Master of Science in Business Analytics

at Durham University United Kingdom

The MSci degree offers you the chance to also take research-based study in your fourth year. There are two types of MSci degree available via the Natural Sciences route:

• The MSci in Natural Sciences allows you to take modules from a range of subjects, but you would normally specialise in at least one of the following subjects in your fourth year: Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Mathematics and Physics.
• The MSci Joint Honours degrees are available in the following combinations: Biology and Chemistry, Biology and Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics, Computer Science and Mathemetics, and Mathematics and Physics.
• The two degrees above allows you the option of completing a replacement Year Abroad in Year 3. Note that the Year Abroad is competitive and so applicants cannot apply for these pathways through UCAS.

This course provides you with systematic knowledge and the tools to critically review the complex relationships between government and society at a variety of levels and in different contexts. It also enables you to evaluate in a sophisticated and critical fashion, theories and paradigms within the broad field of politics and international relations, and to draw lessons from empirical studies involving both quantitative and qualitative investigations.

It also aims to develop your ability to deploy research strategies and methods in an appropriately advanced fashion to critically evaluate research at the current limits of theoretical understanding, and to equip you with the ability to master complex political concepts and evaluate the significance of major developments in political thought in general as well as international relations theory.

This course provides an opportunity to develop an advanced knowledge of the law of the European Union, with particular emphasis upon its commercial aspects. If you are new to European law, there is a (compulsory) foundation course providing a solid grounding in the subject. Having completed your choice of taught modules, you will then undertake an extended dissertation on a European law topic of your choice, supervised by a member of staff with expertise in their chosen subject area.

Teaching is by a mixture of lectures and smaller, student-led, seminar or tutorial groups. The dissertation is pursued by independent research with individual supervision. Students attending the course are drawn from a broad range of countries, and their previous academic or professional experiences enrich the course.

The School is host to the Durham European Law Institute, and you are encouraged to participate in its many activities. The Library, which includes a European Documentation Centre, has extensive holdings of European materials.

Our Health and Human Sciences course synthesizes biological and evolutionary research into human genetics and physiology with comparative ethnographic approaches to the social, political, ideological and ecological contexts that shape health risks and treatments. This degree will equip you to critically debate discourse surrounding healthcare from an interdisciplinary, anthropological perspective that draws together local, regional and international scales of analysis.

The MA in Creative Writing is an exciting new course at Durham University. Taught by award-winning writers Dr Paul Batchelor, Dr Naomi Booth, Kayo Chingonyi, Professor Claire Harman, Sunjeev Sahota, and Dr Sam Riviere. This is an academically rigorous degree that will develop your practical knowledge of writing poetry and prose fiction. You will receive structured support through writing workshops and one-to-one tutorials in order to develop their own ideas. You will also study a broad range of literature from the 20th and 21st centuries, and produce new work in response.

The Music and Philosophy joint degree course at Durham enables you to pursue your interest in both disciplines, explore the fascinating intersection between them, and enjoy belonging to two particularly vibrant departments. In Philosophy, a wide selection of modules is on offer, addressing the most fundamental questions that arise in diverse areas of human concern, from religion and politics, to morality and the sciences. In Music, the learning of techniques such as harmony, counterpoint, and aural skills are juxtaposed with an investigation of the most up-to-date thinking in musicology, critical theory, composition (acoustic and electroacoustic), analysis, ethnomusicology, cognitive musicology, and performance.

Our MSc Finance programmes are designed to provide you with rigorous training at the frontier of research, as well as the advanced analytical and technical skills that are highly sought after by global employers and, if you wish to continue your studies, by world-leading PhD programmes.

Our MSc programmes have partnership status with the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFA). The CFA is the world’s premier association for investment professionals and the accepted benchmark for technical excellence in financial markets. It guarantees you benefit from a curriculum of the highest standards and enables you to participate in the CFA Global Investment Research Challenge, as well as CFA employer network events and scholarships.

The programme consists of a set of core and elective modules, culminating in a practice-based business project or a research-based dissertation.

The MA in Theology and Religion serves both the specific needs of those focussed on progressing towards doctoral research and also of those looking to continue relatively broad-based postgraduate studies in Theology and Religion, forexample in support of a career in teaching.

• Choice of one of the three core modules
• Three optional modules
• Dissertation.

The study of philosophy at Durham does not follow one particular school. The Department is unique in the UK in its wide-ranging expertise in anglo-american analytical philosophy and continental philosophy. Each of these has its own distinctive set of issues and approaches to resolving them. We also have special expertise in the philosophy of science, and social science, and the history of science and medicine. So at Durham, you will follow one of the widest-ranging philosophy degrees in the country.

At Durham, you will have the opportunity to study Philosophy as a Single Honours degree, or with another subject including: English, Music, Psychology, Politics or Theology. Philosophy can also be combined in a Joint Honours degree within the Natural Sciences course or as part of a Combined Honours degree.

Philosophy is a new subject for many students, so in your first year you will follow a range of introductory courses, introducing the fundamental philosophical subject areas.

Advances in fields such as Physics, Engineering, Earth Sciences or Finance are increasingly driven by experts in computational techniques. Notably, people skilled to write code for the most powerful computers in the world and skilled to process the biggest data sets in the world can truly make a difference.

The MSc in Scientific Computing and Data Analysis offers an application-focused course to deliver these skills with three interwoven strands:

• Computer Science underpinnings of scientific computing (algorithms, data structures, implementation techniques, and computer tool usage)
• Mathematical aspects of data analysis
• Implementation and application of fundamental techniques in a domain specialisation (presently astrophysics, particle physics, financial mathematics, or earth and environmental sciences).

MISCADA’s Astrophysics specialisation aims to equip students with the background needed to address some of the biggest research questions in fundamental science, such as how we can use large surveys and supercomputer simulations to probe the nature of the dark matter and dark energy. The courses include stellar structure and evolution, galaxy formation, large-scale structure and simulations of structure formation.