Masters Placement: Science and Health Communication module (BS53006)

​​The Masters Placement module offers a unique opportunity to contextualise everything you have learned during your MSc by working directly within an organisation in the science and health communication sector.  You can engage with this module through a placement with an approved business or organisation or through your existing employment if it is in a relevant field. The placement lasts 10 weeks (around 300 hours on placement) and is an unpaid, credit-bearing component of your degree. In preparation, you will complete around 10 hours of taught input at university covering health and safety, professional ethics, risk assessment and equality and diversity. Throughout the placement you will maintain regular reflective records and submit Keep in Touch reports. The module culminates in a written critical reflective report and an oral presentation.   

​What you will learn 

​In this module, you will: 

• ​Apply the theories, principles and concepts from your MSc in a professional science or health communication environment 
• ​Develop professional skills including communication, teamwork, problem solving and critical reflection 
• ​Build understanding of how science and health communication organisations work in practice 

​By the end of this module, you will be able to: 

• ​Demonstrate a deep understanding of organisational working cultures and practices in science and health communication 
• ​Innovate and problem solve within a business or organisational setting using critical design thinking 
• ​Communicate effectively through a variety of modes within the workplace and with external audiences 
• ​Critically reflect on your experience, your performance and how your learning has been applied in practice​

Assignments / assessments

​​Project report (70%) 

• ​An 8,000-word critical reflective report detailing your activities and contribution to the workplace 

​Placement reports (10%) 

• ​A series of regular Keep in Touch written reports submitted throughout the placement 

​Individual oral presentation (20%) 

​This module does not have a final exam.​

Teaching methods / timetable

• ​​Work-based learning within the placement organisation (10 weeks, around 300 hours on placement) 
• ​Taught preparatory sessions at university (health and safety, risk assessment, professional ethics, equality and diversity) 
• ​Ongoing support via email and online meetings with academic staff 

​Preparatory sessions and the final presentation take place at City Campus and/or Ninewells. The placement is delivered in semester 3 (summer). Placements are subject to availability and must be agreed with your Course Director and the Placement module leader in advance. Placements are unpaid as this is a credited component of your degree.​