Embedding Group Industrial Projects into an Undergraduate Physics Degree: The Impact on Students’ Professional Development

Program Abstract: The Group Industrial Project module is an optional 15-credit module for third-year undergraduate physics majors. Groups are provided with a commercial project brief that requires physics skills and knowledge. An industrial contact and an academic advisor jointly supervise each of the groups. The students work collaboratively to develop the project deliverables and to plan the execution of the project. Students are also trained in useful commercial skills such as project management, risk management, information searching, and intellectual property.

At the end of the module, students are asked to write a reflection on their experiences. They are asked to comment on their personal development, team work, changes to their understanding of the world of work, and the impact on their future career plans. This paper provides a qualitative thematic analysis of the students’ responses to these questions, and the key benefits students derive through taking the module.