully dependent on students securing their own placement opportunity, normally through a competitive recruitment process.

The University provides dedicated career and application support for placement year students.

If you do not secure a placement or are unable to complete your placement year due to extenuating circumstances, you have the option to transfer to the three-year variant of your degree with agreement from their School/Department. 

Reduced tuition fee

During this year you will only pay a partial amount of the normal tuition fee - this is currently set at 15%. Please check the Fees and funding pages of the website for the latest information. 

The organisations you can apply to and work for will depend on the degree you are studying and the career you are interested in pursuing.

Many of our students apply for placements with large organisations or corporations to work in a particular department or specific area of interest. Other students spend their placements working for smaller-scale business and gain a much broader experience of the whole operation.

For more information on the placements our recent students have completed, visit the individual Department undergraduate How you'll study pages:

• BSc Environmental Management and Sustainability, Department of Sustainable Land Management.
• BSc International Development, Department of International Development.
• BSc Agriculture and BSc Agricultural Business Management, Department of Crop Science.
• BSc Consumer Behaviour and Marketing and BSc Food Business and Marketing, Department of Agri-Food Economics and Marketing.
• BSc Bioveterinary Sciences, Department of Animal Science.