Master of Arts in Media and Cultural Studies with Professional Placement

at Birmingham City University - City Centre Campus United Kingdom

This course will address the specific challenges and opportunities of the luxury sector and is the perfect choice for students that see their future careers with premium, high-end and luxury brands.

We enable you to become a confident leader and an innovative thinker, learning how to approach brands and decide their place within the market. You’ll learn how luxury brands are managed in the international marketplace, as well as looking at branding from producer and consumer perspectives.

What's covered in this course?

The course encourages you to develop the skills and competencies of future managers in the Luxury Industry. To do this, you will be capable of making management decisions at both a strategic and at a tactical level, emphasising the complexity and dynamics of business and management and an awareness of the nature of the various factors which influence management decisions.

The School provides a unique setting for students to observe their peers, taking advantage of the proximity of fashion and textile design students at the Parkside Campus and the School of Jewellery in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.

The course encompasses numerous field trip opportunities so that you can reflect on your developing knowledge in relation to professional practice and the luxury industry.

There is commonality with other courses such Fashion Management, Luxury Jewellery Management and Global Media Management and you will benefit from shared lectures and practice where possible. Access to interactive digital technology will increase students’ ability to debate and share experiences in a global context and therefore integrate knowledge from different cultures.

Want to study investment finance in the UK, and take the first step towards a career in investment banking? Our BSc (Hons) Finance and Investment course with its robust content and unique features allows you to stand out from the crowd when you graduate.

Our course is focused on practical applications of financial skills in the investing world, qualities that are in high demand in modern finance and investment management sectors.

The course will develop your transferrable skills embedded across different modules on the course as well as your engagement with our Graduate+ employability programme. The course is also accredited by Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (CISI). Designed to equip you with technical knowledge and skills in line with the curriculums of professional bodies such as the CFA Society UK, CFA Institute USA and CISI UK, as well as a range of employability attributes, the course will develop you as a work-ready graduate for careers in Finance and Investment across different industries.

As you progress, you will become more effective and creative in problem solving, as well as being able to critically advise individuals and companies in the UK and internationally. The modules are designed to enhance and develop your theoretical understanding from an academic perspective but also to apply acquired knowledge to the finance and investment sector.

The course is designed with some mandatory subject areas which provide the key underpinning knowledge for the course however allows you an opportunity to select some subjects based on your specific areas of interest. Therefore, during the second and final year of the course, there will be more flexible learning opportunities that will enable you to specialise in particular subject areas, as well as allowing you to tailor your course to a specific career path.

The course also has the option of a sandwich year, wherein you'll get to go on a year-long industry placement, giving you invaluable real-world employment experience.
The international focus of the course is derived from the diversity of the student body and the teaching team, plus the use of international teaching materials. Moreover, students can choose to spend a year or a full semester studying their modules overseas at a partner institution. While doing this course, you will have wide variety of opportunities to compliment your studies.

Based at the University’s new campus in the UK’s second city, you’ll live and study in a vibrant environment and engage with local, national and international businesses. You will be taught by highly qualified academics with industrial and professional experience.

The Business Management with Enterprise course will offer you a practical based degree applicable to a wide range of sectors.

You will be able to contribute to critical debates on industry related contemporary issues and understand the dynamic needs of business managers in the 21st century to reflect current knowledge and best practices.

You will gain specialist knowledge on a number of core functions of management, building your self-confidence to prepare you for a progressive and successful career in management. Exciting opportunities including integrated work projects and business placements in the UK or abroad are all featured in your course, therefore your career can start whilst achieving your qualification. You will have the benefit of renowned industry speakers and live projects to inspire and help you to develop.

The course provides a route for those interested in development and sustainability of new enterprises, offering a route for launching their own enterprise or being entrepreneurial within an organisation. Whether you have an idea in mind or like the idea of launching something new and different, taking the enterprise route maybe for you.

You will be exposed to key enterprise modules which will help you get from idea to launch underpinned by academic theory. This route which will be embedded throughout your programme will look to develop your entrepreneurial skills, abilities and behaviours, provide you with the tools you need to become a future entrepreneur. Similarly, the Business Management course embeds the UN Sustainable Development Goals as an integral part of the course.

Experiment with materials, techniques and processes on a highly respected jewellery design degree course. You are encouraged to pursue innovation, challenge conventions and push the boundaries of the discipline.

You will develop practical skills alongside intellectual engagement and inventive thinking. Creative problem solving is a continuous thread, where a questioning attitude and experimental approach to materials, perceptions, concepts and outcomes is encouraged.

Individuality is fundamental to your creative development, personal philosophy and direction. The School is uniquely positioned in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter enabling you to be fully immersed in the industry from the first day of your studies.

What's covered in this course?

This practical degree is an internationally-respected jewellery design course. It gives you the freedom to develop your own creativity by encouraging you to experiment with a variety of ideas, materials, processes and techniques.

You’ll be supported and encouraged to create innovative designs to a high standard of professionalism, and have the chance to enter competitions and awards.

In your first year of study, the focus is on developing traditional processes followed by experimental materials investigation, allowing you to enter the second year with a range of skills and the confidence to explore various optional topics, live and collaborative projects.

If you are interested in working in the global cosmetics industry and have an interest in the branding and promotion of beauty and cosmetics products and services then this course is for you. You will develop a range of practical business, creative and entrepreneurial skills and have the opportunity to research key and current trends in the beauty and cosmetics industry.

Your personal program of study is supported by visits to appropriate cosmetics and beauty industry events or organizations and/or interviews of professionals involved in cosmetics or beauty services promotion.

What's covered in this course?

On the course you will get involved in blogging, social media, website development, entrepreneurship and brand development.

You’ll be actively encouraged to take part in debates about the professional, educational, political and cultural implications of beauty and cosmetics in modern societies around the world.

You will also explore and use different research methods to investigate the branding and promotion of beauty services and cosmetics through marketing, advertising, events management, publicity or public relations.

By the end of the course you will have gained the ability to apply the knowledge, skills and methodologies of cosmetics branding and promotion to the analysis of complex cosmetics branding and promotion issues, and to the expression of sophisticated marketing, advertising concepts.

You will also have developed the ability to identify personal, career and practical goals related to cosmetics branding and promotion including work experience and entrepreneurship.

Our BA (Hons) Textile Design degree courses nurture fresh thinking and industry-ready creatives through a dynamic and carefully structured three-year program.

Our Retail, Business and Marketing option typically appeals to students who are excited about the practical aspects of textile design but have skills and interests in the business side of the creative industries and love working as part of a team. The focus on the course is on gaining a broad practical understanding of textile design and complement this with specific knowledge and experience of research, report-writing, planning, management and communication approaches.

Studying with us will provide you with the skills, insights and experiences required to succeed in a broad scope of professional textile-related roles. Students secure placements within buying, marketing and visual merchandising departments within the retail sector, as well as work at magazines, with arts organizations and for trend prediction agencies.

Our LLM in International Human Rights will expose you to the fundamental aspects of the field and provide you with the opportunity to critically examine the impact of the international human rights standards on national constitutions and laws, with particular focus given to the conflict between international standards and national provision.

The LLM International Human Rights also provides you with an opportunity to assess how international human rights law offers protection to different categories of vulnerable groups.

Additionally, our LLM provides an opportunity to acquire, or build upon existing skills gained from your undergraduate course - enhancing employment opportunities in the legal profession and providing a basis for progression to doctoral studies.

Professional Placement option

For our International Law LLM degrees, you will have the opportunity to take the Professional Placement version of the course, which is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.

This will allow you to complete a credit-bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability and transferable skills. The placement experience will allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.

The MSc Building Surveying program with Facilities Management is designed to respond to the dynamic demands for sustainable management of the existing built environment and is accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

What's covered in this course?

The course is founded on the principal that participants intend to attain membership of the RICS. The program, therefore, embraces the values of the RICS and reflects the requirements of the professional body in terms of core technical and professional skills and attributes. All students are expected to be student or graduate members of the RICS.

The Building Surveying course content and delivery is underpinned by the need to respond to the RICS Strategic Foresight 2030 report, including incorporation of the seven strategic pillars for the future within learning, teaching and assessment.

The course will provide you with a broad but solid foundation in the fundamentals of organising, managing, and designing work to existing buildings. It seeks to provide you with the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges presented by the globally evolving built environment marketplace.

This course focuses on developing and expanding the knowledge, understanding and ability of practitioners to respond to the challenges of the 21st century. You will receive a rigorous grounding in the advanced skills needed to operate at a high level in industry and become competent in the solving the problems and challenges you will face. You will also be able to add value to your decisions through a thorough analytical approach and be able to better implement them as a competent building surveyor.

The course encompasses the entirety of the property life cycle, allowing you to appreciate how decisions made in one aspect of a property’s development and use can have a significant impact later on in the life cycle.

Professional Placement option

The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit-bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.  Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.

Our postgraduate degree in Jewellery and Related Products is a highly respected, innovative course, which develops your creative potential and in-depth knowledge of theories, processes and techniques.

Students on our course demonstrate understanding, and a critical awareness of current issues and/or new insights.

What's covered in this course?

The focus of this course is very much on developing your entrepreneurial spirit and helping you become the designer you want to be.

You will use a variety of materials, manufacturing techniques and processes.

The scope for design is very broad and builds on knowledge in the area of personal ornaments, body signification and decorative metal objects.

There are affinities with industrial design, fashion design, fine art and sculpture and content is often informed by philosophy, conceptualisation and critical theory.

Project-based activities will develop creative, design and making skills and enhance your professional skills. You will develop concepts and products, analyse problems and reflect on the relationships between personal objectives, cultural values, market identities, prototyping techniques and new technologies.

You will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to your own research and advanced creative activity, alongside exhibiting originality in the application of knowledge.

You will demonstrate your practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in our discipline and create innovative new designs in jewellery and related products.

The course is based at our internationally renowned School of Jewellery, in the heart of Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter. The historical facade of our Vittoria Street building conceals a contemporary environment including workshops, a specialist library, an atrium gallery and exhibition space.

The MA Media Production course gives you the opportunity to kick start or further your career in the television and radio industries. The course offers a clear progression pathway for students who have already completed undergraduate studies in television or radio.

For those who already have industry experience, or are looking to change career path, the course provides the chance to learn additional skills and apply professional media practice to your existing resume.

Professional Placement option

The Professional Placement version of the course is optional and is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.

This will allow you to complete a credit-bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.