How to register for the Professional Development Module

The Professional Development Module (PDM) is a 20-credit module which is optional for students in their final year.

The PDM is available on all programmes within the College of Social Sciences where there aren't any other opportunities to undertake a placement as part of your degree.

What should I do if I want to choose the Professional Development Module?

Choose the module in the usual way when making your module choices through your home department. Once you are registered, the Placements Team will contact you to find out whether you already have a placement arranged so that we can organise the module for 2025-26.

If you are interestested in choosing the module, you can self-enrol to our summer preparation course for additional support.

Who can choose the Professional Development Module?

This final year module is available to students in:

The School of Government
The Business School (except for those studying Business Management with Year in Industry and Business Management with Communications)
The School of Social Policy (except Social Work)
BA Education students

Please note: any student on a programme of study that includes a placement year cannot choose the Professional Development Module.

It is not possible to choose both a Widening Horizon Module (WHM) and the Professional Development Module.

When is the deadline to register onto the module?

The registration deadline for the Professional Development Module depends on the Spring Term module choice deadline in your home department.

The deadline to register for the module is the end of May 2025 and any approval to join the module after this date will be at the discretion of the module lead.

Do I need to attend lectures and workshops before I begin my placement?

Yes, all students must complete the compulsory pre-placement lectures and workshops and post-placement workshops in semester 1 of your final year.

A module induction day will take place in June 2025, date tbc.

I have already completed a placement scheme in my degree, can I still register for the Professional Development Module?

If you have already completed a short-term placement scheme during your first or second year of study, your placement for the Professional Development Module must be sufficiently different to avoid the risk of self-plagiarism when completing the module’s assignments. The University’s Code of Practice on Academic Integrity (A.1.2) describes self-plagiarism as:

“The reproduction in full, or in part, of work the Student has previously submitted, including work submitted as part of the same Programme or any previous Programme at this or another institution. This would also include reproduction of articles, publications, software produced by the Student, without appropriate referencing.”

Is there a deadline to register my placement?

Yes, this is usually in September and the exact date is tbc.