Guaranteed Professional Placements

Placements are periods of professional experience that can range from a few weeks to up to 12 months.

For undergraduate students starting from September 2026, they will form part of your course and offer academic credit towards your degree.

Professional placement opportunities for postgraduate taught courses are available for all students but would be taken in addition to existing modules.

2-Week Professional Development Placement

This is a 36 hour guaranteed placement linked to the mandatory Professional Development module, accounting for 30 credits - a full quarter of the second year award - across all undergraduate subjects.

• Can be in-person, virtual, or a live employer brief
• Takes place in Semester 2 of your second year
• Designed to help you gain short, focused experience and develop employability skills

Taught Postgraduate students also benefit from guaranteed placements, which would be taken in addition to their modules.

For courses that have Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB)

Courses such as Nursing, Teaching and Pharmacy include placements that are with an approved provider such as the NHS, and are monitored and assessed in accordance with the requirements of the relevant Professional Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB), to ensure students gain the professional experience required for accreditations.

Some PSRB courses have up to 50% of their degree on placement - please see the course page for details.

12-Month Sandwich Placement
This is a year-long opportunity to work in a professional environment while still enjoying the benefits of being a student.

• Takes place between your second and final year of undergraduate study
  Provides extensive hands-on experience and deeper insight into your chosen industry
• Enhances employability and career readiness after graduation
• Fees apply - Sandwich placements are subject to course fees, please see fees and funding page.

Our guaranteed (1) professional placement (2) opportunities are built into a credit- bearing placement module for on-campus full-time undergraduate courses. Placements for postgraduate courses would be taken in addition to existing modules.

(1) Our placement guarantee does not apply to postgraduate research degrees, and excludes programmes delivered via partner institutions. 

(2) Placements may be in-person or online, or delivered as a live professional project.

During a placement, you will be doing similar work to a normal employee of the organisation giving you a unique insight into your chosen profession or sector, the opportunity to acquire crucial personal skills, and also the opportunity to build a network of useful contacts.

The Professional Development Placements may involve different types of professional development activity, not solely externally delivered placements with an employer's place of work.

Placements may be in-person, hybrid or online, or delivered as a live professional project.

Without work experience 52% of graduate employers rate your chances of receiving a job offer as 'not very likely' (ratemyplacement.co.uk).

Placements offer a fantastic opportunity to gain experience and develop an understanding of your chosen field. Many companies that employ graduates use placement programmes as a method of recruitment, so you could be fast-tracked into employment or onto one of their graduate schemes, if you impress them!

So, by doing a placement, you can:

• Gain valuable work experience and insight into an area that interests you.
• Develop a range of employability skills.
• Get paid for your placement - some employers may offer paid placement opportunities (average £20,300 per annum with London close to £22,000).
• Potential to secure a graduate position within the organisation after completing your final year of study.
• Develop an important network of business contacts.
• Some placements contribute towards professional qualifications or final credits of your academic grade.
• Explore career opportunities.
• Have practical experience to draw from and reference in interviews.
• Become more employable!

A placement can be undertaken anywhere - local, national, or even, in some instances, international - the choice is yours, depending on the opportunities available and requirements of the course.

The Professional Placements may involve different types of professional development activity, nor solely externally delivered placements within an employer's place of work.

Placements may be in-person, hybrid or online, or delivered as a live professional project.

For courses that have Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) 

Courses such as Nursing, Teaching and Pharmacy include placements with approved providers such as the NHS, and are monitored and assessed in accordance with the requirements of the relevant Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB), to ensure students gain the professional experience required for accreditation.

Some PSRB courses have up to 50% of their degree on placement. Please see the course page for details.

For courses that have Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) that require placement as part of their accreditation, placements are available with approved providers.

The Careers Employment and Success Team constantly search for new placement opportunities and will ensure that all undergraduate students will have professional development placements for their credit bearing module. Opportunities are available for all postgraduate students who wish to undertake a professional development placement.

If you find an opportunity that interests you or you have been successful in securing one yourself, contact us for further support!

You can visit us at: The Workplace, MD (Ambika Paul Building) Corridor, City Campus.

Call us on: 01902 323400

Or email us: careers@wlv.ac.uk

All placement and work experience opportunities are accessible to current students via the University of Wolverhampton Careers Service.