Prospective Students

We provide a wide range of services for our students. We also offer these for up to three years after you graduate.

We aim to enhance your understanding of your strengths. We also provide opportunities to develop your skills, experience, and contacts.

We do this by supporting you to do the following:

• explore your career path
• find work
• start a business or independent career
• pursue further study
• develop your skills and experience

We do this through our tailored support and fantastic opportunities and initiatives.

Our service provides:  

• one-to-one appointments 
• workshops and events 
• careers modules 
• start-up and self-employment support 
• online tools and resources 
• vacancies 

You can access the Careers Service online from anywhere in the world. This can be done via our bespoke portal MyCareer.

You don’t need to know exactly what you want to do after your degree when you chose your subject. A degree can open a range of opportunities, and the subject that you choose doesn’t limit you to one sector or role.

As well as subject specific knowledge your degree will give you transferable skills for a range of graduate professions.  

Picking a subject you are passionate about and enjoy is a good starting point.

We also suggest you build an awareness of some of the options available with your subject. You can start your research into this using the tools below. These resources explore common job roles that relate to your degree.  

• What can I do with my degree? - Prospects gives some suggestions for careers linked to your subject 
• NCL Graduate Employment Outcomes Directory. Look at your course and similar programmes to generate ideas
• Research graduates from your course using LinkedIn. Get inspiration and find out what path they took to get into their job

The roles listed on these resources are not exhaustive. There are many potential options based on your own skills, strengths, and interests. 

Newcastle University's Careers Consultants can help you explore and plan your next steps. We provide this through 1-2-1 support.

We also offer opportunities to build your work experience and contacts.

You will have a range of career options after having completed your degree. The route you choose will depend on your interests and your career goals. Our careers team is here to help you explore the different paths that you could take.  

Common next steps for graduates include: 

• graduate training scheme 
• graduate job 
• further study 
• work experience 
• business start up 
• freelancing 
• volunteering 
• travelling 

Explore your options

Gaining experience outside of your degree is key. This will enhance your career prospects after graduation.

It is also a great way to get involved in university life and make new friends.

'Work experience' is an umbrella term. It covers most positions of responsibility or experience of a working environment.

Work experience can include many types of activities, including: 

• volunteering 
• internships 
• insight days 
• part-time work 
• work shadowing 
• placement year 

Some of these are possible alongside your studies. You can also do them during vacations or in the case of a placement year, by adding an extra year to your degree.

You can choose to do a placement year on most of our undergraduate degree programmes. This is possible even if you didn't apply for a degree with a placement year through UCAS.

Your placement would start after your second year of study. You would extend your degree programme by one year.  

You would complete an assessed module that reflects on your placement experience. You would also have a Placement Adviser who will support you during your placement year.

See placement years to find out more. 

While it’s your responsibility to search and apply for placements, you’ll receive plenty of support from the Careers Service.

We can help you find opportunities and make effective applications. We encourage you to search for placements yourself as this will introduce you to the graduate labour market and help prepare you for your next steps after university.

Our NU Work Experience Directory shows where Newcastle University students have been on placement.

Select ‘placement’ in the ‘type of experience’ box and then pick your school from the drop-down menu.

The data is from Newcastle University placement and internship students from the last five years.

Use it to find out :

• the types of placements our students have had
• the employers they’ve worked for

Part-time work is a great way to gain experience and develop valuable skills. You can meet new people and earn money. We support you to access part-time roles both on and off campus.  

You will find vacancies for local part-time work though our careers portal ‘MyCareer’. These include traditional ‘student jobs’ such as retail and hospitality roles. We also advertise opportunities that may be more related to your field of study.

The Careers Service also facilitates access to short-term casual work across the university. This ranges from clerical work and catering to events support. You can find roles that fit with your interests and availability around your studies.

Find out more at part time jobs.

Our START UP team can help you explore working for yourself at any stage. We can help whether you want to explore an idea, or have already started a business or freelance role.

You can access the following:  

• support with idea generation
• tailored advice
• advice on developing your skills
• introduction to like-minded peers
• further support from mentors
• award grant funding up to £3,000  

Find out more about our #StartedatNCL community and businesses we have supported.