Spending time working in industry, applying knowledge to real problems, learning through practical experience and gaining an insight into the role of the chemist, is exceptionally valuable and should provide you with a considerable advantage in your search for subsequent employment.
Your placement is spent at one or more organisations over 45 weeks, enabling you to get firsthand experience of a real role with real responsibilities. You will be able to apply the knowledge and skills you have acquired in a workplace setting while developing the competencies that are highly prized by graduate recruiters.
A year in industry also gives you the opportunity to grow your network of contacts, attend training courses, impress an employer and in some instances secure a graduate job. If you are still unsure what you want to do when you leave university, a placement enables you to "test-drive" a career and find out if a professional area is right for you.
Students from our physics courses have been able to secure placements within a variety of organisations, including IBM (UK) Ltd, British Gas, Siemens AG (Germany), Rutherford Appleton Laboratories, FZ Jülich (Germany), Institut Laue Langevin Grenoble (France).
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).