Bachelor of Science in Communication and Media Studies with Placement (Thin - Sandwich)

at Brunel University London United Kingdom

The Human Resource Management degree will provide you with a comprehensive understanding of current theory and practice relating to employment relations and Human Resource Management (HRM).

You will learn to combine theory and practice to perform effectively and responsibly as an HRM practitioner, understanding the purpose and key objectives of the HRM function in contemporary organisations. The course will further equip you to implement sustainable HRM strategies and practices that raise levels of employee recruitment, training, talent development, engagement, wellbeing and performance in a specific organisational context.

You will further learn of the complexities of employment regulation and the way it informs practice to ensure staff are treated ethically when they are at work, as well as how to promote equal opportunities and manage workplace diversity and inclusion. For a career in HRM you will also develop competencies in analysing key contemporary global labour market trends and their significance for workforce planning in both domestic and international organisational contexts.

If studies of the mind and mental health interest you, this socially and culturally focused course may provide a rich alternative to more scientific studies in psychology and psychiatry.

Study this course and you will investigate psychological and psychiatric issues from an anthropological perspective, addressing issues at the forefront of debates in social policy, morality, personal identity, and mental health.

By considering cases from around the world you’ll explore how person, consciousness, and experience are shaped through cultural practices and political realities.

Examining world ethnography (including the UK), you’ll learn about selfhood, emotion, personality, and understandings of ‘madness’ and mental illness in cultural context.

Brunel students come from varied professional and academic backgrounds, many taking time out for professional development. If you haven’t studied anthropology before, you’ll be offered introductory modules in anthropological theory to help prepare you for the rest of the course.

Anthropology at Brunel is well-known for its focus on ethnographic fieldwork and you will be expected to get out of the library and undertake your own, original research – whether in the UK or overseas – and to present your findings in a dissertation.

Your fieldwork can be taken anywhere in the world, locally, previous students have explored psychic training, Pentecostal churches, and mental health charities, and internationally, students have explored subjects like funerals in Iran, Amazon neoshamanism, and autism programmes in Belgium.

Mechanical engineering covers the design, development and manufacture of mechanical objects – from large-scale industrial machinery to trains, planes and automobiles to medical devices, mobile phones, bicycles, even chairs.

In fact, every product, technology or system has probably been touched by a mechanical engineer.   

The Brunel Mechanical Engineering BEng will give you the specialist knowledge and skills needed to get started on a lucrative career in this diverse and challenging profession.

You’ll get a solid grounding in the core principles of engineering science including solid body mechanics, thermodynamics and materials science as well as in the fundamentals of design and manufacturing.

You’ll also get training in related disciplines integral to mechanical engineering such as computing – used in modelling and predicting outcomes; electrical engineering – to gage how much energy is needed to run a machine and how it can be generated and controlled; and electronics - because parts in many machines are electronic as well as mechanical.

And, as mechanical engineers not only design many exciting products but venture into managing projects and companies, you’ll study elements of management, ethics, finance and law.

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

Our mechanical 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 work placement between years two and three that will give you the chance to apply what you’ve learned to real-life situations.

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

In a global economy where progress depends heavily on technological innovation, graduates with the knowledge and skills to design, develop and improve the machines and processes fuelling growth are in demand. Your Brunel BEng will give you that expertise and help open doors to a career in engineering.

Our Design Strategy and Innovation MA degree concentrates on how design might be a catalyst for innovation at all levels. This includes new products and services, new processes, new ways of working, managing creative teams and collaborating with stakeholders, new businesses and new practices. It aims to give designers and other creatives the skills and knowledge to utilise design thinking and to leverage design in the pursuit of strategic organisational change and improvement in both the private and public sectors.

You’ll have access to modern teaching and learning facilities, including a dedicated master’s design studio. Here you can discuss and exchange ideas with other students passionate about becoming design managers and leaders as catalysts for strategic innovation and change.

Our popular, annual Design Master’s: Industry Student Review Evening is a great opportunity for you to connect with experts from design, brand and business. Their professional and practical perspective will help you to build a strong and clear direction for your research projects and dissertation.

And there’s Made in Brunel - 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.

The Brunel Economics and Management BSc offers students interested in careers in management a detailed understanding of how economies and corporations function. 

You’ll examine how resources are allocated in response to consumer demand, business objectives and government policy, and how incentives are aligned between shareholders, managers and employees.

Specifically, your economics studies will give you a broad understanding of the production, distribution and capital formation activities within which organisations operate, while your management specialisation will focus on the coordination and use of materials and labour to achieve defined goals.

You’ll also study econometrics and develop sought-after skills in data modelling, and get training in analytical packages widely used by business and financial institutions such as SAS, EViews, Bloomberg, Reuters and STATA.

We offer two study options. You can choose three years full-time or four years full-time with a one-year professional placement between years two and three that will give you the chance to apply the theoretical principles you’ve learned to a working environment.

This degree is accredited the ACCA, which means you’ll gain exemptions from certain professional qualifying exams should you decide to study further to become a chartered accountant.

In a world of integrating global markets, the expertise you’ll get from your Brunel degree in how corporate entities are organised and managed will make you a preferred job candidate to employers in business, finance and government.

Are you curious about how to deal with ecological and environmental challenges that affect nations across the world? Our new Global Challenges undergraduate degrees have been designed with disrupters in mind – people who aren’t afraid to ask questions and to pull in knowledge from across disciplines to get to the root of the planetary problems we face.

Within the core spine of your Global Challenges degree, you will take an in-depth look at issues such as climate change, sustainable development, migration, terrorism, inequality and poverty and how they affect the world we live in, the Planetary Health pathway will also introduce you to the impact human activity has on the earth systems and in turn affects our health.

You will explore questions about the environmental challenges current and future populations face as you learn to analyse and manage issues alongside the Brunel experts teaching this course.

Planetary health is a global concern. The impact of human activity must be addressed and managed so that we do not continue to damage our ecology and ultimately ourselves. As part of the Planetary Health Alliance, Brunel University London works alongside 70 dedicated universities, NGOs, government entities and research institutes who are committed to making advances in this area. This means that the knowledge you gain during your studies will come directly from the most up-to-date sources.

As part of your course you will look at the connections between changes in the environment and health outcomes. For example, how the environment has caused certain wildlife species to become extinct, or how the use of pesticides in the cultivation of fruits and vegetables may have physical or mental health risks.

You will also explore some of the technologies and political and economic strategies employed in healing the planet, such as the reduction of greenhouse gasses by avoiding the use of damaging household products, to saving energy around the home.

Throughout your course you will build your ability to work in teams as you pick up skills in project management, presenting and team pitches. A third year Enterprise Project will help to bring all these skills together as you work on a group project with a real organisation.

You have the option to apply for an internship at the end of your first year and can take a one-year placement between years two and three, giving you valuable work experience and a step ahead for your career when you graduate.

As a graduate of the new Global Challenges course you will be inquisitive and analytical with a large amount of knowledge that could change the world, as you’ll have learnt how to assess contrasting sets of data and different arguments to form your own ideas and opinions.

You only have to turn on the news or open a newspaper to see how differently the nations of the world are governed. What is democracy and democratisation? How has US foreign policy changed in the last 20 years? What is globalisation?

Politics is an exciting and dynamic subject, simulating debate and offering insight in how the ever-changing world around us works. It’s also a degree that can demonstrate your intellectual acumen and understanding of world affairs, which will be an asset in so many fields of work.

As well as providing a foundation in the approaches and theories of politics and international relations, through this degree you will develop your understanding of the importance of politics in a globalising and integrating world.

Whether you’re studying modern Africa, imperialism or Trump’s foreign policy, you’ll not just learn about politics, you’ll be analysing politics using the tools of political science and philosophy to help deepen your understanding and critical thinking.

Opt for a placement year and you'll gain work experience that is highly valued by employers. Brunel students have secured placements in the Environmental Audit Committee, the House of Commons, Directorate of Gender Affairs, HM Treasury and the Competition Commission, to name only a few.

You can also opt to take part of your degree abroad in one of our partner universities in Europe, or participate in an exchange programme to China or the USA to study politics in a different part of the world whilst experiencing a new culture.

Brunel is a dynamic university choice for your politics course. You’ll be taught by politics experts who are often called on to comment on radio and television. The Brunel campus has hosted the filming of BBC’s Question Time and is a political hub during local and national elections.

Brunel politics graduates enter diverse careers. Many of our former students go into politics and the civil service and some are currently at GCHQ and military intelligence. Others work in the public and private sector like the NHS, international banks, business consultancy, law, NGOs and the media. Whichever route you chose, an international politics degree with Brunel will set you up for a successful future.

The Brunel Sport and Exercise Psychology MSc provides graduates the first stage of training towards becoming a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited sport and exercise psychologist.

You’ll examine the key psychological factors that affect both sports performance and exercise participation and learn how to assess client needs and formulate tailored programmes for them.

In your sport specialisation, you’ll learn techniques and strategies to help athletes of all levels, ages and genders develop the mental skills needed to tackle inhibitions and achieve peak performance, as well as to overcome the emotional consequences of serious injury or prolonged loss of form.

These mental skills are equally applicable to coaches wanting to build positive team dynamics and referees dealing with the stresses of the job.

In your exercise specialisation, you’ll focus on applying psychology to increase exercise participation and motivational levels among the public and to encourage people to adopt more active lifestyles.

On completion of the course, you can progress to Stage 2 training, which leads to chartered psychologist status with the BPS and registered practitioner status with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Throughout your studies you’ll be able to take advantage of our modern physiology and biomechanics laboratories and some of the best sports facilities in the UK.

The Human Genome Project is having a huge impact on the field of science and genetics. How will it provide new insights and therapies for the treatment of genetic diseases? If you’re interested in the field of genetics and the treatment of genetic diseases then this specialist course is perfect for you.

At Brunel, we understand that your specialist knowledge should be built on a sound grounding of all the areas of biomedical sciences. This means that your first year will cover areas such as the human body, biochemistry and research skills. As you continue through your degree you will study specialist areas that will teach you how the role of various genetic mutations alter cellular processes and biomechanical pathways in normal metabolism, and also how these pathways may be altered during specific human disease.

And if you change your mind about your specialist area, don’t worry. The flexibility of our course at Brunel means that you can switch to another specialist pathway in the second year or even take the general Biomedical Sciences BSc.

The Royal Society of Biology has awarded its accreditation to all of Brunel’s undergraduate Biomedical Sciences courses. This means you can be confident that your degree will prepare you for the working world – and your prospective employers will know this too. You'll receive a one year’s membership as an Associate Member once you graduate, integrating you into the sector with access to key contacts and up-to-date knowledge.

In your final year you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to our research programmes in cellular and biochemical pathways, the regulation of gene expression, DNA repair and immunological responses to microbial infection. This will give you first-hand experience of real-world laboratory research and prepare you for your future career.

Graduate with the confidence and experience you need to make a great start in your career by choosing to do a biomedical sciences placement.

• A placement lets you gain valuable experience that will put you ahead of the rest when you’re looking for employment. Like some of our former students, you can potentially spend a year working at some top companies such as Mars, Parexel and Astra Zeneca.
• If you’re looking for the experience of working further afield in biomedical sciences, there are also opportunities to work abroad where you can flourish in an exciting new culture. Recent opportunities our students have benefited from have included laboratory work in Sicily, a cytogenetics company close to Milan or working for Bayer in Berlin.
• The opportunities are endless and the experience you’ll get will be enlightening as well as rewarding.

Design at Brunel is all about realising fantastic ideas in the real world. Our Product Design Engineering BSc degree is for creative thinkers who are also comfortable with mathematics and who enjoy deeper analysis of functional and technical design challenges, principally focused on industrially-manufactured products. The course spans design and engineering, meaning you can develop products that both look good and work well.

There is a lot of project-based learning to test your skills and you’ll see the outcome of your design from concept to making the actual product. This means you’ll be able to build a great portfolio of your best-quality projects, academic and industry briefs, and case studies, during your studies.

You’ll have workshop training and will use industry-standard equipment and software to develop quality hands-on skills to become a maker. Independent access is available to modern facilities that include dedicated design studios, digital sketching, extensive prototyping workshops, and electronics and digital fabrication labs. The practical knowledge you gain is transferable to industry and provides a head start for your future career as a designer and design making in the modern world.

Our product design engineering course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) and can be studied full-time over three years, or four years with a placement year.

The placement year helps you to prepare for the world of work and you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience when you graduate. Our students have worked in both small innovation start-ups and multinational organisations such as Dyson, Jaguar Land Rover, Philips, Procter & Gamble, and Reckitt Benckiser. 

Our students have the opportunity to add another dimension to their university experience by spending a term or a year in one of our partner universities via our exchange programme: Politecnico di Milano in Italy; Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, San Francisco State University in USA and Institut Superieur de Design, ISD Bubika in France.