Year in industry

We give our undergraduate students the option of a year in industry prior to commencing the final year of their degree programme. This provides employers with a useful source of talent: innovative, ambitious students who are most of the way through their BCS-accredited studies.

What is a degree with a year in industry?

Degrees with a year in industry are degree programmes that last 4 years and where the students complete a period of employment between their second and final years of study. The modules taken by the students are the same as in the corresponding degrees without the year in industry option. Industrial placements typically run from summer to summer, with the earliest start in mid-June and the latest in September. Students are paid by their employers and the placement year is an integral part of the degree course, is formally assessed and contributes to the final degree classification.

Back to: Department of Computer Science

Key questions

How long do placements last and when do they start?

Placements last a minimum of 8 months and up to 12 months. The earliest start date is June with the latest in September. The only requirement is that placement end by the first week in September.

How are placements assessed?

There are four assessments that students need to complete during their placement, and these are typically marked either by two academic members of staff or jointly by the industrial and the academic supervisor. The assessments consist of an introductory report and a final report marked by the academic supervisor, and by another academic member of staff; a presentation outlining the work carried out during the placement, and the overall performance in the placement. The latter two are marked by the industrial and the academic supervisor.

What kind of support is offered by the university and the department?

The University of Liverpool is fully committing to supporting students and employers before and throughout the industrial placement. Placements are jointly organised and managed by the University careers service and by the Department of Computer Science.

The department nominates an academic supervisor who will visit the company premises twice during the course of the placement and who jointly marks the assessments carried out during the industrial placement. The academic supervisor is the first point of contact for the employer.

The Department has also a dedicated placement coordinator who ensures that all placements run smoothly.

How much are students paid?

Typically students earn from approximately 12,000 to 18,000 pounds per year. This is usually around 65% of an average graduate salary.

Our programmes with a year in industry