Gaining industrial experience as you study
A professional placement as part of your degree will increase your visibility to employers, bolster your CV and help you to prepare for your career.
Professional placements
You will have the opportunity to carry out a year-long industrial placement between your second and final year. There is also the opportunity to undertake a 3-8 week summer placement, between either Year 1 and 2 or Year 2 and 3. Students in previous years have worked on industrial and summer placements at Diamond Light Source (the UK's national synchrotron), Public Health England, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and Covance. As part of the ERASMUS scheme, you will have the option to spend a term abroad, completing a project at another European university.
Studentships
You will also have the opportunity to undertake paid vacation studentships funded by external organisations such as the Wellcome Trust and the Biochemical Society. Additionally, the University of Reading's UROP scheme (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme) offers paid studentships at the University. These studentships take place over a period of six to ten weeks during the summer break. During studentships you will normally work on a set project and benefit from valuable training in techniques, experimental design and the interpretation of data.
Our School has a dedicated member of staff in charge of placements, who can provide you with advice and support.
Find out more about placements
The University is keen that everyone's placement should be as useful as possible. Learn more about institution-wide support for placements.