How you'll study your degree

In addition to your theory-based studies, you're encouraged to develop work, volunteering and overseas experience to enhance employability and career options. This is why we encourage student volunteering and placements, and enable our students to write a research dissertation based on a real-world practical or policy issue.

We also host events and sessions with guest lecturers from the industry so that you have the opportunity to network directly with potential employers.

Stand out from the crowd by considering our Study Abroad option. By choosing to do a four-year degree, you can apply to study at one of our partner institutions for a year, or spend six months abroad and another six months working in the sector.

In an increasingly international and mobile world, studying abroad can help boost your future employability. It provides an exciting opportunity to acquire numerous transferable and desirable skills, and study specialisms additional to what's offered at Reading. It's also a fantastic life experience.

To qualify for the Study Abroad option, you must meet the requirements of the host institution. This option is highly competitive and is therefore not guaranteed.

All courses offered by our partner universities are taught in English.

Learn more about studying abroad

A placement is a fantastic opportunity to gain work experience, develop industry-specific knowledge and skills, and network with potential future employers.

For those working in the international development sector, it is important to develop work, volunteering and overseas experience to enhance employability and career options.

Our Professional Practice Placement module in second year encourages development of careers curiosity and career planning skills alongside active networking with people working in the development sector to explore job roles and undertake a short period of work experience as a taster of the sector.

If you're doing a four-year degree, you'll have the opportunity to spend 12 months on a placement year and work with one of our industry partners.

Your placement will be directly related to your degree programme or potential career path, giving you the freedom to find a placement that suits you and your career aspirations.

Many of our students have completed placements with large, global organisations such as the United Nations Environment Programme, or with multinational corporations such as the American telecommunications firm Verizon (based in Reading). Other students have spent their year working on Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainbility Programmes with organisations like Network Rail.

Recent students have undertaken varied placements in the UK and overseas with charities, NGOs and commercial companies, including Network Rail, Reading Refugee Support, Otra Cosa Network (Peru) and DAI.

All gain broad-based experience in project management, day-to-day operations and communication. Typically, our students are responsible for a specialist task. This may mean working with end-users, liaising with clients, delivering presentations or writing reports, all of which mean learning many new, transferable skills as part of their role.

You will be supported by our advisory services and a dedicated member of staff, who will assist in finding and supporting your year out.

Many of our students undertake three months of paid work experience during the summer vacation to gain further insight into the career path they want to pursue.

You can also participate in a six-week placement linked to research undertaken at the University. These placements are generally completed in the summer before your final year.