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Academic Placements provide a great opportunity to start making connections between your academic subject area, and the career path you would like to explore. We want you to take your learning with you when you graduate, not leave it behind!

All of our students at Parts Two and Three have the option to convert one of their modules to a 'placement module'. They go along to seminars with the other students on the module, but have the chance to arrange a two-week placement, structured with the support of the module convenor, on which they write a placement report in place of the assessed essay for the module. This gives our students a fantastic opportunity to put their learning into practice in a professional setting.

Placement examples

  • Placements for "Black British fiction" might be with cultural centres or refugee support groups.
  • Placements for "Lexicology" might concern the production of dictionaries or related pedagogical materials.
  • Placements for "18th-Century fiction" might take place in a museum dedicated to relevant authors.
  • Placements for "European cinema" might be behind the scenes in a cinema chain.
  • Placements for "Utopia: the ideal society" might take place in a political organisation.
  • Placements for "How to think in French" might work in a French company based in the UK.
  • Placements for "Class matters" might be based in a residents' association, local government, or a food bank.
  • Placements for "Intellectuals and society" might shadow the university press desk.
  • Placements for "Language in new media" would involve working in social media marketing, digital public relations, digital video production, research into digital media use, etc.
  •  Placements for "Language and migration", with local and national community-based organisations and NGOs, give students the opportunity to develop their understanding of migration as it intersects with education, policy, and refugee issues.

What our students say

"Both of my placements gave me a clear picture of the working world and the media industry. I have understood the routes I need to go down to get to my chosen career. Alongside this, I have evidence of skills in so many different areas of work and the ability to write a professional report, all which I have obtained before leaving university!"

Sujata Burman

"I will look back on my placement as an extremely positive experience as I have made friends and contacts now for the future that may help after my graduation in July. I would recommend this opportunity to any student: it is not often you get this chance."

Anna Walter

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