A sandwich degree is a four-year undergraduate course in which students undertake a placement year in industry, normally after the second year at university. They can also be referred as industrial placements or internships. Many UK Universities offer sandwich degrees.
Placement years are mostly offered by the larger graduate recruiters who view the internship as obtaining potential graduate employees, in which many companies retain over 70% of their placement recruits, hence the benefits to the student and the organisation.
The student will have the opportunity to explore their career path, make new business contacts for the future and prepare that person for their final year at University.
The main bulk of student applications is between October and February. The usual application is via a CV (Résumé) and cover letter sent to the employers' HR department, although other methods are used by organisations such as online applications or numerical and psychometric tests.
In Christchurch, New Zealand, this type of program is called a Sandwich Year.