Bachelor of Arts in Modern History

at Brunel University London United Kingdom

Delve into a degree that will teach you the intricacies of how societies work and learn to understand how people cope with inevitable societal changes on our exciting Sociology BSc. You’ll develop the skills to put yourself in other peoples’ shoes as you study their behaviour and understand why they think in a certain way.

Your degree will give you a thorough understanding of how social issues such as poverty, unemployment, social conflict, and the social and economic consequences of rapid and profound industrial and economic change are redefined by contemporary processes of individualisation, globalisation and the growth of new forms of communication.

The first year is designed to offer you a solid base in theoretical and methodological innovations in sociology. As you progress through the course, you will be able to choose modules you are interested in to actively shape and apply your learning to the issues you wish to interrogate. In your third year, you’ll work on a dissertation focusing on an area of interest of your choice. Your dissertation can be a theoretical or practical dissertation, so you can work to your own strengths.

Depending on the modules you choose, you may have the option go on fieldtrips where you will be able to apply your learning to current issues and broaden your theoretical imagination. Previous fieldtrips have included: Barbican; British Board of Film Classification; London Migration Museum; Museum of Comedy; Museum of London; regeneration areas (e.g. Spitalfields, Smithfield); and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

As you’ll be taught and supported by academics who are not only experts in their field but are actively engaged in research, you’ll develop skills that can be applied from the classroom to the workplace. They know the industry inside out, so you know you are learning from experienced professionals who will bring their unique insights into the classroom and will ensure your learning is up-to-date.

Gain an insight into life after your studies by putting your learning into practice by opting for a one-year work placement or two short placements for six months at a time. You will graduate with valuable work experience to enhance your employment prospects and will be able to develop an understanding the working world. We have excellent links with a wide range of notable external organisations, so you will have the opportunity to apply for high quality placements across London.

Some of our sociology students have done their placements abroad working as teachers in Ghana. Others have undertaken placements at a variety of companies including Deluxe Entertainment, the Disney Channel, the Home Office, British Youth Council, Citizens Advice Bureau and the Department of Work and Pensions.

This is a broad-based degree which will enable and encourage you to specialise in areas which particularly fascinate you. As a graduate of this dynamic degree, you will leave us with various transferable skills that are key to the contemporary employment market. 

As the amount of digital information increases, major institutions in sectors such as finance and medicine rely on robust structures that can grow and adapt. By specialising in software engineering, you’ll focus on how to build high quality systems which will be easier to maintain and develop as the requirements of the system change and available technologies evolve. The techniques involved include testing, service-oriented architectures, and refactoring.

On the Computer Science (Software Engineering) BSc degree course, you’ll also learn how to build different types of software, from web-based systems to mobile solutions. In the final year you’ll take compulsory modules in advanced computer science and choose optional modules that interest you in a variety of compelling areas.

In addition, you’ll acquire in-depth knowledge of algorithms, design, programming and testing techniques. By the end of the course, you’ll have confidence in your knowledge of common system and network architectures and system development approaches, requirements capture, design methods, models, tools, and techniques.

You’ll become well-versed in implementing and testing systems and software maintenance. Key to this course is cultivating a reflective approach to project management issues arising from team-based software development.

This specialist degree course allows you to display an in-depth knowledge of the management, organisation and execution of large-scale software design and development activities including reuse and integration. All our degrees emphasise acquiring knowledge and skills to develop your new understanding creatively and professionally. Although this is an academic degree, the course balances theory with real-world practice in information and computer management.

Our course is designed for flexibility, so if you’re not sure which route you want to go, you can select modules and specialise gradually during your time with us. You can transfer between Computer Science and Business Computing up to the start of Level 2, then, should you wish, to choose a specialism up to the start of Level 3.

We know that when you graduate, you’ll be working on large projects. That’s why one third of each year of our programmes is project-based. On Levels 1 and 2, you’ll build a software solution in a team, and in your final year you’ll carry out an individual project. You’ll also have the opportunity to showcase your projects at the annual  Made in Brunel (Software Innovation) event, with awards presented by the likes of Cisco, Sky and Xerox.

As part of your degree course, you’ll have the chance to take a year-long work placement between your second year and third year. We’ll support you in finding that all-important paid professional experience, in the UK or abroad. The feedback we’ve received is that those who have taken a placement are much more likely to find a job for which their degree was a formal requirement as it gives you a competitive advantage. Recent graduates have gone on to work for well-known names such as Accenture, Toshiba, Microsoft, British Airways, O2, and Barclays.

Our programmes are accredited by the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP), and on behalf of the Engineering Council, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). 

The accreditation also allows you to apply for professional membership of the BCS after you have successfully completed your degree.

The department has been awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze, recognising our dedication to the advancement of gender equality in STEM subjects. We now have an ongoing three-year action plan to further implement strategies and improve our practices. As part of this endeavour, Brunel’s  Women in Engineering and Computing mentoring scheme provides our female students with invaluable help and support from the industry.

Intelligence and security policy issues are one of the fastest growing areas of academic and public concern. More than ever before, national governments, international agencies and international corporations need employees with a strong grasp of intelligence and security concerns who can also demonstrate first-rate skills of research and assessment.

Intelligence and Security Studies at Brunel offers you a unique opportunity for practical, policy oriented graduate study of intelligence issues across the private and public sectors around the world.

As part of the course, you’ll study a range of modules on campus over one year full-time or two years part-time, including participation in the Brunel Simulated Intelligence Analysis Exercise (BASE) on a real-world subject. The MA will allow you to demonstrate your ability to complete a substantial piece of intelligence and securities research through a dissertation project.

Highly committed and enthusiastic tutors combine broad-ranging expertise in areas such as cryptography, computer networking, imagery, intelligence analysis, economics and law, with the knowledge, skills and understanding to develop your academic and professional potential.

You will be taught by one of the UK’s most innovative scholars in intelligence and security studies: an expert on covert action and military intelligence doctrine, a specialist in structured analytic techniques and a former senior military imagery analyst.

These scholars are part of the Brunel Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies (BCISS) that produce important original research that is published worldwide and contributes to the success of government and business in the UK.

Graduates secure jobs in the private and public sector with most pursuing careers in intelligence and security studies. Those already in government employment find the course supports their promotion, commissions or provides new employment opportunities post-retirement.

Private sector opportunities are especially strong in analytical functions for the banking, resources and risk and security sectors.

The Brunel LLB Law with International Arbitration and Commercial Law gives students the opportunity to earn a qualifying law degree with specialist knowledge of international arbitration and commercial law.

Along with the requirements of the traditional LLB degree you’ll learn commercial, international and comparative law and about cross-border transactions and cross-cultural dispute resolution.

We offer two study options. You can choose three years full-time, or four years full-time with a professional placement year between years two and three that will give you hands-on experience working in a legal practice.

All of our students have careers advisers who you can discuss career ideas with and who can offer guidance on placements and further study options throughout your time with us.

Our Law with International Arbitration and Commercial Law LLB undergraduate degree is accredited by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA), meaning that you will gain the necessary knowledge and skills required to go on to be a practising solicitor.  Please note, from October 2019, rather than accrediting LLB Degrees, the Bar Standard Board requires law degrees to cover the seven legal foundation subjects and the skills associated with graduate legal work in order to meet the requirements of the Academic Component of becoming a barrister. Brunel Law School's LLB Degrees fully meet these requirements.

With its foundation of English law and practice and its focus on arbitration and commercial law your degree will stand you in good stead for lucrative cross-border fields of legal practice.

Meeting the increasing energy demands of growing populations and developing societies while reducing the use of fossil fuels are crucial challenges facing the global energy industry. 

Brunel's Renewable Energy Engineering MSc gives graduates and engineering professionals interested in finding sustainable solutions to climate change and energy security the theoretical and practical skills needed to pursue careers in the growing field of renewable energy technology.

Along with a solid grounding in the core principles of energy production, you’ll get detailed knowledge of renewable energy technologies and systems, including solar, wind, tidal, wave, hydro, geothermal, biomass and hydrogen.

You’ll also look at the economic and environmental impact of renewable systems and at the legislative, planning and technical considerations of integrating them into the power grid.

We offer two study options. You can choose 1 year full-time or 3 years via our distance learning programme. 

This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineering (IMechE) and the Energy Institute (EI), which means your postgraduate engineering degree will put you on course to gain Chartered Engineer (CEng) status in the UK. 

Throughout your studies you’ll have use of our state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and 24-hour access to industry-standard specialist software for engineering design at dedicated computer clusters on campus, so you’ll have the opportunity and equipment to explore ideas and tackle problems.

As the renewable energy sector grows, so does the need for individuals capable of planning, implementing and managing new renewable energy projects. Your Brunel MSc will give you those skills and put you on course for a rewarding career in the field or further research.

Our Integrated Product Design MSc degree focuses on the design of innovative products, emphasising the balance between the interest of users, industry, society and the environment. It covers the whole design process, integrating all aspects relevant to product development - technology, management, aesthetics, sustainability, ergonomics, marketing, business and design methods - to produce highly qualified and sought after designers able to cope with the challenges the global economy presents.

You’ll have access to modern facilities that include a dedicated master’s design studio and extensive prototyping workshops. The practical knowledge you gain is transferable to industry and provides you with a comprehensive skillset for global product and services design research and development.

Our integrated product design course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) and is studied full-time over one year. 

We encourage you to make use of our good links with industrial colleagues and undertake an optional industrial placement as part of your dissertation project over the summer. A placement gives you the opportunity to put what you’ve learnt into practice, and to apply it to a real working environment.

Made in Brunel is a unique, student-led initiative that showcases our design talent at its finest. Each year our students run a series of industry and community events leading up to the Made in Brunel exhibition. This annual showcase is a highlight of the London design calendar and promotes the incredible work our students produce to the creative community, and is your chance to network with key design professionals.

If you are interested in turning a product or technology idea into a business after your postgraduate studies, we are in partnership with the Central Research Laboratory (CRL), a design incubator for start-ups. You’ll have access to meeting rooms and work space as well as prototyping facilities. A team of in-house professionals will guide and support you at each stage and a number of our previous entrepreneurial students have successfully commercialised their products.

Take your knowledge of culture and society to the next level and equip yourself with a big range of practical and analytical skills for a changing world with our Anthropology and Sociology BSc.

Anthropology is concerned with contemporary issues such as multiculturalism, identity politics, racism and ethnic nationalism, changing forms of the family, religious conflict, gender, and the political role of culture. It also addresses fundamental questions about human nature, such as: ‘What do we have in common with each other cross-culturally?’ and ‘What makes us different?’

Sociology, its sister subject, looks at the foundations of social life and the big issues in contemporary society such as inequality, racism, globalisation, and migration.

In particular, your sociology studies at Brunel will be closely related to the central and ever-increasing importance of the communications media in our culture, for example, how poverty is portrayed and the powerful influence of celebrity.

Brunel is a great choice for this combined study with lecturers from both subjects producing cutting edge research alongside their teaching, on both global issues and local problems.

This research expertise filters down into what you will learn. In anthropology students have learnt about youth and motorcycles in Rwanda, and in sociology, about cosmetic tourism.

Choose this course and you can do fieldwork on any subject, anywhere in the world, whether it’s learning about refugees in Athens or mother and toddler groups in inner London.

Around half of Brunel anthropology students carry out a placement or fieldwork abroad, in places as wide ranging as India, Nepal, Australia, South Africa, Papua New Guinea and Jamaica.

Recent UK placement destinations include the Royal Anthropological Institute, Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom, Amnesty International and the Department of Health.

Alternatively, could choose a placement that’s more sociologically focussed. Either way, you can choose to take it as two six month placements or one year-long placement.

Take advantage of real-life work experience to gain a competitive advantage on your anthropology degree.

• You have the option to undertake two six-month placements, or a year-long placement whilst studying one of our anthropology degrees.
• If you opt to go on two six-month work placements, then you can use the first one to help determine an area of interest to you in the future. You have the freedom of choice when looking for placements and can be based locally for one and go abroad for the second one.
• You’ll have support from day one of your anthropology course from your personal tutors and the Professional Development Centre in finding a suitable work placement according to your interests. They can range from working in a church, in a museum to supporting charities on-sites and studying a local community within a village.
• This invaluable experience will not only build your confidence but also provide you with a platform to showcase your project management, organisational and creative skills in the workplace.
• Some of our students have completed their placements in Guatemala, London, Malaysia and Morocco which really gives a global perspective.
• Fieldwork can also be conducted as volunteering to give you a real insight into cultures and communities. For example, one of our students did charity work in Cambodia and enjoyed experiencing different cultures and working with a range of people from different backgrounds.

The Brunel Automotive Engineering BEng gives students with a passion for motor vehicles the specialised expertise they need to become professional engineers in the fast-moving automotive industry.

Along with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of mechanical engineering, including maths, engineering science and design, you’ll gain an in-depth knowledge of the technical workings of current and future automotive systems.  

You’ll study all aspects of automotive development and manufacture from vehicle design and performance to engine and transmission systems to materials, structures and safety.

You’ll also get hands-on practice troubleshooting engineering problems that inevitably arise during the construction and testing processes.

Your education will profit, too, by your access to the work done at our Centre for Advanced Powertrain and Fuels (CAPF). One of the largest and most active engine research groups in the UK, CAPF focuses on minimising pollutant emissions and improving fuel efficiency while maintaining performance levels.

Throughout your studies you’ll have use of our modern, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities, which comprise our motorsport workshop, and 24-hour access to industry standard specialist software for engineering design at dedicated computer clusters.

Our automotive engineering BEng course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). We offer two study options. You can choose three years full-time or four years full-time with a one-year professional placement that will allow to put what you’ve learned to use in real-world situations.

If you start on the full-time course, you can transfer to the professional development option, which includes the placement, at any time before the end of Level 2.

In the rapidly evolving automotive industry, demand for engineers with the technical and managerial skills to excel is on the rise. Your Brunel BEng will give you these and equip you to play leading roles in industry and public service.

Brunel’s MSc in Advanced Electronic and Electrical Engineering is a broad degree of advanced studies in electronic and electrical engineering.

You will study in depth and breadth the key areas of electronic and electrical engineering. These include, sensors and instrumentation; control; photonics; power electronics; telecommunications; intelligent systems; medical systems; digital and analogue electronics; and embedded systems.

Access is available to modern technical facilities including computer, electronics, and power and control laboratories where you’ll work on your lab exercises. The latest industry standard engineering software packages are available for you to use in purpose-built computer laboratories.

During your studies, you will benefit from guest lectures delivered by industry professionals. You’ll participate in conferences and deliver poster presentations on your research work. This allows you to network and exchange ideas with key engineering and technology experts.

Our MSc advanced electronic and electrical engineering degree is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). This professional engineering institution ensures that your engineering degree meets the academic requirement to qualify as a professional engineer. This accredited MSc degree in advanced electronic and electrical engineering fully meets the educational requirement for progression to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. It is studied full-time over one year.

What is public relations? Who does it and why? How does it relate to the media practices? How do you plan a public relations campaign? And why is it important to have a sophisticated understanding of cultural dynamics in order to understand public relations?

On this MA you will engage with theoretical concepts that can help you understand how Public Relations and the Media work and why they are significant; it looks at PR and media history, engages in lively debates about these industries and teaches you practical PR skills which you can creatively deploy in campaign plans.

While Public Relations has often been taught through business studies or marketing approaches, this MA approaches PR through the lens of media studies and cultural studies. This makes for a fresh stimulating take on PR at a time when media practices are changing radically and when cultural industries, cultural exchange and cultural politics are more important than ever.

This MA will offer you the opportunity to examine the context in which PR practice takes place and to develop the knowledge and skills needed to work in a sophisticated and ethical way in PR.

We are a partner-member of the Public Relations Communications Association. This means that as students you get:

• Unlimited and free access to PRCA online training courses to add to your academic programme.
• The opportunity to get a PRCA Online Certificate
• Free access to networking events.
• Opportunities to enhance your professional development by attending panels, masterclasses and training sessions.