We believe that a business degree should include genuine experience of today's business world, so we offer students who are enrolled in a Business School degree an opportunity to work for a leading firm as part of their degree, through our Industry Placement Program.

After successful pilots during 2010 and 2011 the program was expanded to include a wider range of host organisations/industry partners. Previous partners include CBA, Deloitte, Westpac, KPMG, Computershare, PKF/BDO, Netbalance, Procter & Gamble, PwC, Ernst & Young, NSW Treasury, The Smith Family, Millward Brown, Pollenizer, Reckitt Benckiser, PGi, HRX, Stella Design, Life Without Barriers, NSW Community Relations Commission, House with No Steps and Heard Marketing. During a placement, students work on genuine business projects specific to the host organisations business.

Enrolment into the program or unit of study is selective and only those students who successfully proceed through the selection process are considered for placements. Students from the Bachelor of Commerce & Bachelor of Commerce combined degrees; the Masters of Commerce & Masters of Commerce combined degrees; the Masters of HR & IR; the Masters of Professional Accounting; the Masters of Logistics Management and the Masters of Transport Management; plus those completing a Bachelor of Economics degree being administered by the Business School are eligible to apply. The selection criteria on which all assessment tasks are based are Commerciality, Teamwork and Leadership, Business Communication, and Critical Thinking.

The program runs during both semesters 1 and 2 and over the summer vacation.  During semester students will spend up to 3 days per week over 10 weeks working directly with a host organisation.  The initial 3 weeks of semester will be spent attending pre-placement training and preparing a learning contract to be applied during the placement.  During the vacation period the duration of placements is based on an equivalent number of hours.

The Industry Placement Program falls into three main categories:

1. Local - placements with Sydney based firms
2. Regional - placements with regionally located organisations
3. International - placements in Asia, Europe, and the US

For more information on each of the placement categories and the relevant application process please select the relevant tab above.

Important Dates

Local Placements

The Industry Placement Program offers placements with local Sydney based firms across a wide range of industries. The program runs over both semesters 1 & 2 and during the winter and summer vacation periods.

To be eligible as an undergraduate or postgraduate student you must have completed 48 credit points and have achieved an academic record of credit average or above by the time placements commence.

To apply you are required to complete an online application and submit it along with your resume and a copy of your academic results (in a single MS Word document).  Short listed students will be invited to attend an assessment centre comprising: an interview; a group activity and a written assessment task.  Successful students will be accepted into the program and subsequently matched to a suitable host organisation.

Once enrolled in the relevant unit of study students earn six credit points toward their degree. 

The application period for local placements is outlined below (all dates are subject to change).

Regional Placements

Port Macquarie

The University of Sydney Business School, in conjunction with Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and the Brolga Project , provides an opportunity for our students to experience living and working in a regional location while earning credit points towards their degree.

The placements are facilitated by Mid-North Coast industry, government, education sectors and community organisations. Host organisations that participate come from a wide range of industry sectors including financial services, energy and resources, government, aged care, accounting and tax services.

Two recent Business School student participants in the program are Bachelor of Commerce students Frank Moon and Vu Nguyen. Both Frank and Vu have been on placement during the summer vacation working on genuine contemporary business projects, including the development of a branch reporting structure for Holiday Coast Credit Union and researching the implications of changes to funding for Aged Care at Bundaleer Gardens Aged Care Facility.

Earlier student placements have been hosted by Essential Energy, Direction Accounting, NorthCorp Accountants and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.

Broken Hill

BUSS2100 Business Placement is an intensive industry placement program that is conducted through the Business Programs Unit (BPU) within the Business School. Recently, students lived in Broken Hill working with the Broken Hill local government, the Broken Hill Enterprise Development Centre and other not-for profit community groups gaining invaluable business experience from a variety of challenging business projects.

These projects gave the students a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities that exist within remote communities of New South Wales. Students were actively engaged with 'real' business issues and challenges where they developed project management and presentation skills. The businesses the students worked with benefited through the education and insight the students were able to offer through their projects.

During regional placements students are expected to work with their host organisation on a full time basis for six weeks during the summer vacation. Accommodation is provided and paid for by program funding. The regional program offers a unique experience and it is a great opportunity for students to develop sought-after skills that provide a real point of difference in the eyes of future employers.

It is possible for students to participate in a regional placement as well as a local or international placement as part of their degree (depending on career progression limitations). Once enrolled in the relevant unit of study students earn six credit points toward their degree.

The application period for regional placements is outlined below: (all dates are subject to change).

International Placements

The Business School International Placement Program comprises placements in Washington DC, Los Angeles and China during the summer vacation period. A new and additional program in 2013 will be located in Paris during the winter vacation.

United States

The University of Sydney Business School in conjunction with the United States Study Centre (USSC) at the University have established a partnership with the University of California Washington Centre (UCDC) and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to offer Business School undergraduate students an exclusive opportunity to study and work in Washington DC or Los Angeles. As part of these programs students will complete three units of study in addition to undertaking an 8 or 9 week professional placement based in Washington DC or Los Angeles.

Further details about these programs are available on at The United States Studies Centre Internship page.

China

The International placements in China are targeted towards students with the required work visas and language skills to allow them to work with International organisations at their offices based in China. To date students have had an opportunity to work at the Shanghai offices of Deloitte and PwC. The program runs over the Summer Vacation period only.

For students who wish to pursue a career in the Asia Pacific region, opportunities exist for placements in China. The Business School has previously placed students at Deloitte and PwC and we are pleased to introduce our newest partner, the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group (CECEP), China's flagship enterprise in the fields of energy conservation, emission reduction and environment protection.

CECEP is a state-owned enterprise with 172 wholly owned and holding subsidiaries and in excess of 30,000 employees. It is China's largest and most competitive industry group of its kind.

The Business School recently placed both undergraduate (BCom) and postgraduate students (MCom) at CECEP. The students worked in a wide variety of functional divisions at the company's headquarters in Beijing and worked on projects that enabled them to use the knowledge that they had gained in their degrees.

CECEP also provided the placement students with the opportunity to spend part of their placements at two of the major subsidiary companies - the CECEP Solar Energy Technology Co. Ltd, and the CECEP Wind Power (Zangbei) Co. Ltd, where they gained unique experience working with management and staff at these world-leading sustainable energy companies.

Paris

The Paris Placement Program provides a unique experience for students to work and study in Paris for six weeks during the winter vacation period - 23rd of June to the 2nd of August 2013.

The six week placement will enable you to live and work in the heart of Paris and attend one of France's top universities - SciencesPo. In addition to working for six weeks in either a public or private sector organisation students will study in the evenings for four weeks at SciencesPo. The course will focus on the EU and will include French language. Combined with completing BUSS2502, students will receive a total of 12 credit points towards their degree for successfully completing the Paris Placement Program.

Students will travel with a leading academic from the Business School, who will teach the BUSS2502 unit as well as provide supervision during the program.

For more information visit the Paris Placement Program page.

As a Business School student you may be eligible to enrol in the much sought after Industry Placement Program. An Industry Placement is highly coveted by students and therefore acceptance into the program's unit of study is competitive.

The program is open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students during both semesters 1 & 2 and over the winter & summer vacation periods. It is a great opportunity to put your theoretical understanding from your specialisation/major into practice.

Credited towards your degree the program provides a preparation course before you enter the work placement for a minimum of 3 days per week for 10 weeks during semester or an equivalent number of hours over the winter and summer vacation programs.

At the end of your placement you are assessed based on a work-learning journal; your preparation of a business report, and a presentation to a panel of assessors from the Business School.

Undergraduate students may at the time of application request that the unit of study contribute toward their major. The Industry Placement Program unit of study cannot replace any unit counted toward professional accreditation. Students are responsible for their own degree progression and must ensure they have sufficient room in their degree, or permission to overload. Please contact the Student Information Office for assistance with degree progressions.

Host organisations in the placement program have included: Commonwealth Bank of Australia, NSW Treasury, Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young, PwC, PKF, UBS, Crescendo Partners, Nuplex Industries, Computershare, Central Energy & Port Macquarie Hastings council, with more partners across a diverse range of industries coming on board with each round of placements.

• For undergraduate students you must be able to provide evidence of a credit average or above corresponding to 48 credit points.
• For postgraduate students you must be able to provide evidence of a credit average or above corresponding to units of 48 credit points.

Industry Placement Program

Applications for Summer and Semester 1 2014 will open in early September.

Frequently Asked Questions?

Eligibility

Application Process

The Unit of Study

Placement and Host Organisations