The MES Department has a long history of placing students with the top companies and organisations in the UK and Europe for their professional year. Long standing relationships have been built up with these companies and Surrey placement students are considered among the best and sought after in the UK. MES is committed to professional training and the experience our graduates gain from placement undoubtedly contributes to Surrey being consistently highly placed in the graduate employment league tables. The placement year gives students a taste of life in an engineering environment and the opportunity to put into practice the theory they have learnt on the undergraduate course. There are many benefits from undertaking a professional year, including:

• 12 months working for a well-respected company or organisation
• Experience of the work environment in an engineering context
• Possibility of being offered a full-time job on graduation
• Opportunity to earn a graduate-type salary for a year
• Better general career prospects on graduating
• Possibility of undertaking a final year project in collaboration with the company

The companies in which students are regularly placed include multinational companies (e.g. Augusta Westland, Cummins, GSK, Astrium, General Motors, Airbus, Intel, BAE Systems, Pfizer), engineering consultancies (e.g. Atkins, Noble Denton, Scott Wilson) and numerous medium and small companies. Placements are also available in Europe (e.g. Airbus France, Tyco Germany, IDIADA Spain).

The professional year is fully integrated into the degree programme. Student performance is assessed by both visiting tutors from the university and the employer and the mark awarded contributes 10% towards the final degree classification. In summary, the professional year offers a valuable and enjoyable experience and is highly recommended for all MES students.