Study with us | Adding to your degree

Your university experience isn’t just about studying for a degree, it’s also your chance to develop valuable employability skills, broaden your horizons and gain real-world experience that could help you lay the foundations for your future career.

In this ‘Study with us’ blog, we’ve taken a look at how adding to your degree can enrich your experience at Newcastle University, as well as the skills you could develop to showcase on your CV. 

Contents:

1. Work placements

2. Work experience

3. ncl+ Award

4. Study abroad

Work placements

Customise your degree with a placement, spending nine to 12 months in the workplace. 

Almost all our degrees are available with the option to complete a work placement, extending your degree by up to a year. 

Work placements give you the opportunity to develop skills sought-after by employers, explore your career options and make professional connections. You could also secure a reference that could help when applying for a job. Find out more here.

Work experience

You can gain work experience to showcase on your CV in a variety of ways. 

• Internships. Shorter in length than a work placement, internships take place over the summer vacation or term time. They can help you:
  • gain hands-on experience
  • develop industry knowledge
  • decide where your future career interests lie
  • gain an insight into UK business culture
  • make contacts within the sector
  • gain positive feedback and references
    
    
• Work shadowing. Experience a ‘day in the life’ of a member of staff in their workplace and get a better understanding of different graduate roles. Work shadowing can also give you a taste of what you could expect if you decide to complete an internship or placement year.
  
  
• Insight days. Find out what it’s like to work for a particular organisation during a Career Insight Day. You’ll learn about the structure and culture of the organisation, as well as different opportunities and roles.
  
  
• Volunteering. As a volunteer you’ll not only be helping others, you’ll be helping yourself, too, developing employability skills and gaining practical work experience. Some careers are difficult to get into without previous volunteer experience, so this is your chance to work in a field you’re interested in and make valuable contacts.
  
  
• Virtual opportunities. Gain experience, or improve your skill set remotely through virtual internships and volunteering roles, start your own virtual venture or try out new subject areas and develop skills through a host of online courses.
  
  
• Part-time work. You’ll not only earn some extra money with a part-time job but find a job related to your degree course and you’ll gain valuable sector experience, too. Part-time work is flexible and can fit around your studies.   

There are also opportunities to work on campus for the University through our Jobs on Campus (JobsOC) scheme. Work is flexible to fit around your studies and you'll gain graduate skills including communication, teamwork, planning and organisation. You could also use your part-time job to work towards our ncl+ Award.

ncl+ Award

Demonstrate to employers the skills you've gained from extracurricular activities through our ncl+ Award. 

You’ll complete 40 hours of extracurricular activity, submitting an activity log to show how you've spent your time. You'll also complete four short online learning units and submit answers to competency-based questions to demonstrate what you've gained from your experiences. 

Activities can include almost everything you do outside of your degree, including part-time jobs; volunteering; club and society roles; student representation; entrepreneurial activities; and team sports. 

Study abroad

Expand your world by studying abroad, experiencing different cultures, growing in confidence, and learning skills prized by employers. 

Our Global Opportunities programme includes opportunities that last from a single semester up to a full year, with destinations ranging from Europe and the Americas to Asia and Australasia. 

We hope this blog has given you a flavour of the opportunities you could access to enrich your degree experience at Newcastle and gain skills to help prepare you for the world of work. For more information about how we can support you and your career goals, explore the services offered by our Careers Service.