• Home
• Study
• Study Information
• Modules
• Module Information

Professional Placement

Module description

Increasingly, graduate positions request that applicants have work experience applicable to the role. This year long module will enable you to immerse yourself in a professional environment; you will learn to apply the skills learnt during the first and second years, improve personal and transferable skills, make new contacts and enhance employability. You will apply for a placement position with a relevant organisation (with the support of the module convenor) and spend a minimum of nine months full-time in the workplace. Feedback and support will be provided by the module convenor and the placement host.

You must achieve an average mark of at least 60% in both Stages 1 and 2 to take this module.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will enable you to develop subject-specific and general professional skills. You will research suitable organisations, consider the opportunities that positions offer you and practice writing covering letters and CVs. This module offers an excellent opportunity for you to immerse yourself in an environment where you can develop subject-specific and general professional skills, gain a greater understanding of the use of your degree and ultimately improve your CV. You will gain feedback throughout the placement from the placement host and the module convenor and you will be encouraged to reflect on your experiences during the placement to help you to make career decisions for the future. The module allows you to apply your learning during your degree to a real-world setting.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Research suitable employers and identify an employer which suits your own skills and interests
• 2. Produce a CV and covering letter
• 3. Interact effectively in a professional environment
• 4. Work in a team and deal proficiently with the issues that teamwork requires (i.e. communication, motivation, decision-making, awareness, responsibility, and management skills, including setting and working to deadlines)

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Apply skills learnt during stages 1 and 2 in a professional environment
• 6. Learn practical skills for use in a professional environment
• 7. Gain a detailed understanding of a sub-discipline of your core subject
• 8. Illustrate the transferable skills gained during your degree and how these can enhance future employability

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 9. Evaluate your own performance in a role and identify skills that you’d like to develop further
• 10. Demonstrate how skills learnt during the placement are transferable to other contexts
• 11. Understand and articulate the importance of continued professional development
• 12. Evaluate own strengths and weaknesses in relation to graduate-level professional and practical skills, and act autonomously to develop new areas of skills as necessary
• 13. Reflect effectively and independently on learning experiences and evaluate personal achievements

Syllabus plan

On the professional placement, you will gain valuable experience by spending a year working within an organisation appropriate to your degree. Research into suitable placements will commence at the beginning of the second year, with the advice and support of the module convenor. You will apply for positions with relevant organisations, with the support of the module convenor. Placements can begin as soon as you have your results from the second year and should last for a minimum of nine months (leave during this time to be taken according to the host organisation’s leave procedure). Students undertaking a placement will be expected to attend a virtual meeting with the module convenor once per term and all students will be expected to participate in monthly email updates.

Midway through the placement, you will produce a poster aimed at prospective employees to outline the role of the organisation, including its values and aims. In first term of your returning year, you will deliver a reflective presentation on your placement and professional development; this is followed by a short interview with the module convenor and another member of staff in second term of your returning year.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The written group report and the group presentation are not deferrable due to their practical nature and the need to work in a group. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to complete a further written assignment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

• Cottrell, S. (2003), Skills for Success: The Personal Development Handbook. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Fanthome, C. (2004) Work Placements: A survival guide for students. Palgrave

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• www.ex.ac.uk/employability

Key words search

Careers, employability, CV, work experience, transferable skills, personal development