This course includes the option to complete a paid year working in industry. Our close links with industrial partners enable us to provide our students with considerable help in sourcing and securing their placement.
Placements are an excellent opportunity to gain real-world experience and apply the knowledge from your degree in practice. Many of our students return with a much better understanding of the wider context of the modules they have studied and generally perform better in their final year(s) of study.
In addition, the placement year will allow students to ‘test drive’ an industrial sector. It will give students insight into what they can expect from a graduate position before having to commit to a longer-term career. Placements are a great stepping-stone into a permanent job. We see many of our students return to their placement employer as a graduate because they have demonstrated their worth to the organisation.
Please note that whilst the Department offers great support for students to find a placement, it is ultimately the student's responsibility to source and secure their industrial placement.
Additional award
By undertaking a year on professional placement or working in industry, you will gain an additional award alongside your final qualification. If you undertake a professional placement year you will gain a Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) or if you complete a year in industry you will gain a Diploma in Industrial Studies (DIS).
The types of companies we work with include:
Our strong industry links help our students to advance their skills and add to their CV through placements with a wide range of organisations.
Our students have previously undertaken placements with organisations including: 3P Innovation, GE, GlaxoSmithKline, Fujifilm Diosynth Technologies, Johnson & Johnson, Oxford Immunotec, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble, Renishaw, Siemens Healthineers, Roche, Unilever and many small-to-medium biotechnology enterprises.