Page 28 - RVC Undergraduate Prospectus 24-25

WORK PLACEMENTS

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

We offer a Placement Year with all our Both types of placement will provide you with insight into the

BSc and MSci Biological Sciences organisation and sector you are working in, as well as the huge
variety of jobs available, therefore enabling you to identify your
courses after your second year of study. preferred career path. Both will also provide you with those
Courses including the Placement Year crucial employability skills you need as a graduate and enable
you to expand your network of connections. Most placements
hold Advanced Degree Accreditation by are salaried, and you can expect to earn between £8,000 and
the Royal Society of Biology, highlighting £17,000 during the year. A placement sometimes leads to an
offer of a position after graduation or future sponsorship for
its potential to educate the life science studying a PhD, and you can certainly expect to extend your
leaders and innovators of the future. professional network.

All placement providers will provide you with the training you
need to complete the work or research you are tasked with.
Not only do you get a year of practical work experience, as part You will also be assigned a tutor from the RVC who will guide
of the Placement Year you also undertake a research project you through the year, and there are several online tutorials with
that is devised and supervised by your placement provider. This the placement year leader.
allows students to have a diverse experience which is useful
for students who want a taste of a certain sector or type of
work, and also provides you with a fantastic opportunity to gain HOW DO I FIND A PLACEMENT?
and develop your employability skills and applications to work.
This is encouraged through a focus on self-reflection, which is You are required to be proactive in searching for, applying to
supported by the Professionalism module. and securing your own placement. Support and guidance
will be provided in specific timetabled sessions and on a
The second type of placement is a master’s level placement. dedicated website listing previous placements and current
This is taken in your final year of the MSci Applied Biological advertisements. Many placements are generated through
Research and MSci Applied Bioveterinary Research courses speculative applications to relevant organisations. Support and
and can also be taken with an additional Placement Year guidance are provided in timetabled sessions. Further advice
between the second and third years. This Master’s placement is available from the Careers Service.
is dedicated to a research project which is assessed in several
ways, including a project report and oral exam. This year is If you are unable to find a placement that suits you, you can
particularly useful for those who want to find out if research step off your current course and onto the equivalent course
is for them before committing to a PhD, and allows them to without placement. If you are unable to find a sandwich
experience what it is like to work outside of the RVC, either in placement, you can choose to move to MSci Applied Biological
industry, research institutes, or charities, for example. Research or MSci Applied Bioveterinary research and carry
out a master’s placement, providing you meet the criteria for
progression to the master’s year.

28 CRITICAL-THINKING • PROBLEM-SOLVING • SCIENCE-SHAPING