Master of Engineering (Hons) in Civil Engineering (Placement year)

at Aston University United Kingdom

Discover how to undertake security valuation and portfolio management by studying equity, debt and derivative markets in domestic and international sectors, and learn about the key techniques used by financial traders.

What will I learn?
The course covers a wide range of stimulating subjects, including the valuation of investments, trading techniques, investment management and corporate finance from a broad as well as an international perspective. You’ll learn key theories to give you thorough grounding in these areas but also develop a practical understanding of how these various concepts and models are applied in real-life business scenarios.

We’ll ensure you have a clear understanding of the fundamentals relating to investments and what you should be looking for when making investment decisions. We explore equity, debt and derivative markets in domestic and international sectors. You’ll undertake security valuation and financial distress exercises and we explain various other techniques used by financial traders.

What sets this programme apart from others, is our strong focus on the practical application of technical skills in a trading or corporate financial setting.

Business analytics is one of the fastest-growing disciplines in business today. Our data-rich society demands effective solutions to inform everything from strategic business decisions to policymaking.

What you’ll learn
You’ll study how analytical and computing tools can be applied in a business setting to provide fresh insight and tackle complex problems.

You will experience a balanced approach of teaching, hands-on practice, and training in the relevant tools as you develop the skills to inform and influence decision-making when it matters most. All of this will help you prepare for your professional career as well as identify particular areas of interest.

Study the MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Translation Studies at Aston University to pursue a career in teaching English to speakers of other languages and gain additional expertise in translation theory and practice to give your career a head start.

What you’ll learn
The core TESOL modules cover the practical and theoretical background to TESOL/English Language Teaching (ELT), helping you to foster a principled approach to pedagogic practice. You will study how the English language works and put your learning into practice with real classroom teaching. Through English teaching, you will develop a deeper understanding of the key principles of classroom activities and will be able to evaluate different approaches to teaching and learning.

On the Translation Studies strand of the degree, 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 also 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).

Study the BSc (Hons) International Relations and Sociology degree course at Aston University to get a fascinating insight into the political and sociological challenges facing our society in the 21st century, giving you a great springboard for your future career.

What you’ll learn
On this programme, you’ll explore the major political and social issues faced by governments across the world. You will develop a knowledge and understanding of the international state system, the structure and purpose of international organisations and the roles played by international institutions, other intergovernmental organisations, multinational corporations and NGOs. Important strengths of the programme include its focus on key contemporary issues in international relations and policy, such as global economic change and the environment as well as international comparisons of government policies.

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.

Sociology will equip you with the knowledge and analytical skills that will enable you to think critically and work independently. This includes how to design a research project, collect empirical data, handle complex datasets (e.g., through applying coding techniques) and, most importantly, develop an advanced analytical mindset. This training will be essential for your final-year dissertation during which you will carry out your own individual research project. This experience will provide you with a skillset that is highly desired in a wide range of industries and areas of work.

By choosing Neuroscience at Aston University, Birmingham, you’ll study with leading academics to ask the big questions about our brains, and what happens to the nervous system when people have neurological, psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders.

Neuroscientists study the development and function of the nervous system. This includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerve cells throughout the body. They investigate what happens when people have disorders by focusing on the brain and its impact on behaviour and cognitive functions.

This interdisciplinary science liaises closely with other disciplines such as mathematics, linguistics, engineering, computer science, chemistry, philosophy, psychology and medicine.

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.

With skills, knowledge and experience in logistics and the workings of the supply chain, you’ll be ready to launch an exciting career in an industry where your skills are in high demand.
Have you ever thought about how events like Glastonbury or the Olympic Games happen and all the people involved to make them a success?

Without people working in logistics, these events simply wouldn’t happen, as all the goods and products need to be produced and transported to the right place at the right time. Our course will show you how logistics and supply chains are crucial to our world and give you the skills to work with partners and suppliers, streamlining business operations and increasing access to international markets.

What you’ll learn
During your time at Aston, you’ll develop a thorough understanding of supply chain management and logistics, and everything that happens to ensure that companies can satisfy their customers' needs and wants.

You’ll develop the techniques used to make these processes work effectively, in order to meet strategic objectives such as minimum cost, maximum service level and shorter cycle times.

You’ll learn how to use the software tools and packages that are used in logistics businesses across the country, building your analytical and supply chain design skills. Our programme focuses on practical, real-life applications to develop a range of key employability skills including problem-solving, good communication with others, data analysis and organisation skills. All these skills are highly transferable, regardless of the career path you choose on graduation.

If you answered yes, would like to work in an innovative and enterprising sector and gain the skills necessary to create user-centred design, this could be the course for you.

You’ll benefit from practical, hands-on experience, learning from visiting designer practitioners, working on live projects, and ensuring your products are technically and commercially feasible, while also being environmentally responsible. We’ll support you to develop an underpinning skillset of engineering principles and technology and work with you to ensure you’re prepared 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 the opportunity to begin to develop your design specialism.

In the second and final year, you’ll take a common core of five design modules to support your projects, integrating your design specialism with the core aspects of product design. Your final year will culminate in the opportunity to display your work as part of the Aston Inspired final year design show.

We aim to provide you with knowledge of materials, production processes, and technology as well as skills in aesthetics, ergonomics, and management to enable you to develop a successful career in design.

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 maximize 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.

We’ll support you to find a paid, professional placement of direct relevance to your studies. This placement will give you invaluable practical experience in a real work environment and will further enhance your career prospects.

You’ll also have the opportunity to network with employers and showcase your work as part of the Mechanical Engineering and Design Industry Club, where you’ll be given opportunities to meet employers

Develop a breadth of business knowledge including the functions of management and science of decision-making. Whether you want a career at the forefront of a global operation, start-up or not-for-profit organisation, this degree could be for you.

What you’ll learn

You will gain a solid foundation in your first year across a breadth of business topics before shaping your second and final years to concentrate your study on particular specialisms. You can gain professional accreditations and exemptions in many of these career paths and you’ll also undertake a placement year to put your learning into practice.

Explore English language and literature, how they work in society and their role in the world today, and develop your communication and analytical skills by studying a BSc (Hons) English Language and Literature degree course at Aston University.

What you’ll learn
As an English language student at Aston, you’ll gain theoretical knowledge and understanding of the English language, along with an exploration of social processes, organisational dynamics and inter-group relationships.

You’ll learn from world-leading academics with cutting-edge research and teaching experience in fields such as ethnic and gender equalities, global change, theories of social change, forensic linguistics, language, gender and teaching English to speakers of other languages.

On the literature strand of the course, you’ll get a broad introduction to literary genres and periods from the seventeenth century to the present day, and consider all literature’s different manifestations, from graffiti and blogging to poetry, novels and street theatre.

You’ll study literacy as a social practice and will explore how and why people read and write at all levels of society. We will equip you to critically engage with a variety of texts across literary genres and periods, and you’ll be able to develop your skills as a writer through our creative writing module.

In the third year of your course, you’ll spend a year on placement with a company, working as a teaching assistant in a school or studying at one of our partner universities - you might even choose to combine two of these options, adding further value to your degree, and in your second year we’ll make sure you’re ready to get the most from this opportunity.