Improving your employment prospects

You have the opportunity to gain the skills that will help you start a successful career. In fact you'll be studying at a university which has won National Centre of Excellence status for building employability into its courses.

We can also help you find your ideal job. Find out more about careers guidance.

Expert input from industry

Businesses, professional associations and practice specialists

• help us design our courses to ensure you gain the skills and knowledge employers are looking for
• give you the chance to work on real life projects, so you put your learning into context and gain practical experience to put on your CV

We also run masters courses in association with major companies. For example, we have partnerships with major software organisations such as • Macromedia • Sun Microsystems • Cisco • Oracle • SAP.

Other companies and business partners that have worked with us include • the NHS • Network Rail • Microsoft • the BBC • the Press Association • PricewaterhouseCoopers • Marks & Spencer • the Department for Trade and Industry • Shell • HSBC.

You can also benefit from the expertise of guest lecturers from a wide range of organisations who share their practical working knowledge of their field. Speakers on our business courses have included HSBC's chief economist and Michelin UK's head of treasury.

Professional qualifications

You may need a professional qualification to enter your chosen career. Many of our full-time postgraduate courses are accredited by professional bodies. This means they meet industry-recognised quality standards. You might be able to get exemptions from professional exams or become a member of your relevant professional body.

In total, over 70 professional bodies – from the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and the Institute of Biomedical Science through to the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the Institution of Engineering and Technology – officially accredit our courses.

Find out more by visiting the online prospectus.

Support after graduation

Our network of former students – or alumni – spans over 120 countries across the world.

Every former student automatically joins the network. The Alumni Connect website provides lots of information about jobs and careers events to help you continue your search.

You can also interact with members from across the world who work in a range of organisations from multinational companies to not-for-profit organisations and the public sector.

If you decide to become a graduate entrepreneur, you'll benefit from the huge amount of support The Hatchery offers you. Based in our Research and Innovation Office, it provides office space, business advice and funding streams to support your first steps in business.

Specialist facilities

Your study is supported by some of the most advanced learning, teaching and IT facilities in the UK following an investment of more than £100m over the last decade.

Dedicated postgraduate facilities

Our newly acquired and refurbished Aspect Court building is specifically for postgraduate and professional teaching enabling you to network with fellow postgraduate students.

The relaxing and modern environment includes specially designed areas for private study and group work, with breakout and refreshment areas.

Subject-specific facilities

Specialist course facilities, containing the latest technology and equipment, help you reinforce and apply the theory you're learning. They range from engineering laboratories and architecture studios to an X-ray suite and photography studios.

We're continually updating our facilities to ensure you enjoy the best possible learning environment. Recent developments include

• a £13m investment in health and social care facilities
• a £32m investment in arts, computing and engineering facilities
• a refurbishment of the home of Sheffield Business School
• a £2m refurbishment programme for Sports facilities
• a £5m investment in our Students' Union building

You can view some of our specialist facilities by searching for your course on our online prospectus and browsing our University pages.

Learning centres

Our learning centres provide

• traditional library services
• computing and multimedia facilities and support
• an extensive collection of online information resources
• screened programmes linked to seminars and lectures
• free WiFi
• quiet study areas
• 24 hour opening from Sunday to Friday during most teaching weeks

Take a closer look at our

• Adsetts Learning Centre
• Collegiate Learning Centre

We recently invested £4m in our Adsetts Centre, winner of a library design award for excellence in terms of functional design for users and library staff.

Online learning

Blackboard, our virtual learning environment and e-learning system, is one of the most extensive and advanced of any university in the country. It enables you to access the things you need any time, from anywhere you have internet access. Which makes studying more flexible.

A typical Blackboard site contains

• course materials and lecture notes
• instructions on assignments
• discussion lists
• file sharing
• your own virtual community where you can share ideas with other students and contact tutors
• links to other websites of interest

At Sheffield Hallam, we develop new answers and new understanding, carrying out research at the forefront of knowledge. These discoveries and advances are fed into our teaching, ensuring your learning is in line with the latest breakthroughs and developments. So you can show employers that your knowledge is up to date.

You can also become part of our research community by pursuing an MPhil or PhD research degree. Postgraduate research gives you the opportunity to make a real impact in your specialist area and become an innovator in your field. To find out more about what it means to be a research student, visit our research degree pages.

We have over 20 research and business units covering a wide range of expertise, ranging from art and design, through to economics and sport.

Almost 70% of our research was judged to be of an international standard by the latest Research Assessment Exercise. International organisations such as • NASA • Nokia • Microsoft • Sony • Philips • BP have used our expertise.

If you're studying at Sheffield Hallam already or have done in the past, you'll already be familiar with the campuses and surroundings, and what it's like to be a student here.

But if you're new to the University, you can find out everything you need to know by visiting the following pages.

• Sport Hallam
• Students' Union
• City Campus and Collegiate Campus

Life in Sheffield

Sheffield has one of the highest student retention rates in the UK – meaning a large proportion of students remain in the city after graduating.

The city has

• a thriving cultural scene, including three major art galleries and six museums
• great nightlife with a vast range of pubs, bars and clubs to suit every taste
• the largest theatre complex outside of London
• a lively music scene with several venues – regularly hosting some of the best acts in the country
• cafes and restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world
• plenty of opportunities for shopping – with a range of high street stores and alternative and independent shops – plus one of the UK's largest shopping complexes at Meadowhall
• mainstream plus independent cinemas
• several international sporting venues

Location

Sheffield is ideally positioned in the centre of the UK and has excellent transport links.

A third of the city lies within the Peak District national park. This makes it easy for you to escape from it all and take advantage of everything the spectacular countryside has to offer.

Find out more about Sheffield's location.

'Live projects definitely prepare students for future employment. They become professionally prepared and can transfer their skills into any work situation – becoming adaptable and flexible employees. They also develop a mature approach to taking on responsibility, and to managing and completing their work to meet deadlines.

'These students also understand their strengths and weaknesses as individuals and as group members. The development of important business skills such as research, presentations, report writing and working in teams are used in assessments to allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.'

Jeanette Baker, principal lecturer in marketing and head of postgraduate recruitment for Sheffield Business School

'I'm really enjoying the amount of practical work because it will translate more to the working world. Knowing where this course can take me in the future is very exciting and it gives me a lot of confidence for when I finish.

'Another positive thing about the course is the number of links to industry and the fact we can work with these companies for our projects and build up relationships for the future.'

Carolyn Webb, MSc Sports Engineering student