Master of Arts in Social Research

at Manchester Metropolitan University United Kingdom

From ancient civilizations and great empires, to terrible battles and the roots of our modern society, history is a vast landscape to explore and understand.

The past is part of our everyday lives, shaping our world profoundly. Study history and you won’t just learn about what happened in the past. You’ll develop a better understanding of the how and why of the events that make us who we are. In every period we study, our courses seek to develop different approaches and methods to understanding the past, embracing political, social, and cultural history. We foster the practice of history as an inclusive discipline, and recognise that powerful ideologies of race, gender and social status have shaped our past and our present. In other words – you won’t just discover the story, you’ll investigate and interpret its sources, impacts and meanings.

This degree program offers a roadmap for exploring the social and political landscape of human history. You’ll look at a huge variety of times and places – immersing yourself in wars, famine and poverty, charting technological leaps and social progress, and unearthing conspiracies, catastrophes and revolutions. And that’s just in your first year. In years two and three through your option unit choices, you'll have the opportunity to specialise and develop your interests further, and graduate with a degree title that reflects this: Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern, or American.

Staff researchers are constantly searching for new discoveries, fresh perspectives and unknown aspects of our history, bringing the past alive in the classroom. With this degree we give you the skills to understand the world and how this affects societal developments.

You may also have the opportunity to study abroad, including in the US, or spend your third year on placement in Britain or abroad.

In today’s digital world there are more ways than ever to reach out to consumers.

Finding creative solutions to advertising challenges is a sought-after skill. It’s not only about crafting attention-grabbing images and slogans. Your campaigns need to be grounded in advertising theory.

This course will ensure you have the strategic knowledge to support your creative thinking. And, with a range of options for placements and internships, you’ll be well on your way to an exciting career.

A perfect mix
You’ll explore every element of the advertising spectrum, from traditional print-based materials to digital media.

This course blends commercial, theoretical and creative units to give you the edge when you start work. Although it’s academically challenging, the practical nature of the course means you’ll be ready to create effective campaigns in various formats and media.

Learn about today’s advertising challenges and discover how to build brands. Specialise further with one of our option units to develop the skills you need for a career you’re passionate about.

Real-world skills
Your lecturers have experienced advertising experts, sharing real examples to bring the theory to life. With our enviable network, we bring in some of the industry’s leading figures as guest lecturers.

Test your new knowledge on units like the live client brief. Or, spend a year in industry to gain vital experience with real-life projects. Blend your creative skills with strategic awareness to create campaigns that get results.

Understanding the link between foods, diets, dietary patterns, nutrients, and physical health is paramount in the current environment. And that’s where nutritionists can help.

You’ll look at the issues that make the headlines and the topics that touch our everyday lives. Whilst our relationship with food has never had a higher profile in the public sphere, the food industry is constantly adapting to new consumer trends and developments.

Many dietary factors can influence a person’s health, and throughout our course, you’ll gain a working knowledge of a range of contemporary nutrition issues such as the origins of nutrition-related illnesses, the chemistry of food and dietary assessment.

You won’t simply learn the theory behind nutrition, you’ll explore how it works through practical sessions.

We have chemistry and microbiology laboratories, a taste panel suite, a product development kitchen, a bakery and food quality testing equipment. We also have the capability to produce and develop new food products, test and analyse them, taking them through to the packaging and labelling stage.

This creates a holistic approach to our teaching and means you gain real-life experience whilst studying with us.

Our nutritional sciences degree also provides the option of spending an extra year working in a partner organisation on placement.

Placement options

• If you choose the sandwich year degree route, you will spend Year 3 of your studies on a placement in industry.  Placement learning is a key element of the course as it allows you to apply university-based knowledge, skills and understanding to the real world of work.

BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology has an excellent reputation for producing menswear, womenswear and sportswear graduates who combine design innovation with an in-depth knowledge of the technical aspects of fashion design and manufacturing.

The course reflects contemporary industry standards and encourages students to design and develop innovative fashion products and ranges using both manual and digital technologies. Students work on live projects with industry partners and also have opportunity to undertake a placement and/or overseas study combined with a year in industry.

Students have the option to graduate with a Menswear, Womenswear or Sportswear award, by selecting specialist units in year two and three, or they can work across multiple specialisms. However, all students are encouraged to direct their learning towards specialized target markets such as luxury, outerwear, denim, tailoring, performance or lifestyle sportswear. The practical aspects of the course are underpinned by the study of the business and cultural contexts of fashion and consideration of sustainable industry practices.

Students work towards an exit portfolio that showcases their creative and technical skills appropriate to their chosen careers. While many graduates enter design roles, the technical aspects of the program also prepare students for other careers such as pattern cutting, fashion innovation and product development.

At the heart of the Manchester Writing School are our Master's programs in Creative Writing, available to study on campus in Manchester, and also from anywhere in the world via online distance learning.

On our Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program, you will explore and practice techniques and styles of modern and contemporary writing and apply these through the development of your own full-length book or script.

MFA students undertake all of the elements of our MA Creative Writing program (a taught element blending writing workshops with reading units, an elective, and a dissertation), then take an additional unit about the publishing, literary and arts industries and submit a full-length manuscript: a completed novel or short story collection, poetry collection, book for children or young adults, script for stage, screen or radio, or book of creative non-fiction.

You will be introduced to professionals from the publishing industries, which may include literary agents, publishers, broadcasters and arts practitioners, and the School has strong links with many major arts, educational and cultural organizations. Our MFA model is exceptional in coaching students through the development and completion of a full-length book under the sustained guidance of distinguished, practicing writers and seeing those students achieve success in publishing.

You will specialise in one of the following routes: Novel (including Short Fiction), Poetry, Writing for Children & Young Adults, Scriptwriting (for stage, screen or radio) or Creative Non-Fiction.

English and journalism have long been a strong partnership. Today, with the multimedia element, our Joint Honours Degree puts a modern spin on this most enduring of relationships.

This exciting course offers the chance to bring the former together with an up-to-the-minute, multimedia version of the latter, reflecting the demands of the modern media environment.

Today’s journalists are expected to operate across broadcast, print and online networks. With a broad range of units, we’ll give you all the skills you need to compete in this fast-moving world. You’ll learn from accomplished reporters and editors, drawing on extensive newsroom experience to give you industry-relevant understanding and insights.

You’ll also build a set of complementary skills through our range of English units, including critical and cultural theories, and textual analysis. Then when you get to your final year, you’ll have the chance to put those skills into practice – by tackling a substantial piece of project work, whether a portfolio of journalism or an extended piece of critical writing.

Along the way, you may have opportunities to study abroad and, if you wish, to do your third year as a placement - in Britain or abroad. You will be based in a lively department that is staffed by internationally renowned writers and critics, and there's a strong research culture, creating a learning environment that is both supportive and intellectually challenging.

Manchester has one of the biggest digital and creative sectors in the UK. With MediaCityUK, home to the BBC and ITV, it’s an ideal place for an ambitious journalist to build a network, gain experience and boost your career prospects.

Placement options
Placement opportunities may be available both in the UK and abroad, in a wide variety of roles.

Our dedicated placement team has developed excellent links with various industries. You will be offered support through a preparation program of activities, including guidance on selection procedures, working overseas, CV preparation, interview and selection techniques.

On this three-year course, you’ll explore topics from the structure of language and how speech sounds are expressed, to anatomy, the psychology behind our development, and the effects of politics on the provision of speech and language therapy in the community.

You won’t simply learn the theories and research behind how we communicate and why people have difficulties in communicating, you’ll also learn the practical skills you’ll need.

You’ll study the techniques, skills and methods used to assess, analyse and manage clients, such as using boards with symbols that children can point to or swallowing tests for adults who have suffered a stroke to determine the treatment they need.

You’ll complete clinical placements in each year of study. Past placements have included working in a hospital with adults who have had strokes, special educational needs (SEN) provision for teenagers in a secondary school, and in community clinics.

Based at the Manchester Metropolitan University Q-Step Centre in the Department of Sociology, this MSc approaches the study of quantitative methods in an innovative way. Right now, there is a demand for graduates with quantitative skills, and it is a demand our students are equipped to meet. Students studying on this MSc will be ready to pursue a career involving quantitative research skills within a diverse range of organisations. Students will also be prepared for doctoral study, which requires advanced skills on quantitative methods recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and other research councils.

The course focuses on the development and application of key quantitative methods and analytical techniques. It focuses on the use of quantitative methods within real-world contexts and a key aim is to develop graduates' career-ready skills in this field.

Manchester Met’s Q-Step Centre is recognised as a centre for excellence in the teaching and training of quantitative methods, with a national and global reputation for its pedagogy. It has innovative research partnerships with a range of local organisations, and the community research projects run by the centre look to build on current knowledge to develop new strategies, aimed at empowering and transforming communities.  You will be taught by research-active academics from Q-Step and other multidisciplinary research centres including Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU), Manchester Centre for Youth Studies, Big Data Centre in Sociology Department and this real-world research feeds directly into what they will be taught. The international research experience of the centre is embedded into the course content and delivery of the course is enhanced by incorporating cross-comparative survey data in lab activities and assessments. You will also have the opportunity to do your dissertation in collaboration with projects being carried out with these centres' international research partners. You will also be exposed to a variety of different perspectives and views within the discipline through lectures, seminars, talks and workshops delivered or co-delivered by international experts.

Placement options

• Placement-based dissertation, in which you will produce a piece of research on behalf of one of our partner organisations. We will help your source your placement.
• We work with over 25 partners across Greater Manchester to provide students with placements across diverse sectors.

There are few aspects of business more fundamental than people: they’re a vital ingredient of any organisation. It’s down to the HR professionals to deal with a vast range of business-critical issues, shaping workplace policies like redundancy, maternity leave and rewards, and supporting strategic decisions on areas like recruitment.

The best HR professionals have an in-depth understanding of how organisations operate and what the business objectives are – helping them advise employees and partner with the business.

We’ll help you explore the latest thinking in the subject, starting with first principles of managing people, analysing information and understanding behaviour. From there, you’ll expand into topics like managing across cultures and leading change. And, in your final year, you’ll also be able to pick your own subject as a research topic.

By the time you graduate, you won’t just have extensive knowledge of the role, you’ll also have a deeper understanding of the business and legislative landscape. In other words, you’ll leave ready to start your career in the world of HR.

Zoos play a crucial role in animal conservation. Whether they’re carrying out important research into animal behaviour, taking part in breeding programmes, educating the public or advising policymakers, they are important players in international conservation.

Study our masters in Zoo Conservation Biology and you can play your part too, as you develop expertise in the science which underpins the management and maintenance of captive populations and explore the links with species conservation on a worldwide scale.

The main core unit is Zoo Conservation, which we deliver with the help of our partners at Chester Zoo – giving you access to the zoo’s collections and facilities. Within the course, you can participate in a field course in Poland, Ecuador or East Africa or apply for a three-month work placement at a zoo or aquarium. Other core units, delivered at our Manchester campus, include practical techniques and analysis, statistics and research design and organismal genetics. Amongst a wide range of option units, you’ll also have the chance to specialise in subjects like species recovery and behavioural biology.

This all then feeds back into your research project, where you’ll combine your own data collection with background research and data analysis, and communicate your findings in a comprehensive dissertation.