Master of Science in Environmental Sciences

at Brunel University London United Kingdom

Brunel's Automotive and Motorsport Engineering MSc gives graduates with a passion for motorsports and high-performance vehicles the advanced, specialist skills and knowledge they need to successfully pursue careers in this dynamic and competitive field of engineering.

You’ll study all aspects of the design, development and construction of competition vehicles including aerodynamics, materials, structural analysis, IC engines and vehicle systems and how to use tools like computational modelling, simulation and data analysis to assess performance, strength, costs and safety.

You’ll also develop managerial skills integral to race team operations such as race planning, vehicle testing, marketing concepts, leadership, risk management and employment.

Your education will profit from the research done at our Centre for Advanced Powertrain and Fuels (CAPF), one of the largest and most active engine research groups in the UK.

There's a group project to design a single seater racing vehicle that you’ll present at the annual Formula Student event at Silverstone, the world’s largest student engineering design competition. This project mimics an actual professional racing team; you work to a schedule and budget and are expected to promote your team image through marketing and sponsorship.

Throughout your studies you’ll have use of our 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 on campus, so you’ll have the opportunity and equipment to explore ideas and tackle problems.

The only thing faster than a speeding racing car, it seems, is the speed of change in motorsport technology and practice. Your Brunel postgraduate engineering degree will give you the technical and managerial skills to meet the challenges presented by the industry’s constant drive for improvement and set you apart in the eyes of prospective employers.

The programme is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), which means your degree will put you on course to gain Chartered Engineer (CEng) status in the UK.

Politics and Sociology at Brunel is a dynamic combination of high level study in both subjects. Your politics studies will help you address critical questions like: Who has political power? Why do they have it? And in whose interest do they exercise it?

Meanwhile, your studies in sociology will look at subjects like sociological theory, social identities, the sociology of everyday life and the changing nature of modern societies. You’ll be studying people, societies and how people live, and on the other how they are governed or want to be governed.

Both subjects will help to demonstrate your intellectual acumen and understanding of world affairs and real life issues, which will be an asset in so many fields of work.

Whether you’re studying modern world politics or the development of social change and transformations, you’ll not just learn about them, you’ll be analysing them using the tools of political science and social science to help deepen your understanding and critical thinking.

Opt for a placement year and you'll gain valuable experience to help give you the edge in the job market when you come to graduate. Past students have secured placements in the Home Office, HM Treasury, the House of Commons, and the Competition Commission, but the list of possibilities is endless.

It’s a competitive world out there, so you’ll get plenty of support from your lecturers and the University’s Professional Development Centre to help prepare you for your placement year and the world of work.

But why not increase your career options with an accredited journalism course, a free modern language course, or a social media internship? You can even opt to study part of your degree abroad in one of our partner universities in Europe, or participate in an exchange programme to China or the USA.

It’s all available at Brunel to help you make a difference in the world – now and in the future.

Brunel graduates of this subject enter diverse careers. Some go into politics and the civil service, some are at GCHQ and military intelligence, and some go on to further study or into research.

Others go into the public sector – the NHS, social or care work, education or in local authorities, while others go into the private sector working for international banks, business consultancy, law, NGOs, the media and marketing. The opportunities are endless.

The Business Computing BSc degree is a challenging course that provides highly relevant, hands-on experience. Through a mixture of theory and real-world practice, you’ll learn how to determine a dynamic mix of processes, which allow information delivery systems and users to carry out business effectively and efficiently. You’ll come to intuitively understand how an organisation’s information systems need to adapt to the changes and developments natural to growth and progress.

The modules on this degree course cover a range of topics, including the basic properties of software artefacts like information, algorithms, programs, common commercial system, and network architectures. System development approaches are also covered, including requirements capture, design methods, models, tools and techniques, implementing and testing systems, and software maintenance. Appreciation of project management issues arising from team-based software development is a key feature of the degree.

We’ll ensure that you have a strong approach to problem-solving both individually and in groups involving model-building and analysis, applying both theoretical and empirical knowledge to make choices and find solutions. You will also master commonly used notations and methods to reason and communicate clearly about requirements, specifications, designs and solutions. All factors which contribute to whether a business sinks or swims.

Our course is designed for flexibility, so if you’re not sure which route you want to go down, 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, you can 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)  The accreditation also allows you to apply for professional membership of the BCS after you have successfully completed your degree.

Brunel’s Computer Science 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.

The Brunel Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences BSc is designed for students interested in learning how sports science can be used to optimise athletic development, sport performance, as well as how it enhances health and wellbeing.

You’ll learn how the human body works on physiological, biomechanical and psychological levels and how to apply this knowledge to training methods, mental techniques and nutritional strategies that enable people to consistently perform at the upper ranges of their abilities.

Crucially, you’ll gain insight into how the mind and body respond to the demands of sport and exercise and how they react under intense conditions such as strenuous physical activity or competition.

Your studies will be supported by some of the best teaching and sports facilities in the UK that include our:

• State-of-the-art physiology, biomechanics and psychology laboratories
• World-class indoor athletics centre
• International-standard 400m six-lane athletics track with full field event facilities
• Large indoor netball hall
• Multi-use sports centre equipped with squash, basketball and netball courts, as well as a superb climbing wall.
• Members-only fitness suite featuring treadmills, cycles and rowing machines
• A weight-training area with free and fixed weights
• Grass and third-generation (3G) all-weather pitches
• Outdoor tennis courts

You'll also have the opportunity to carry out a placement as part of your degree, giving you the experience to create a stand-out CV. Our Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences BSc offers two placement options: you can choose to carry out two placements during the summer vacations within the three year degree, or a one year placement between years two and three, as part of a four year degree.

This dynamic military history course will offer you an in-depth study of warfare on land, sea and air across a range of periods and continents, from the Classical Age to the present.

Far from being just knowledge of the past, you will receive a detailed insight into issues relating to defence, security, intelligence and strategy. Taught by expert military historians, you will be highly valued by employers within these fields.

Three exciting core modules will take you into the arena of the subject: ‘War in History’ which considers the impact of war through the centuries; ‘The Royal Navy in the Twentieth Century’ which charts the pinnacle and decline of the British sea power; and ‘European Warfare in the Age of Muscle' that examines impact of warfare on politics and society in Europe from ancient times to 1453.

Your choice of an optional module provides the opportunity to study the Second World War, or drawing on experts from the University’s internationally renowned Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies (BCISS), either ‘Intelligence History: Failure and Success’ or ‘International Security’.

Along the way, you will build a toolkit of transferable skills gained through evidence gathering, analysis, problem solving, drafting and communications, which can be applied to a wide range of industries within the public and private sector.

Studying military history at Brunel has many advantages. Situated in London, the course has established links to world-renowned archives and libraries based in and close to London, including the Caird Library (National Maritime Museum), The National Archives and the Imperial War Museum, among others. Additionally, the original WWII operations bunker used by Sir Winston Churchill on the former RAF Uxbridge site is a walk away from campus.

As a Brunel student you can also look forward to membership to the Royal Institute for International Affairs, as well as access to the specialist Angus Boulton Military History Library housed on campus.

Guest speakers add further military expertise to the programme and have included Professor Ilan Pappe (University of Exeter), Emeritus Professor Avi Shlaim of Oxford University, Sir Tony Brenton (Cambridge University), and Professor Brian Holden-Reid (KCL).

Our global temperature has increased to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. What is the impact of this and what will happen if it continues to rise? Studying Environmental Sciences at Brunel will give you the foundation you need to pursue a career that makes a difference to our planet.

At Brunel you’ll develop your scientific skills in the classroom, laboratory and through field work. You’ll attend residential field trips in the UK and abroad. Our current trips take students to Dorset and Tenerife.

Your first year will bring together many different disciplines. You’ll use physical, chemical and biological knowledge to develop an understanding of the Earth’s environment.

Your course is based on the 15 “most wanted skills” identified from a national employer’s survey by the Natural Environment Research Council. This means that in addition to studying scientific topics, you’ll learn to use computer programs such as GIS, you’ll perform data analysis and be trained in areas such as public engagement, communication, leadership and teamwork.

You'll also have the option to carry out a placement as part of your degree, giving you the experience to create a stand-out CV. The Environmental Sciences BSc offers a unique compressed degree where you can carry out two placements within your three year degree during summer vacations, where you’ll earn a graduate level salary. You can also carry out a one year placement between years two and three, as part of a four year degree.

Education is a discipline, encompassing many elements including concepts of teaching, learning and pedagogy. Understanding how people learn and are educated is a subject of great depth and variety. In fact, learning and education is not uniformly understood worldwide and can vary from country to country, region to region and culture to culture.

Whether you’re an experienced teacher looking to acquire a higher academic qualification, and progress in the profession, someone with a keen interest in the subject of education or wishing to change to a more educational career route, this course will take you on a rich learning journey of your own.

The Education MA is designed to develop your knowledge, skills and confidence in the subject of education.  The programme will provide opportunities for you to develop knowledge and understanding of key theories, concepts and methodologies in the study of education.

The aim of the course is to help you understand the different disciplinary perspectives that inform the field of education, to engage in critical discussion on current issues and contemporary educational questions and to encourage global perspectives on educational policy and practice.

Along the way you will develop knowledge and understanding of a range of methodological approaches and the independence and confidence to undertake educational research for others or your own professional interests.

The course is available either as the Education

The Education MA will enhance your employment and career opportunities in complex professional environments that require sound judgement, personal responsibility and initiative.

Possible career destinations include a range of informal and formal learning organisations, such as local authorities, industry, art galleries, theme parks, museums, charities and companies offering educational or training services to staff or customers.

If you successfully complete your Education MA and would like to consider further study in education, perhaps PGCE teacher training, a taught Doctorate of Education or a research based PhD, you will be warmly encouraged by the department with the opportunity of discounted fees as a Brunel graduate.

MA or the Education MA with pathway choices in:

• Special Educational Needs and Disability and Inclusion
• Leadership and Management
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education
• Professional Practice and Pedagogy

Classes for the one-year full-time course are taught over two evenings a week from 5pm – 8pm, while the two-year part-time study option is taught on one evening per week.

On this Business Computing BSc degree course, you get to specialise in eBusiness, learning about how software and IT systems can support business transactions and drive sales. Through a mixture of theory and real-world practice, you’ll learn how to determine a dynamic mix of processes, which allow information delivery systems and users to carry out business effectively and efficiently. You’ll come to intuitively understand how an organisation’s information systems need to adapt to the changes and developments natural to growth and progress.

In addition to the compulsory business computing content you will learn about the underlying models and latest approaches used by companies in building successful eBusiness platforms.

Our course is designed for flexibility, so if you’re not sure which route you want to go down, 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, you can 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). 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.

Life sciences are at the forefront of modern science. With this degree you’ll have a mix of skills, in areas chosen by you, across a range of science streams. Recent employment research from several Research Councils has highlighted the need for graduates to have interdisciplinary skills and the ability to use the latest analytical and computational techniques. At Brunel, we’ve responded to this research, and our programme is designed to get you job ready. An example of this is the computational data analysis option which gives you the skills increasingly required by employers.

You’ll choose from a wide range of science subjects including biological, environmental, psychological and sport sciences. You’ll learn computational and statistical data analysis and quantitative research giving you the skill sets to work with big data sets – a fundamental part of modern science. You can even opt for modules such as languages and creative writing. You’ll graduate with a unique set of skills so that you’ll be ready to enter the world of work with a competitive edge.

What makes some nations rich and others poor? Are there some places on earth you just wouldn’t want to live? Is it just economics and leadership or are deeper factors at work? If you’d like to explore the answers to these questions, this course is for you.

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. Alongside this, with the Social Cohesion pathway you will delve into the pressing need to address social wellbeing.

Looking at the multiple challenges of economic hardship, unemployment, terrorism, and mass human migration, you will address the causes and consequences of social inequalities, and the ways in which they can be tackled.

In your first year you will explore global issues like capitalism, poverty, social injustice and social infrastructures as you start you to think critically about the influence of power in social inequality.

In your second year you will focus on social cohesion and social wellness and how it relates to the challenges associated with the migration of displaced peoples and the role cyberculture and cybersecurity. In your final year, you will study social conflict as you explore war, violence and human rights violations.

Throughout your course you will build your ability to work in teams as you build skills in project management, debates, 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.

At the end of the course, your knowledge of social issues and your problem solving capabilities will allow you to follow a career with a focus on making change for good.