University College Birmingham

With many businesses citing a lack of real-world experience as one of their biggest challenges when trying to recruit, work placements offer students a powerful opportunity to get ahead.
They offer a great way to gain valuable hands-on experience in a chosen field, helping you to develop skills and knowledge, learn about different work environments, and to make lasting and meaningful connections with potential employers.

As a result, all of our higher education courses provide the option for students to gain work experience or complete a placement - with some courses having compulsory work placements – and even some of our college students spend between 70 to 350 hours gaining work experience over a year.

What are the benefits of a work placement?
There are numerous benefits for a work placement.

• Gaining practical experience. Work placements give you the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge you have learned in the classroom to a real-world setting. This can be a great way to improve your confidence and competence in your chosen field.
• Learning about different work environments. Work placements give you the chance to experience different types of work environments, such as corporate, non-profit, charity, or government. This can help you to decide what type of work environment you prefer, and what kind of career you want to pursue.
• Making connections with potential employers. Work placements offer an opportunity to network with potential employers and learn more about possible job opportunities. Building a network of contacts can give you a head start in the job market when you graduate, and help you achieve your career goals.
• Developing transferable skills. Work placements can help you to develop vital transferable skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. These skills are essential for success in any career.

• 2 Years PSW is applicable after completing a minimum duration of 9 months course (like- Undergraduate, Postgraduate Level)
• 3 Years PSW is applicable after completing PhD level courses.

A 3 Year Degree with an average of at least 60%
A 4 Year Degree with an overall average of at least 55%
PGDip

Applicants holding a 3 Year Degree with an average between 55-60% or a 4 Year degree with an average between 50% and 55%, will be offered entry onto the Postgraduate Diploma in the first instance. Those achieving Masters level passes on the Postgraduate Diploma can proceed to the Masters gaining the award in the same amount of time as if they had initially registered on the Masters Programme initially.

Applicants applying for the MSc Finance & Accounting, please note the following entry requirements

* applicant should have studied in a closely-related discipline that will enable you to meet the academic rigour of the course and understand the finance and accounting modules.

To apply for all undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, you will need to sit an approved test in English if it is not your first language. This might include achieving IELTS (Academic or UKVI) of 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band, depending on your course requirements.

In addition, we accept a TOEFL iBT (except Home Edition) score of 72, with minimum band scores of Reading 18, Writing 17, Listening 17, and Speaking 20 for undergraduate (BA, BSc) and most postgraduate degrees.

If you are applying for the International Foundation Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism, you will need UKVI IELTS of 5.0 with no less than 4.5 in any band.

IELTS can be taken from the British Council. Please note that the date of your IELTS award must be within two years of your degree/master’s degree start date.

We also accept the following online tests for entry onto degree-level courses:

Language Cert (except online) - a minimum of 'pass' at B2 level
IELTS Indicator - minimum scores as above