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Placement Year - ARC00061I

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  • Department: Archaeology
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Andy Needham
  • Credit value: 120 credits
  • Credit level: I
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25

Module summary

The Placement Year module is recognised within your degree title, provides a valuable insight into the world of work and will help prepare you for a graduate level role. The module involves spending 9-12 months working in an organisation after stage 2 teaching (or stage 3 of an Integrated Masters).

You are required to source the placement yourself, however it does not need to be related to your degree discipline; it will, however, provide the opportunity to consider the value and utility of your degree studies in a working context.

The Placements Team in Careers will be available to support you with the application and on-boarding process and will approve the suitability of the placement sourced. You will also be assigned a Placement Supervisor to provide support for the duration of the placement.

Successful completion of the Placement Year will enable you to graduate with the descriptor 'with Placement Year' in your degree title.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2024-25 to Semester 2 2024-25

Module aims

The Placement Year provides a structured work experience opportunity. By experiencing a particular sector or job role you will develop skills and strengths that will be invaluable for the remainder of your degree, and for your CV and applications to prospective employers. These include:

  • An understanding of a working environment(s), its language, culture and how things are achieved.
  • Communication skills and report writing appropriate to the working environment and also the ability to articulate experiences in terms of your personal development.
  • Time management and the ability to prioritise effectively.
  • Self-motivation, independence and autonomy.
  • Team working, interpersonal and networking skills.
  • Commercial awareness and the ability to relate to wider contextual information.
  • Creativity and innovation, and the ability to identify and reflect on opportunities for self-improvement.

Module learning outcomes

On completion of the Placement Year module, students will be able to:

  • Articulate their strengths in a concise manner through consistent reflection of their skillset development over the duration of their placement.
  • Articulate a sense of career direction based on an exploration of their own values, skills and motivations arising from their placement experience.
  • Evaluate the fit of their own personal values to the culture and working environment of their placement employer’s organisation.
  • Identify their impact on the placement organisation through a critical analysis of their individual role and the tangible outcomes of their work.
  • Confidently reflect on specific experiences obtained over the course of their placement.
  • Articulate the value and utility of any transferable skills they feel their degree studies have provided in a work context

Students will be expected to demonstrate these learning outcomes on a formative basis through completion of monthly blog entries and on a summative basis through a written, 3000 word reflective report.

Module content

9-12 months in a professional working environment.

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Placement (UK or abroad)
3000 word reflective report		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Placement (UK or abroad)
3000 word reflective report		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Feedback on the reflective learning blogs will be provided throughout the year by your Placement Supervisor. Feedback will also be provided on your final report, and all feedback will be provided via the VLE.

Indicative reading

See link: Placement Year Webpages


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.