Embedded virtual work experience

Online work experience

Stand out with an MSc with work experience from Leeds. Get real industry experience, build skills, and boost your career prospects as part of your Engineering and Physical Sciences degree.

Gain a career edge with Leeds

While studying at Leeds, you’ll have the opportunity to complete an eight-week online work experience programme, working on a project aligned with your academic discipline in partnership with a relevant organisation.

You’ll develop key professional skills and gain valuable insight into your chosen field, helping to solve a real business challenge based on a live company brief.

How it works

1) Preparing you for work

From August, near the end of your MSc, all postgraduate students in the Faculty can undertake an eight-week work experience with a company and a project relevant to their academic school.*

Group of undergraduate chemical engineering students

2) A real, team-based business project

You’ll be assigned a company and guaranteed a place. Working in a team of five students from your course, you'll solve real-world business problems with your company part-time over eight weeks.

Computing students in the long room at Leeds

3) Academic and employability support

You’ll be assigned an academic tutor to meet your group throughout the eight weeks. You’ll receive help every step of the way from the EPS Employability Team and create great networks for your future.

Students taking part in the Mechanical Engineering Summer Internship Scheme, pictured in the Employability Suite

4) Career coaching and reference letter

We’ll provide tailored career support sessions to enhance your professional behaviours and showcase your skills to employers, and you'll receive a reference letter from Leeds to verify your skills.

How do I sign up for work experience?

When you start your MSc in the Faculty of EPS at the University of Leeds, the EPS Employability Team will meet with you and your classmates during a lecture in the first month to explain the scheme, answer questions, and sign you up.

After submitting your final project and closer to the start of the virtual work experience, the EPS Employability Team will guide you through onboarding and support you during the eight-week experience.

At the end, you will write a short assignment reflecting on your skills development, which will be graded on a pass/fail basis by your assigned academic. The company will also provide feedback on your performance during the work experience.