Arts and Social Sciences
At the University of Newcastle, career-ready placements enable you to work directly with industry and community partners by undertaking a placement relevant to your area of study through your degree.
This practical experience is critical in helping you transition into the workforce upon completion of your degree. Placements provide an opportunity to gain valuable hands-on training and experience in real world situations.
Placements are a compulsory requirement for graduation for all Arts and Social Science degrees, including the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Social Science, the Bachelor of Visual Design Communication and the Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts, for students commencing in 2023. This includes all honours programs as well as the corresponding major options for the relevant programs.
Please refer to the Student Professional Experience Policy and your program handbook for more information regarding the placement requirements of your degree.
Please note: Information including detailed steps required for the placement application and approval process for the Bachelor of Visual Design Communication and the Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts will be available soon. The placement information relating to Arts and Social Sciences students is correct at time of publishing and is subject to change.
What you need to do
As a compulsory requirement for graduation, you will complete a minimum 140-hour placement within the later stages of your studies. There will be a variety of opportunities available to acquire a placement in your desired career field. This includes local, state and commonwealth public service, non-government organisations, higher education, media and communications, arts and cultural organisations, musical ensembles and production, news media, and museums and libraries.
The professional experience placement courses for the Arts and Social Science programs are HUMA2000 and SOCS3300. These courses provide you with an opportunity to undertake workplace experience relevant to your study. Whether you are interested in publishing, social justice, exhibition work, public relations or research, completing HUMA2000 or SOCS3300 will help give you the edge in the employment market. You will apply the theories learned throughout your studies, and build your understanding of contemporary business practices.
HUMA2000
HUMA2000 is predominately a student-driven course, and you are expected to organise your own local placement. If you have the opportunity to find your own placement, take the initiative and organise your experience as soon as you can.
What's the process?
- Locate and negotiate a placement with a host organisation that aligns with your skills and interests.
- Once you have successfully secured a placement, you must gain approval from the Course Coordinator.
- Log into SONIA using your student login details.
- Select 'School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences'.
- Go to the 'Forms' page. Locate, complete, and submit the 'Placement Approval' form to seek Course Coordinator approval.
- Once approved, further instructions will be provided through SONIA.
A number of placement opportunities have been pre-negotiated by university staff.
Go to the HUMA2000 to see some of the great local opportunities currently available.
What's the process?
- Placements will be allocated via a preferencing round that runs in the months prior to the start of the semester. Information on the exact dates will be provided on the Bachelor of Arts Canvas site.
- To participate in the preferencing round, you must first enrol in HUMA2000.
- When the round opens, log in to SONIA using your student login details and select the School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences.
- Look at the list of placements offered and select your top-5 preferences.
- Complete the application form and upload a one-page CV.
- When the preferencing round closes, University staff will consult with the placement hosts and allocate placements to students.
Please note: There may not be enough University-sourced placements for all applicants. Try to make plans in good time before the start of the semester.
SOCS3300
SOCS3300 is predominately a student-driven course, and you are expected to organise your own local placement.
If you have the opportunity to find your own placement, take the initiative and organise your experience as soon as you can.
What's the process?
- Locate and negotiate a placement with a host organisation that has business activities related to your field of interest(s).
- Once you have successfully secured your own placement, you must gain approval from the Course Coordinator.
- Log into SONIA using your student login details.
- Select 'School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences'.
- Go to the 'Forms' page. Locate, complete, and submit the 'Placement Approval' form to seek Course Coordinator approval.
- Once approved, further instructions will be provided through SONIA.
There are a number of placement opportunities that have been pre-approved by university staff.
These university-sourced placements will be advertised on CareerHub. You can then apply directly to the host organisation through a competitive process.
What's the process?
- Search for University-sourced placement opportunities through CareerHub. Type 'SOCS3300' in the Jobs search bar to find all current placement opportunities available.
- Follow the application instructions that are aligned to the placement(s) that you are applying for. You will be required to submit an application direct to the organisation and go for interview.
- The host organisation will review your application and advise you if you have been selected to progress to an interview.
- If you are selected, you will be offered the placement by the organisation and you will confirm your acceptance of the placement.
- Log into SONIA using your student login details.
- Select 'School of Humanities, Creative Industries and Social Sciences'.
- Go to the 'Forms' page. Locate, complete, and submit the 'Placement Approval' form to seek Course Coordinator approval.
- Once approved, further instructions will be provided through SONIA.
You are encouraged to seek out your own placement based on your interests. Placements are to be developed with – and be contingent on – the approval of the Course Coordinator.
Please note that every effort will be made to assist you with sourcing an appropriate placement. However, placements are not guaranteed, so it is strongly recommended that you select another course as an ‘option B’. If a placement has not been confirmed by the second week of semester, SOCS3300 must be dropped from your enrolment.
SONIA
SONIA is The University of Newcastle’s placement management system. The software supports you in managing your placement quickly and easily. For any enquiries related to SONIA, contact the Professional Experience Unit for the College of Human and Social Futures (CHSFWIL@newcastle.edu.au)
Insurance
If you are undertaking approved, unpaid placement, you are covered for personal accident and public liability insurance under university insurance. For further clarification, please contact the University’s Insurance Team (insurance@newcastle.edu.au).
Sourcing your experience
Now you understand the requirements of a career-ready placement experience, the next step is to prepare yourself to connect with employers. To do so, you will need to put together a strong application to ensure you stand out in a competitive job market.
CareerHub is the university's online job board that links you with industry and provides you with resources to help you with job-seeking.
On CareerHub you can find resources and tools to help you:
- Refine your job search
- Write a job application
- Prepare for an interview
- Develop a LinkedIn profile
- Learn more about an industry
Being confident and well prepared is essential when approaching a potential employer.
As a student, you aren’t expected to know everything. However, doing preliminary research, going in with a positive attitude, and taking initiative will go a long way. Try to find the best contact person in the organisation and approach them directly.
Here are our top tips for approaching employers:
- Use LinkedIn: Complete a search on LinkedIn, using the organisation name and browsing the listed employee with a title that mentions ‘Human Resources’, ‘Hiring Manager’, ‘Recruitment Specialist’, ‘Talent Acquisition' or other similar titles related to the Human Resources function.
- Find the right contact: If you are unable to find the most appropriate person, call the general contact phone number. In the call, ask if there is a specific contact you can speak with about a work placement opportunity within the organisation.
- Contacting via email: Keep your email concise, direct, courteous, and professional. You may find this resource helpful as a guide.
- Contacting via phone: Make sure you look and sound professional. Prepare your spiel ahead of time and be sure to show your passion and interest for the organisation. A Zoom or Skype call can be a great alternative to a phone call and can add a level of personalisation.
- Keep a record: It’s essential to keep yourself organised by keeping track of who you contacted and the status of the conversation. This will be particularly helpful if you’re asked to call back or follow up via email. This Prospective Host Communication Tracker (EXCEL, 21KB)
can help you stay on track.
When sourcing your career-ready placement experience, you may be asked some questions from your host supervisor about their requirements, roles, and responsibilities. You can refer employers to the 'Career-ready placements for Industry' page to aid those discussions and ensure they understand their commitment.
The Application Pack (CHSF) (PDF, 175KB)
As an international student, you may find it tricky to navigate the Australian work environment. However, you have access to information and resources that have been developed specifically to help support you in sourcing and preparing for placement experience.
Support and resources
The Careers Service is available to provide guidance for finding a placement if required – make the most of their services including:
- Access to CareerHub, an online portal with discipline-related work and work experience opportunities
- Information about job and placement searching strategies
- Assistance aligning your studies and interests with industry opportunities
- Drop-in and appointment-based resume and application checking, plus an interview preparation service
Explore opportunities in CareerHub
Read more
Access job application and interview resources
Read more
Professional Bodies
It is also recommended that you join relevant professional bodies to your degree with the added benefit of retaining connections within your industry. Take the opportunity to network at professional events, attend career fairs, and most importantly, seek help you need it.
Below is a list of major arts and social sciences associations available in Australia:
- Australian Museums and Galleries Association
- Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
- Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society Sydney
- Australian Network for Art & Technology
- National Association for the Visual Arts
- Sydney Art Galleries and Art Community
- Digital & Technology Collective
- Australian Academy of the Humanities
- Australian Community Workers Association
- Australian Institute for Interpreters and Translators
- Australian Linguistic Society
- The Australian Sociological Association
- Australian Institute of International Affairs
- Institute of Public Administration Australia (NSW Division)
- Australia ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites)
- Australian Historical Association
- Australian Society of Archivists
Contact us
If you are unable to obtain, or finding it difficult to source a placement opportunity, you are encouraged to email the relevant Course Coordinator.
HUMA2000 Course Coordinator
Dr Jesper Gulddal
Email: jesper.gulddal@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: (02) 4921 5166
SOCS3300 Course Coodinator
Dr Chris Krogh
Email: chris.krogh@newcastle.edu.au
Phone: (02) 4985 4497
For all other enquiries, including SONIA enquiries, please contact:
Professional Experience Unit - College of Human and Social Futures
Email: CHSFWIL@newcastle.edu.au
Need extra help?
The Careers Service offers free support to all current and past students of the University of Newcastle. Visit Careers to learn more and to get in touch.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.