Master of Science in Investment Analysis

at Aston University United Kingdom

Study a BSc (Hons) Economics and Politics degree course at Aston University and tackle some of the most challenging, controversial and real-world issues facing governments, business and the wider society today.

What you’ll learn
On this degree 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 acquire the ability to analyse and understand political problems, socio-cultural change and political institutions and structures.

On the economics side, you’ll develop an ability to investigate a range of political and economic issues, and gain a sound understanding of how economic and political issues are often closely interrelated in today’s globalised mass society. You’ll become familiar with a range of tools needed to solve a variety of complex economic problems, and develop research and analytical skills, equipping you with highly relevant, adaptable skills that are transferable across whatever career path you choose.

An integrated placement year offers the chance to apply your learning in a work placement in the UK or overseas. Whether you choose to focus on politics or economics, Aston’s strong links with employers around the world mean you will have a wide range of options to boost your employability and explore the world of work. Unlike some other universities, the placement year at Aston is not a ‘bolt-on’ year, it is an integral part of your degree and in your second year we’ll make sure you’re ready to get the most from this opportunity. You'll receive plenty of help and advice in finding your placement and specialist support and supervision from the University during your placement.

You will also have the opportunity to produce a substantial piece of individual work in the form of a dissertation on an agreed topic of your choice.

Learn the complex yet subtle art of managing people in organisations, and develop skills for analysis and in-depth policy formation as well as the broader discipline of management on our fully accredited Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) course.

This course provides you with a detailed theoretical knowledge of Human Resource Management, whilst at the same time giving you the relevant vocational skills needed for a range of HR roles.

You’ll also benefit by developing a broad range of business skills. This can help you to secure management positions in various areas of business.

Understanding the potential of technology is key to modern life and our programmes are designed to address the latest business needs.

You’ll develop expertise in software development and the key applications of computing science through each year of the programme with particular emphasis on its use in industry and commerce.

You’ll be given a grounding in computer science early in your course, specialising and developing more advanced and unique expertise in later modules, for example computational intelligence, game development or computer animation.

What you’ll learn

You’ll learn how to run software projects, developing the skills to be a designer, programmer and project manager and understanding how to create usable and accessible software.

If you choose our four year programme, you’ll spend your third year in a paid professional placement of direct relevance to your studies. This placement will give you invaluable practical experience in a real work environment and further enhance your career prospects.

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.

This course will equip you with the analytical ability and skills required to understand and assess the business environment, whilst gaining the knowledge and understanding of the strategic role that leadership can make within a wider organizational context.

The MSc Strategy and Leadership will develop your understanding and application of core theories in strategy, and you will learn how to apply the knowledge and skills required for assessing and developing business strategies and operations.

This 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.

The course will help you enhance the skills required for assessing, developing and critically evaluating entrepreneurial strategies. You will develop the ability to make strategic decisions by advancing your understanding and application of how business analytics methods can support interventions in the decision-making process of organisations. 

You’ll learn about intellectual property, emerging economies, international entrepreneurship and understand how to develop and deliver entrepreneurial strategies in a range of settings.

You’ll also develop the skills to use statistical techniques to communicate key information, how to use decision models, data mining, web and performance analytics, all of which will build on your analytical skills and ability to problem solve. You’ll get hands-on experience using specialist software and experience in using a range of data sets.

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 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.

Do you want to do business, not just learn about it? Have you considered running your own business, or leading the development and success of an established organization?

What is enterprise development?
Our innovative program is constructed around you working in a team to set up and run your own enterprise. You will learn everything you need to know by experiencing it for yourself.

The BSc Business Enterprise Development degree at Aston University aims to give you the best start to learning about how to develop, sustain and grow a business. 

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Electronic engineering impacts on so many areas of every day life so it is perhaps no surprise to find that it is the most extensive and pervasive of all the engineering disciplines.

Our courses are developed in collaboration with a wide range of industry sectors to give a broad but relevant degree so teaching won’t just be standard lectures and you’ll be encouraged to discover how science fiction becomes fact. Designing your own products and working with cutting-edge equipment will be a core part of the course. Our ground-breaking, fast-track, higher level Electrical and Electronic Engineering MEng course allows you to gain an MEng qualification in four years, rather than the traditional five years, making it a more time and cost-effective choice.

What you’ll learn

The first two years of the MEng are taught alongside the BEng degree. You’ll begin by covering the fundamental principles of the field, such as digital and analogue electronics, computing, mathematics and project management, rapidly developing the analytical skills to understand and begin designing electrical circuits and systems.

In the second and final years you’ll specialise by selecting from a broad range of career-focused options, including systems analysis, data acquisition and control, digital system design, telecommunications systems, optoelectronics and signal processing. The final year is taught alongside our masters programmes and you can choose to study a broad range of modules, or specialise in one particular area, such as communications, sensing, computing or electrical power. You will also undertake an in-depth project, based on your areas of specialism.

You’ll have access to an extensive network of computer facilities throughout your course, including high performance PCs for industrial standard ECAD, Unix workstations and a large number of embedded processors for lab work. These resources are complemented by specialist electronics, telecommunications and networked laboratories and research facilities.

Study MSc Business Enterprise Development at Aston University and unleash your entrepreneurial potential. 

Develop entrepreneurial competencies and practice through learning by doing, and working with others to create and run a productive organization.

Supported by a select group of team coaches, including academics, successful entrepreneurs, and prestigious Aston alumni, you will gain valuable experiences and practical learning in a supportive environment.

Study our innovative MSc Business Enterprise Development degree at Aston University to give yourself the best start to learning about how to develop, sustain and grow a business.