Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Accounting and Finance (with integrated placement year)

at Aston University United Kingdom

Quantity surveyors manage the commercial aspects of construction and civil engineering projects, from the initial calculations to the final figures. Their aim is to minimise costs and enhance value for money, delivering projects to the required quality and on time.

Our Quantity Surveying programme, which is part of the civil engineering and infrastructure cluster here at Aston, examines the economic and operational issues related to the construction industry.

What you’ll learn
On our course you’ll gain a working knowledge of the techniques, and an understanding of the skills, required by quantity surveyors and commercial managers within the construction industry. With sustainable construction methods and technology at the centre of your learning, you’ll also learn about cost planning and estimating, scheduling projects and building engineering and management.

In addition, as you’ll be learning and living in the middle of Britain’s second city, you’ll gain invaluable, real-life experience of the challenges and opportunities faced by the people and organisations responsible for developing our built environment. To help bring this to life there will be regular opportunities for engagement with local projects through a series of guest lectures, site visits and real-life projects.

You’ll undertake and apply marketing analyses using appropriate marketing theories and techniques, whilst gaining knowledge and an understanding of the concepts, principles, and application of theories relating to leadership within organizations.

The MSc Marketing and Leadership will develop your understanding and application of core theories in Marketing. You will learn how to undertake and apply marketing analyses using appropriate marketing theories and techniques, which will allow you to make appropriate strategic and operational marketing decisions.

The course will also develop your knowledge of the concepts, principles, and theories relating to leadership within organizations. It will teach you how to apply the strategic role that leadership can make within a wider organizational context.

This course aims to provide a program of study that meets your needs if you are a local, national or international student, enabling you to learn by the exchange of experience as well as formal academic study. It is designed for recent graduates and those already in employment.

In a data-rich society, every organization needs analytical planning and big data analysis. This course has been designed to meet the growing demand from employers and will equip you with the skills to extract meaningful information from data to inform strategic decision-making.

From data mining and web analytics to business analytics in practice, our MSc Business Analytics will give you a comprehensive understanding of key areas of business analytics and develop your skills to meet the high demand from employers.

Attracting students from all over the world, this course is a great opportunity to mix with people from different cultures and with diverse backgrounds.  You’ll enhance your communication, teamwork, and management skills, whilst building a network of international contacts. It will also help you to appreciate the various approaches to people management in a multicultural context.

Study the Forensic Linguistics MA at Aston University, home of the world-leading Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics, to take your linguistics skills to the next level and improve the delivery of justice through the analysis of language.

What you’ll learn
The Forensic Linguistics MA course aims to expand your linguistic analysis skills and understanding so that you can apply them to forensic texts, and in forensic and legal contexts.

You will learn from some of the world’s leading academics in the field of forensic linguistics, based at our research institute - the Aston Institute for Forensic Linguistics.

Study a BSc (Hons) History and English Literature degree course at Aston University to grow your understanding of the world we live in and learn about the past to build a better future for all. Make the most of your potential by combining your studies in global contemporary history with English literature, and completing an integrated placement year for a flying start to your career.

What you’ll learn
Working closely with experienced historians, you’ll have opportunities to study topics such as nationalism, state-building and inter-state relations; the history of war and peace; religious and ethnic conflict; trauma and memory; and issues of globalisation in the present that can only be understood by looking to the past. For example, you’ll learn how the British Empire helped to create the NHS, why Britain voted to stay in the EU in 1975 and why Margaret Thatcher became the first pop star of British international relations.

If you answered yes and would like to gain the knowledge and experience you need for a career in product design, alongside a range of marketing, management and business skills, this course could be for you.

Our design courses are stimulating, relevant, challenging and rewarding and you’ll benefit from practical, hands-on experience throughout your course. We work with a number of practicing designers so you’ll have the opportunity to work on live projects, ensuring your products are technically and commercially feasible, while also being environmentally responsible.

This course will ensure you develop a range of industry-ready skills, preparing you for whatever future you have in mind, whether that’s in-house design or setting up your own business.

What you’ll learn

In the first year you’ll get a grounding in product design principles and an understanding of how design can affect the profitability of a business.

In the second and final year you will take a common core of design modules to support your projects, integrating your design specialism with the core aspects of product design. You’ll also continue to develop skills that are relevant to your future career, whichever path you choose to take, including presentations and team working. Your final year will culminate in the opportunity to showcase your project work at the Aston Inspired final year design show.

We teach using a hands-on framework called CDIO - Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate – supported by 50 of the world’s top technical institutions. This enables you to apply real-world skills as you learn, enabling you to maximise your learning. You’ll do your learning in our state-of-the-art facilities, which include advanced 3D printing facilitates and a dedicated design studio with specialist equipment designed just for you.

Our Biochemistry course is focused on preparing you for a future career that makes a big difference. Studying at Aston gives you unrivalled hands-on experience, world-class facilities and specialist teaching.

In addition, your integrated placement year will give you the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice. You can undertake placements in hospital, industrial or research laboratories, as well as non-laboratory settings.

As a biochemist, you’ll help to comprehend and resolve biological problems through the use of molecular expertise and processes. You will help to lead the way in developing new thinking, techniques and technology in the fields of:

• Medicine
• Pharmaceutics
• Biotechnology
• Agriculture
• Nutrition

Study business alongside International Relations to learn more about contemporary issues in global politics, with an integrated placement year to give your career prospects a real boost.

What you’ll learn
As a business student at Aston, you’ll study the theories, principles, and underlying concepts of management and develop a strong understanding of business models and processes. You’ll examine how strategic decision-making within organizations takes place, and develop the ability to recognize and analyze the economic, technical, financial, social, and organizational parameters within which modern managers make decisions, providing you with a solid starting point for your future career.

On the international relations strand of the course, you’ll get an introduction to the international state system and to the structure and purpose of international organizations, such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), and NATO. You will develop a knowledge and understanding of the nature between states and also of the roles played by international institutions, other intergovernmental organizations, multinational corporations, and NGOs.

Study the BSc (Hons) Politics and Social Policy degree course at Aston University to examine the major political, economic, and social issues facing governments and societies across the world, and how the policies they develop impact all our lives.

What you’ll learn
In this course, you’ll have the opportunity to explore political topics going beyond the UK and Europe, covering North America, South Asia, China, Japan, or the emerging global powers. You will not only study the traditional subjects of the discipline, such as security, political economy, or democratization but also have the chance to delve into ethics, sports, gender, protests, or religion.

On the social policy strand of the course, you’ll examine why governments take particular decisions in key policy areas and develop a detailed understanding of processes of policymaking at global, national, and local levels of government. We explore the social constraints we encounter in our everyday lives and how they are reinforced by class, race, religion, and gender. To understand how these issues perpetuate existing inequalities and unequal life chances, we analyze what impact official politics has on such processes, how politics is intertwined with the profit-making aims pursued by big corporations and how their combined interests dominate our social imaginations.

You will investigate the economic, social, and political forces which influence government decision-making and develop a detailed understanding of policy-making processes at global, national and local levels of government. You will also explore in-depth, the outcomes and consequences of various government policies on the economy and society. Studying the nature of policy delivery and management by various organizations, such as local governments, schools, and businesses will prepare you for a range of career paths.

In a globalised environment, economics can unlock answers to some of the biggest questions faced by business and wider society. Combine a theoretical and applied understanding of economics with an international business focus to equip you for a career in any sector.

What you’ll learn
You will understand how businesses work from an international perspective, gain analytical skills to evaluate the international market, and make informed decisions relevant to any business setting.

You will be asked to communicate economic theories from an international business perspective to audiences who do not specialise in this area, giving you the opportunity to develop your verbal and written communication skills.

Your interest and knowledge of international markets will be put into practice in your placement year, which you will do overseas. This helps you to put your learning into practice and also explore the areas of economics and business that you are most interested in. It also provides you with invaluable experience that will stand out on your CV and support your future career prospects.