Work Placements

One of the most exciting aspects of the MA/MSc in Digital Humanities is the student's workplacement with a museum, library, gallery, archive, new media company, publishing house or other similar organisation.

If you are considering hosting a student, please email Dr Julianne Nyhan at j.nyhan@ucl.ac.uk.

Object

The object of the practical placement is to introduce and expose students to working practices and situations in digital humanities projects and contexts. The placement is the culmination of six months theoretical study and practical instruction.

Duration

The length of the placement is generally four weeks (minimum) to three months (maximum) and is usually determined by the host. Placements are undertaken at any time between early May and the end of August. Hosts need to be aware that in addition to completing their placement, students have to sit at least one examination (usually in early June and will need a day or two off) and research and write their dissertations. The placement can be full or part-time.

Payment

It is not expected that hosts will provide financial remuneration to students on placements, although some hosts do like to make some form of payment. Most hosts like to pay travelling expenses, but this is all a matter for the host to agree with the student.

Duties

As the object of the placement is to consolidate and apply student's learning, it is the desire of the College that the hosts will encourage students to join and participate in existing projects or procedures, to provide an end-user's point of view on products, or even to develop proposals for discussion by the host for future products or services. Some hosts ask students to critique their existing products or services, to improve their value and usefulness. The hours of work for the student are usually the same as for employees, but this is dependent on the host and the nature of the project or procedure being completed by the student.

Benefits

The benefits for a host in taking a student on a placement are many. The most immediate are: the host can access the latest information about IT and electronic communication via the student; the host can have an urgent or necessary project completed by the student, thereby saving staff time and costs; and the host can obtain fresh input from an outsider.

Students

Following their placements, all students are required to write a short reflective piece focusing on the time that they spent with the host organisation, what they learned from being there and what they were able to bring to the placement.

Previous Hosts

Students on this programme have been hosted by various companies and institutions, including; The British Museum, The Science Museum, The British Library, The Petrie Museum, School of Oriental and African Studies, UCL Web Development Office, The Wellcome Trust, UCL Museums & Collections, Eastman Dental Hospital, UCL Library, JISC, LanguageLab, The National Theatre, Ubiquity Press, British Film Institute, Museum of London, Islington Museum, Quip, Digital Artist, Centre for eResearch.