Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Business and Politics

at Aston University United Kingdom

Digital electronics and computer systems are significant in commerce, industry and the home, and have an ever increasing impact on the way we work and live. To gain the competitive edge over its global rivals, British industry and commerce needs trained computer systems engineers with skills in both hardware and software who can assess, harness and influence the growth of information technology.

Our Electrical and Electronic Engineering MEng course is designed to stretch our top students and includes a 12 month industrial placement. It gives you the opportunity to study electronics and computer science more deeply than at BEng level while also gaining valuable industry experience.

What you’ll learn

The first two years of the MEng are taught alongside the BEng degree and you’ll gain a solid grounding in software engineering and computing systems, complemented by engineering expertise in digital electronics and telecommunications. To build a bridge between hardware and software specialists you’ll study computing and electronics with single honours students from the electronic engineering and computer science subject groups.?

In the second and final year, you’ll be able to choose options that enable you to specialise in preparation for your future career. These options include digital system design, telecommunications systems, optoelectronics and signal processing.

The final year is taught alongside our master's programmes and you can choose options from the stream that most interests you, including communications, sensing, computing or electrical power. You will also undertake an in-depth project, based on your areas of specialism.

What you’ll learn
You will study literature, culture and history and explore the style choices of films, digital fiction, Instapoetry and Twitterfiction, alongside more traditional modes of text. We will equip you to critically engage with a variety of texts across both literary genres and periods, and you’ll be able to develop your skills as a writer through our Creative Writing module.

At Aston University, sociology is about real-life, everyday experiences. Our research-led teaching brings social theory to the study of pressing issues in the modern age, such as migration, climate change, welfare, crime, health and sexuality. We focus on key contemporary issues, social policy and decision-making, global trends and international comparisons.

On the sociology strand of the course, you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of social processes, organisational dynamics and inter-group relationships. 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 analyse how politics is intertwined with the profit-making aims pursued by big corporations and how their combined interests dominate our social imaginations. When learning about contemporary topics such as inequality, racism, health, migration, sexuality, identity, education, the media, crime and climate change, you will be taught by experts in these fields.

The BSc Human Resources and Business Management course draws on psychology, human resources and general management theory to develop insight into the world of work, preparing students with key skills in communication, negotiation and effective decision-making.

What you’ll learn
During your studies you will have the opportunity to gain real-world experience through your placement. You will develop a deeper understanding of psychological mechanisms that play a role in decision-making and team work, as well as how leaders can strategically bring about change processes, and why individual employees play an important role in organisational productivity. Your placement will also help you to develop key skills in decision-making, negotiation and communicating effectively.

In the first year, you will develop an understanding of the historical context within which work has developed and changed in the last century. This will equip you with an appreciation of how information technology and globalisation have altered business structures. You will also develop knowledge of key elements of business management such as economics, marketing, law and accounting.

The second year shifts focus to a deeper understanding of the issues around individual attitudes and behaviours. You will study modules on ‘Creativity in Organisations’ and the ‘Psychology of Work’, alongside continuing to develop knowledge of the wider business management issues through modules including ‘Employee Resourcing’ and ‘Digital Marketing’. In addition, you will develop skills such as data analysis, contributing to your decision-making and negotiation acumen.

At the end of your second year you begin your placement year, where you will have an opportunity to practice and apply the knowledge and skills you have so far developed.

The final year brings all of your learning together with a study of strategy and management, where the combination of human resources and business management takes focus through modules such as ‘Strategic HR and Leadership’.

You will develop specialised knowledge of employment law and the skills to use evidence to make persuasive arguments. You will draw on your placement experiences to make sense of critical HR issues like productivity, work engagement, burnout and stress at work. All this will prepare you to start either a specialised career in HR or a more general management role within organisations across a range of different sectors. On successful completion of your degree you will be able to apply for Associate CIPD membership.

Gain specialist training and transferable research skills with our specialised MSc Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience at Aston University, Birmingham. Benefit from access to leading researchers and state-of-the-art facilities within the Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment and School of Psychology.

Cognitive and affective neuroscience studies the biological processes that underpin how human beings think, reason and process their emotional experience. 

The MSc Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience at Aston, provides a unique dual emphasis, providing specialist training at the brain-behaviour interface, as well as on generic and transferable research and communication skills for augmenting your career aspirations and professional development.

Think you know about chemical engineering? Join our course here at Aston to learn how chemical engineers shape the world and get ready for a career in this exciting industry.

What you’ll learn
This course is designed to develop your engineering skills, in the context of a firm grounding in chemistry.?To ensure this, you will share your first year with chemists, giving you a good grounding in the subject before gaining a deeper insight into the industrial processes.

In later years you will specialize at a more advanced level in the core engineering topics as well as studying business, management, and sustainability, designed to further develop your problem-solving skills.?There will also be a focus on computer modeling skills with a strong emphasis on process simulation.

You have the option to spend a year on placement in the industry in your third year.?Many students take advantage of this option and find the experience extremely beneficial both for their development as an engineer and their final year performance.

Applications for September 2022 entry will open on 1 October 2021. You will be able to apply via a link which will be available from this course information page.

You could improve the quality of many lives through the products and materials you design and develop as a chemical engineer.

You will learn how to ensure the safe and profitable production of the chemicals and materials required to create products such as clothing, food, medicine, transport and home entertainment systems.

Chemical engineering is a challenging and fascinating profession with extensive career opportunities. With a masters in chemical engineering you will combine a detailed knowledge of chemistry with an understanding of engineering principles in order to design, construct and operate chemical process plants.

What you’ll learn

Our course is designed to develop your engineering skills, in the context of a firm grounding in chemistry. To ensure this, you’ll share your first year with chemists, giving you a good grounding in the subject before gaining a deeper insight into the industrial processes. Subjects you’ll cover include process design, health and safety, biological chemistry, biomaterials, inorganic materials and polymer synthesis.

The MEng builds on the BEng course and is enhanced by additional subjects including process synthesis, advanced management, bioenergy, and a major research project.

Our MEng is a challenging and demanding course which will enable you to progress more readily after graduation to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status which, in turn, equips you to aim for the highest levels in industry.

Our four year course, integrated with a placement year, will develop your IT knowledge and give you the skills needed to provide businesses with consultative support, strategic direction and technological insight. There is also an option to gain a double degree (two degrees for the price of one).

This degree will develop your understanding of the management and communication of information, as well as the human, managerial and technical considerations.

You will learn the role that information technology plays in modern business environments and societies, and how technology can be the key to solving some of their biggest challenges.

What you’ll learn
This course will provide you with theoretical knowledge and skills, including analysis and problem-solving, which can be applied to a broad range of career paths.

You will learn the relationship between technical knowledge and human design, the complex role of IT in business, and how technology can be used to drive competitive advantage. 

In your first year you will develop a general knowledge of business theories as well as computing and IT. Your second year is focused on building your IT and computing skills. This will help you as you apply for placement opportunities in your third year.

Study the Translating for Business and International Institutions MA course at Aston University to prepare for an exciting professional career in the global language industry and succeed in the translation market at an international level.

What you’ll learn
You will study the translation industry in-depth and gain a thorough understanding of translation theories and strategies so that you are able to take on an informed, critical approach to translation practice.

You will develop your technical skills and will become familiar with the most popular and cutting-edge computer-assisted translation tools in the market, including translation memories, machine translation, and localization tools, and develop expertise in multilingual specialized translation. You will also have the opportunity to work towards SDL Trados certification (the world's leading translation software solution).

You will gain language-independent translation principles to tackle the translation of highly specialized texts, as well as learning about text types and their relation to translation, terminology, and specialized language. The practical translation modules have a clear focus on translation for business, while the specialized translation modules will help you develop and improve the competencies that will allow you to produce high-quality translations in English.

Study Design Engineering at Aston to advance your creative skills and transform your ideas into reality, as you help to address global challenges for generations to come.

What you’ll learn
Our course introduces a full range of core engineering science modules coupled to practical projects, ensuring a highly integrated and industry-relevant degree program.

From your first year, you'll be working on major projects, often in partnership with commercial engineering companies. You’ll work with colleagues, staff, and engineers from the industry to develop real solutions to life problems.

You’ll look at key areas such as design, prototyping, and developing ideas, as well as the engineering science and mathematics behind these subjects. Specialist modules in areas such as control systems and solid mechanics will make sure your technical skill set is excellent and ready for application in any engineering sector.

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.