Student Projects and Placements

Discover the latest opportunities for businesses and third sector organisations to work with students.

Students can undertake projects or placements with host organisations to help explore new ideas or solve challenges they lack the resource or knowledge to undertake in-house. There are a variety of opportunities available which may be linked to the student’s degree programme or draw on more generic skills. Projects should be appropriate to the skill level of the student and never business critical. Please note some projects require no or minimal financial commitment, while some do. Please check each on enquiry. To discuss any of the opportunities please email info@interface-online.org.uk

“I have benefitted through Interface from student placements in many disciplines. My experience within working with Interface has been extremely positive and I have gained as much from the students as they have received from their placements. I hope to expand this relationship for many years to come.”

Carol Arnott, Get Set Yeti

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Themes

Business Management – Data analytics, project management, marketing, operations, human resources

Humanities & Social Science – Psychology, sport science, arts, law, health science, environmental, social science

Computing Science – Artificial Intelligence, big data, software engineering, fintech, machine learning, ethical hacking, UX design

Science & Engineering – life science, mechanical, electrical, food science, biotechnology

Creatives – Art & Design, music, gaming, visual communications

Social Science Virtual Projects

10 week projects starting end of January 26’. Closing date 15th December. Financial Commitment: None.

The School of Social Science invites you to take part in our third-year undergraduate course. The course is designed to provide students from arts and social science degree programmes with a work-related experience through consultancy-style projects built into the curriculum. Projects expose students to real work tasks and provide them the opportunity to apply their transferable skills such as teamwork, project management, problem-solving and communication in a different setting.

Projects enable organisations to:

Address a need within their business or charity.
Provide opportunities for students to bring in fresh enthusiasm and new ideas.
Enhance links between their organisation and the University, often sharing knowledge and expertise beyond the project.
Raise the profile of their organisation amongst students.

Project Criteria

We welcome all projects where:

The online project links directly to the work of your organisation.
Students can work remotely and digitally on the project in a group of 3-4 students.
The online project is achievable within a 10-week period, beginning at the end of January 2026.
Each member of the student group can be expected to spend approximately 8-10 hours per week working remotely on the project.

Undertaking the project should allow students to achieve the following learning outcomes for the academic course, Employer-Led Interdisciplinary Research Project:

Understand the time and resources required to plan effectively a team project hosted by a start-up business, SME, or charity.
Apply the key principles of interdisciplinary project management and working collaboratively to complete a project.
Analyse relevant research literature and articles relevant to interdisciplinary inquiry.
Create high quality communications, both verbal and written to convey learning and skills development from a research project.
Evaluate own strengths and areas of development from a consultancy-style team project.

Business Internship

Closing date 8th Feb Runs for 8 weeks May-July Financial Commitment: None Location: Dundee area either In-person or Hybrid – no fully remote placements.

Internships can take place either hybrid or in person, dependent on your business model and requirements. They are supported in choosing an internship with a range of organisations across the public, private and third sectors. Each student will work on a specific business challenge or project tailored to your organisation, while also gaining broader experience through day-to-day tasks.

Here are some ideas of projects:

Develop an organisations social media presence

Writing blogs about the organisation for use on social media

Plan and organise a fundraising event

Assist with clients in the charity e.g. assist with training sessions

Design marketing materials

Complete a research project

Develop and deliver a survey for the organisation and then write up a findings report

Students are studying:

MSc International Business
MSc International Marketing
MSc Management

Applied Social Studies Placements

Runs: Part time for 6 weeks between February – April. Closing date; End of November. Financial Commitment: None.

3^rd year BA Hons students looking for a placement as part of their course module allowing them to get experience and employability skills in a real life environment.

The students have a wide knowledgebase and cover a broad range of topics including:

Psychology
Social Sciences
Sociology
Mental Health
Social Work.

Previous examples of placements involved:

Working with citizens advice to review the impact of COVID
Looking at economic development for the Local Authority
Supporting Foodbanks and helping at pensioners tea dances.

Computing Placements (Long term)

Runs: 1 year from September or January. Financial Commitment: Paid placements at least National Minimum Wage.

3rd Year Computing students covering a diverse range of degree courses in areas such as:

cybersecurity and digital forensics
software engineering
games development
computing science
business computing
digital media
web design

These placements must be full time, a minimum of 48 weeks, can be remote, hybrid or site based and paid at least National Minimum Wage to meet module requirements.

Example Job Titles:

Student Software Engineer

Web Development & Support Assistant

Data Analyst

UX Engineer

Business Administration projects

Runs Various times throughout the year – See below Financial Commitment: None.

The project is typically undertaken on a professional consultancy basis. The range of business functions a project can address are diverse and include growth or business development, marketing, operations, strategy and finance. New models or processes can be developed or solutions presented to strategic or operational issues. The final report will be directed at senior management or director level.
Examples of previous projects include:
• ‘A Strategic Framework for Co-branded Marketing Promotion’ for Polaroid Eyewear
• ‘Implementing Effective Communication Frameworks to Drive Performance’
• ‘Differentiation Strategies in a Tightly Regulated, Competitive and Mature Market’ for Aviva
• ‘Creating a Sales and Marketing Strategy for a Small Technology Company’

Over 6 months: Projects presented to students for selection end of FEBRUARY. Students begin project in APRIL. Projects submitted for marking AUGUST.
Over 3 months: Projects presented to students for selection end of MARCH, students begin project in JUNE. Projects submitted for marking AUGUST.
Over 6 months: Projects presented to students for selection end of JUNE. Students begin project in OCTOBER. Projects submitted for marking MARCH.
Over 3 months: Projects presented to students for selection end of AUGUST. Students begin project in OCTOBER. Projects submitted for marking JANUARY

International Management Solutions Consultancy projects

Runs for 3 months from February – April. Closing date: 6th December. Financial Commitment: None.

Areas of focus: Internationalising an existing organisation (examples below)

Market research and analysis
Foreign markets screening and selection
Evaluation of entry modes (e.g. exporting, franchising, local operations) into the target international markets
Competitor analysis and positioning
International marketing strategies and plans
Foreign partnership and networking strategies
Organising for international business operations

The course objectives are for groups of students to work together with an organisation to create NEW strategic solutions tailored to your objectives, such as expanding a product (good or service) into a new international market or optimising a global business process. Students are divided into teams and over the course of the three months work on a challenge set by the industry client to come up with a response to the brief and make recommendations to the client. The teams work closely with the client engaging regularly for the first six weeks.

Applied Health Science

Applied Health Science placements Runs January – April or June to August Closing dates 20th December or 30th April respectively. Financial Commitment: None

This work-based placement elective offers a professional placement with a civic, government, industrial, public, research or voluntary health and/or development sector organisation. Students will undertake a ten-week placement with a host organisation

The aims of the courses are to:

Enhance student experience
Provide students with an authentic learning opportunity
Enhance student employability
Enable students to acquire professional knowledge and understanding of the daily work, strategic priorities, objectives, and functions of a civic, government, industrial, public, research or voluntary health and/or development sector organisation
Facilitate student application of academic skills in a work environment
Provide students with opportunities to strategically develop a range of transferable skills.

Previous Examples include:

Flu vaccination hesitancy in pregnancy
In-store and online survey of food and drink promotions
Creative content creation for a Mental Health App
Healthcare manual development
Health Promotion Campaign Plan
Labelling climate footprint on foods
Desk research on sizing the integrative medicine and holistic health and wellbeing sphere
Analysis of Scottish Health Survey waist circumference and height data

FinTech Projects

Runs: June – September 2026. Closing Date: 30th April 26. Financial Commitment: None.

This programme brings together expertise in mathematics, computer science, finance, and economics to deliver a fully integrated learning experience in Financial Technology.

A typical project applies the learned material to real-life data using available software and draws conclusions (for example, suggesting policy decisions) in the form of a written report.

The MSc Financial Technology offers a rigorous introduction to Python, the dominant programming language in FinTech as well as machine learning and data science. The programme also highlights the inherent risks to the industry such as security breaches and the effects these can have on banks and other financial service providers. Some students join the course after completing their undergraduate degree, while others already have work experience in industry and are looking for further qualifications.

The Financial Technology MSc programme is structured into three 12-week terms. During the first two terms, the students take the following courses:

Introduction to Programming
Database Systems and Big Data
Financial Mathematics
Empirical Methods in Finance Research
Advances in Machine Learning in Finance
Financial Crime and Cyber Security
Portfolio Analysis
Financial Analysis and Markets

Computer Science Placements

Closing date’s September & May. Runs Sep-Dec and May-Jul. Financial Commitment: None.

3 month placements – flexible 180 hours

Course covered include:

cybersecurity and digital forensics
software engineering
games development
computing science
business computing
digital media
web design
animation
social media
graphic design
soundscapes/podcasts

Mass Communication Placement

Runs Sept – Dec or Jan-May. Available to apply all year round. Financial Commitment: No payment required however they encourage offering expenses, a stipend, or a wage where feasible.

3rd year Undergraduate students studying BA Hons Mass Communication are looking for opportunities to complete a placement between 80-100 hours.

Students are looking to secure opportunities that involve real-life projects and meaningful work, supported by the development of both technical and transferable skills on a remote, hybrid or on-site basis.

The Mass Communication course includes modules on:

Communication & Practice
Global Current Affairs
Popular Culture
Social Media & Analytics
Mass Communications Research Methods
Branding.

Medical Science Placements

Starts between May-September. Closing date 31st July. Financial Commitment: Payment required.

Placements can start between May and September. Topics covered by these students include:

Anatomy
Biochemistry
Biomedical Sciences
Biotechnology
Developmental Biology
Genetics
Immunology
Molecular Biology
Pharmacology
Physiology
Sports Science

Creative Placements

Runs: Between January & April. Closing Date: 15th December. Financial Commitment: At companies discretion, no legal requirement but payment is encouraged.

Work Placement and Work Experience opportunities available with creative undergraduate students. Students should be supervised and mentored

Topics covered include:

Communication Design
Graphics, Illustration and Photography
Fashion & Textile Design
Product, Ceramics and Jewellery
Fine Art

Work Experience is between 10 & 20 days will still require to attend classes.

Work Placement is 50 days minimum and is sole focus for the semester.

Interior Design & Architecture Internship

12 weeks starting in January – Closing date 19th December.  Financial Commitment: Paid preferable but not essential . Location: Edinburgh or Borders based preferable.  

These 12 week placements are 15hours per week for Masters Students. Students will have a variety of CAD drawing skills and could help with some technical drawing, below is some examples of what students can offer: 

Visual render software 
Mostly using Sketchup, Blender, sometimes- Enscape 
Prepare presentation documents using InDesign or similar 
Render plans or presentation documents using Photoshop for example 
Ordering, reviewing, selecting materials, finishes, samples, specifications, sample boards 
Issuing, printing and coordinating drawing packages 
Surveying, site visits, photographing, basic check survey information 
Shadowing site visits 
Preparation of technical documentation 
Specifications 
Materials 
Furniture 
Project Costs 
Drawing registers 
Door registers 
Detail drawings packages

Data Science Projects

12 week projects running January 26 or July 26’ . Closing Date: End of December and End of June. Financial Commitment: None.

A typical project revolves around one or more datasets, a research question, and some of the data science tools introduced in the teaching modules (see the short syllabus for each below). The topic can be very broad, ranging from bioinformatics, social sciences, transport, demographics, power grids, to name but a few. The data set can be specific and provided by the partner, or it can come from a free data source.

The MSc Data Science programme is designed to teach the fundamentals of Data Science with an emphasis on hands-on experience working with real-world and industry-relevant data. Students typically come from diverse backgrounds, with skills ranging from mathematics and physics to computer science, as well as non-technical areas such as business and humanities. Some students join the course after completing their undergraduate degree, while others have already gained work experience in industry and are looking for a further qualification. The courses are structured to ensure that students without a rigorous mathematical or computational background can understand the crucial concepts underlying data science and apply appropriate tools, while providing opportunities for those with more technical expertise to deepen their understanding of data science concepts.

The programme is structured into three 12-week terms. The first two terms cover the following courses:

Introduction to Programming
Introduction to Python and R
Data Visualisation
Image Analysis
Introduction to Data Science
Statistics and Time Series Analysis
Advanced Statistics and Special Applications
Machine Learning

Project Management in Business Analytics

Runs Jan – March. Closing date – 12th December. Financial Commitment: None.

The Project Management in Business Analysis Consultancy Projects course is part of the MSc in Management. Students work as a team of consultants to tackle real-world challenges that a private or public sector organisation is facing.

During the 10-week period, students invest up to 72 hours each by working in groups of four to five to carry out the research, namely collecting and analysing business requirements, communicating with key stakeholders, analysing data, and formulating and presenting recommendations.

Student teams can carry out consultancy on a wide range of issues, including:

Market analysis
Process improvement
Timetabling and rostering decision support
Event organisation
Survey design and implementation
Sustainable supply chain

Computer Science Projects

Projects Run January – April. Closing date is 29th November. Financial Commitment: None.

These projects are completed by a small team of third year undergraduate students.

Whether your project involves software development, cybersecurity, network architecture, digital design, digital audio, or other technical requirements, this is an exciting opportunity to tap into our students’ creativity and skills while contributing to their real-world learning experience.

Previous projects have involved:

Application development for desktop
Web and mobile platforms
Network installation and configuration activities
Development of interactive media.

Law Placement

Runs: January – April. Closing Date: 30th November. Financial Commitment: None.

Third and fourth-year undergraduate Law students (LLB and BA Law) looking to gain front-line experience within a busy law practice or law-related organisation, enabling them to put their studies into practice and pick up valuable insights into the working world.

Examples of previous projects

shadowing and gaining an understanding the workings of the Legal Analyst/Legal Tech team and undertaking of a research project set by Ashurst Advance.
opportunity to gain practical experience of legal work across all divisions of the business.
opportunity to apply in practice the academic knowledge and theory learned in an in-house legal team.
assisting with research project examining existing material relating to BAME inclusion in the Scottish and UK Legal professions.

Product and Graphic Design placements

Runs January – May. Closing date 30th November. Financial Commitment: Optional.

3rd Year Undergraduate Product or Graphic design students are looking for placements. These cover topics such as:

Digital Media
Graphic Design
Branding
Product Design
Materials & Manufacture
Prototyping Interactive experiences
3D Modelling
Business & Marketing skills

There is a 120hour, 240hour or 400 hour placement option available.

Fashion & Textile Placement

Runs May – August. Closing date end of April. No Payment required.

MA Fashion & textile students looking for a 12 week placement, students study the following subjects:

Design Thinking & Innovation
Fashion & Textiles – Experimentation & Research
Materials
Sustainable Design & Management
Fashion & Textiles Development and Practice
Research Methodologies
Design Technologies
Business Enterprise

Food Science Placements

Closing Date: 30th November. Runs – Jan- Apr ( 12 weeks full time) and May – August. Financial Commitment: None.

Food Science students are looking for 12 weeks placements beginning in January. Students are studying consumer science, nutrition and

The techniques and skills needed to develop new food products.
How to innovate and make healthy, delicious foods that are safe to consume.
The quality and safety requirements needed to manufacture foods.
A person’s nutritional requirements throughout their lifespan.
How to meet the needs of society, industry and consumers for sustainable food quality.
Food handling skills
The functionality of raw and cooked food ingredients
The key social issues in nutrition, sport and exercise
How nutrition, metabolism and digestion relate to diet and health
How to analyse food and drink using a range of scientific techniques
The nutritional needs throughout an individual’s lifespan
The nutritional function of foods.
How nutrients work in the body and how they impact our health.
The link between nutrition and public health.
How to develop strategies to improve food habits.
How to adjust diet to different clinical conditions.
What drives consumer eating habits and behaviours.

Biomedical Science Placments.

Closing Date: 30th November. Runs: 18 weeks full time January to May. Financial Commitment; None.

MSc Biomedical Science students are looking for the opportunity to work in an industry placement.

These are 18 week placements on a full time basis.

Module Learning includes:

Theory of Laboratory based diagnostic methods and techniques

Principles of point of care testing ( device and systems)

Experimental design for testing and evaluation

Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics

Law Placements.

Closing Date: End of November. Runs: February – April. Financial Commitment: None.

The University are seeking placement opportunities for their 4^th Year Law students, this is a 10 week unpaid placement with the student working 1 full day per week. The placement is to provide the student with real life work experience and would consider work including:

Updating policies
Human Rights
Criminal Justice
Legal Issues
Legal Rights

Civil & Environmental Engineering Projects

Runs: Various times across the year. Closing dates: Various times. Financial Commitment: None but should be willing to cover expenses.

Several opportunities available for collaborative projects throughout the year. Civil & Engineering students looking to engage with industry partners to put their learning into practice.

Project opportunities available with Undergraduate students, Graduate apprenticeships and Postgraduate projects.

Degree topics include:

Civil Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Hydrogeology
Sustainability and Environmental Studies
Geoenvironmental Engineering
Integrated Pollution prevention and control
Climate Change adaption.

Computing Placements

Runs: Minimum 6 months between June 26 – September 27. Closing Date: 31st March. Financial Commitment: Payment should be considered.

Undergraduate Students studying Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, User Experience and Design are looking to work on an industrial placement ( minimum of 6 months) between June 26 and September 27.