Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Culture and Technology

at Royal Holloway,University of London United Kingdom

We cover all the essentials of application development, from programming to software engineering, databases to web development, computer graphics to robotics, and information security. You will also explore the fundamentals of computing – what computers do, and how efficiently they do it – and learn about a host of advanced technologies, from computer games, digital sound and music, to concurrent and parallel programming, machine learning, bioinformatics, the internet of things, computational finance and more. From the outset you will be experimenting with programming games, robots, Gadgeteer kits, Subversion, JUnit testing, Scrum-based Agile software and more, in our well-equipped laboratories.

We are a highly respected, research-focused department with a friendly approach and award-winning teaching. We offer a short-term summer work placement course and a dedicated personal adviser to guide you through your studies. You will also be welcome to join our thriving Computing Society. We are one of only seven departments in the UK to hold the Athena SWAN bronze award for increasing female participation in computer science.

The course’s modular structure gives you the flexibility to tailor your degree to your interests. We also offer you the opportunity to follow a specialist pathway that matches your career ambitions. At the end of year 1 you will have the option of transferring onto one of these pathways (Artificial Intelligence, Information Security or Distributed & Networked Computing), as well as onto a year-in-industry course, or onto our longer and more advanced integrated masters course. Transferring onto our Software Engineering pathway requires previous programming experience and early permission to take the Software Development course in year 1, rather than Object-oriented Programming.

• A flexible degree structure allows you to keep your options open and follow your study interests and career ambitions.
• You will acquire problem modelling and analysis techniques, as well as knowledge of and practical experience in modern software-development methodologies and techniques.
• You will develop extensive team-work skills, excellent coding skills, good communication skills, and a strong professional ethos.
• You will have access to a very wide range of optional modules, including those highlighted in the specialist pathways.

In recent years, businesses of all sizes, across all major industry sectors have become project-based. Those projects can now easily span different companies, regions, time zones, and integrate diverse knowledge bases and disciplines. And business, services and governments are looking for teams that can plan, coordinate and control both the output and underlying processes of a project, made up of individuals who can make a powerful contribution to the decision making involved.

On our one-year Project Management MSc you’ll learn how to apply project management principles across a range of disciplines and business sectors, from fashion and film to the charity sector; from the sciences to working in government. We’ll equip you with practical tools and skills, plus an understanding of the academic theories underpinning them, to set you up on your future career path.

We place a strong emphasis on the scientific and technological revolutions underway and the process of technological convergence, which have had a major impact on both the older established engineering industries and the younger electronics, wireless, computer, media and creative industries and internet-based start-ups.

You’ll learn from highly experienced practitioners, including CEOs and senior executives with experience across a range of industries including manufacturing, electronics, finance, media and major consultancies (like PwC and AD Little Inc). These industry connections have informed the content and design of the course, in a way that will not only build on your existing knowledge and experience, but increase your chances of finding employment at a salary level higher than the graduate national average wage in your chosen sector.

The Centre for Professional Studies was founded in 2013, recognising that international industries, firms, organisations and governments are demanding exceptional candidates who have the knowledge base and practical skills to finance, manage and execute processes and projects successfully. It’s our ethos to combine academic excellence with industry related knowledge and expertise.

• Acquire the tools to succeed in today’s workplace, from applied management to financial and leadership skills in order to plan, design, execute and deliver projects on time and on budget
• You’ll gain the practical and academic qualifications to meet demands of employers across competitive global markets, including the industry-recognised PRINCE2 qualification.
• You’ll learn from highly experienced practitioners and senior executives with portfolios covering both complex, multi-disciplinary projects and small, bespoke interventions in niche sectors.

Instagram created new visual cultures, LinkedIn created new employment spheres, and Twitter has changed the way we discuss politics. The creative industries are the UK’s fastest-growing economic sector, worth £71.4 billion a year and making up 5.6% of the work force (Department of Culture, Media & Sport, 2014), and within the creative industries, digital media looks set to grow the fastest over the next few years. Opportunities are everywhere.

A unique collaboration between the Department of Media Arts and Department of Computer Science, this three-year Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree will introduce you to all the key elements of digital media culture and technology, with a focus on the creative and cultural aspects in your course options for years 2 and 3. It will equip you for an exciting career in this ground-breaking field, giving you the critical and creative skills to excel in media production and an appreciation of the technologies that make it all work. The courses modular structure gives you the flexibility to tailor your studies to your own interests.

We don't just teach surface readings of today's social media, we give you an understanding from the ground up. We will help you to harness the power of digital media cultures and work with the latest, emerging forms of social media. This degree is an innovative collaboration between the Department of Media Arts and Department of Computer Science to enable you to learn from the experts in coding, design and data analytics that form the technical basis of today's digital communications. We put heavy emphasis on project-based learning and regular industry involvement. Our broad curriculum will also prepare you for more advanced study in either media arts of computer science, or related fields if you decide to progress within academia.

• Emphasis on project-based learning.
• Industry involvement from our outstanding networks.
• Use our 24-7 media arts facilities.
• Study how social media works on both aesthetic and technical levels.
• Alternative BA (P300) pathway available wholly taught in the Department of Media Arts.

Equipped with Artificial Intelligence techniques, today’s systems can teach themselves to perform tasks almost as well as humans can. This degree provides you with the foundational knowledge and the practical skills required to operate with these disruptive technologies.

• Benefit from strong industry ties, with close proximity to ‘England’s Silicon Valley’
• Graduate with a Master's degree leading to excellent graduate employability prospects.
• Tailor your learning with a wide range of engaging optional modules
• Choose from a one-year program structure or add an optional year in industry

Our lives are shaped and mediated by the digital. Social platforms, streaming and viral media, personalisation algorithms, gaming and creative digital content have changed what it means to be a human today. This innovative degree will allow you to become an expert in the practices and cultures of digital media and to understand how they have transformed almost every industry. It will also give you the industry-standard skills to create the best digital media content in the world and prepare you for a flourishing career in the creative digital industries.

The creative industries are the UK’s fastest-growing economic sector, worth £71.4 billion a year and making up 5.6% of the work force (Department of Culture, Media & Sport), and within the creative industries, digital media looks set to grow the fastest over the next few years. Opportunities are everywhere and this degree will equip you for an exciting career in this ground-breaking field, giving you the critical and creative skills to excel in media production and an appreciation of the technologies that make it all go round.

We want you each to define and go in your own direction. Our students graduate to work in communication and social media, video games, music, TV and film, events, academia, journalism and many other fields. With digital skills–the richest currency in the world of employment today–you can take your degree in any direction you want. With that in mind, we create bespoke tailored degree pathways so that you can study the things you love and care about and develop the skills you want. Our first year gives you a taster of everything, from interactive storytelling, film-making and digital journalism to creative code, web and game design and media theory. In years two and three you can choose from a wide selection of modules to tailor your degree to your interests.

Our degree enables you to learn how media works on a number of levels that form the basis of today's digital communications. We put heavy emphasis on project-based learning and regular industry involvement and as a member of our community you can take advantage of our vast network of connections. Our broad curriculum will also prepare you for more advanced study in media arts or related fields if you decide to progress within academia.

• Emphasis on project-based learning.
• Alternative BSc (P304) pathway available taught in collaboration with the Department of Computer Science.
• Study how digital media works on both aesthetic and technical levels.
• Industry involvement from our outstanding networks.
• Immersion in 24-7 state-of-the-art media arts facilities.

Our two-year Information Security program with a year in industry will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to join the rapidly expanding field of information security. We will prepare you to work at the forefront of some of the most exciting developments in 21st-century technology. You will gain first-hand experience of working in professional teams and applying your academic studies to real-world problems and scenarios. The mass creation, transmission, and storage of electronic data is one of the defining features of our age. Whilst the associated technologies bring us untold benefits, they also expose us to threats that require the specialist skills and experience of cyber security experts.

Our postgraduate Information Security programs were the first of their kind in the world. They are certified by GCHQ, the UK Government Communications Headquarters, and led by academics and industrial partners in one of the largest and most established Information Security Groups in the world. Our groundbreaking ISG is a UK Academic Centre of Excellence for research and home to an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber security.

In year 1 you will learn about cryptography, fraud detection, system security, network security, device security and all the technical, legal and commercial aspects of the industry, including how security itself should be managed. Your second year will include a full-time work placement, which will attract a salary and be assessed towards your final degree. On returning to campus you will complete a supervised dissertation on a topic of your choice. If you decide not to complete the second year you can revert to the standard MSc Information Security (1221) and complete your dissertation a year early to graduate at the end of year 1.

Our academic staff are renowned specialists in the field, with backgrounds in computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics and social sciences. You will have access to our virtualisation software for experimenting with network security settings and ideas, as well as our Penetration Testing Laboratory and industry-sponsored Smart Card Centre.

We offer a friendly, supportive learning environment and you will have a dedicated personal advisor to guide you through your studies. The skills you gain will provide a solid foundation if you wish to progress to a PhD. Our graduates are in demand for their cutting-edge grasp of the field, their first-hand work experience, and their transferable skills such as data handling, analysis, problem solving, research, time management, team working, self-motivation and professionalism.

• You will join a worldwide network as one of over 4,000 alumni information security professionals
• Equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to work at a high level in the information security industry or pursue further postgraduate research.
• Benefit from first-hand experience of the world of work during your assessed year in industry.
• Our strong ties with industry mean we understand the needs of employers and our curriculum will ensure that you are well prepared for employment.

BA Politics and International Relations looks at political ideas and processes, as well as global issues such as war and security, diplomacy and development.

You will gain a solid foundation in politics, the history of international relations and IR theory, studying subjects such as democracy, decolonisation, democratisation, international organisations, foreign-policy making, human migration and human rights. As you progress through the degree, the flexible nature of the course allows you to specialise in those aspects of domestic politics, political theory and international relations that most interest you.

By combining Politics and International Relations, you will gain an advanced understanding of how individuals, groups and states interact across borders, and how political institutions and ideas differ around the world.  As you progress through your studies, you will engage with important contemporary challenges, including, for example, the recent global economic crisis, changes in the European Union, human migration and the threats posed by terrorists and new communications technologies.

The Department of Politics and International Relations has a strong commitment to high-quality, cutting-edge research, all of which informs our teaching. We are a research community that applies various theories and methods to the study of domestic, transnational, regional and global politics.  We have expertise in African, British, Chinese, European, Middle East, North American and South Asian politics, and our research covers areas such as security, democratisation, youth politics, international diplomacy and political communication, as well as contemporary and radical theories of democracy and power.

• Learn how to approach problems in a rigorous and analytical way.
• Gain a solid foundation in politics, the history of international relations and IR theory.
• Our graduates pursue roles in many sectors including the civil service, public affairs and law.
• Consider contemporary challenges, such as terrorism, climate change and refugees.
• Work placement opportunities at MPs’ offices, NGOs and local government.

Economics is one of the most influential and liveliest disciplines in today's world, affecting the lives and fortunes of everyone on the planet. This course offers a complete education in the theories and methods of economics, with a strong focus on analytical methods. The knowledge and transferable skills gained will lead to excellent career prospects in public and private management, financial institutions and in government.

Through this course you will develop an in-depth understanding of economics at all levels – from the company to the state, and beyond; you will learn to appreciate and apply the core theories of micro and macroeconomics; gain important quantitative and computing skills that are widely applicable as well as skills and experience in logical and philosophical reasoning.

Our balanced approach to research and teaching guarantees high quality teaching from subject leaders, cutting edge materials and intellectually challenging debates. Our courses follow a coherent and developmental structure which we combined with an effective and flexible approach to study.

• In depth understanding of most recent economic theories.
• Economics is everywhere from business to beauty.
• Understand game theory and how decisions are made.
• Opportunity to undertake a placement year in business.

Gain a thorough grounding in the basis, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease by studying Biomedical Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London.

This comprehensive course will prepare you to join the ranks of biomedical researchers at the forefront of human health investigation. You’ll study biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, molecular biology and genetics before choosing from a range of optional modules in years 2 and 3, allowing you to specialise and follow your own particular interests.

As a 2nd and 3rd-year student, you’ll receive specialist teaching from local health professionals, allowing you to learn more about subjects including neuroscience and clinical diagnosis of disease. You’ll have the option to embark on a lab-based individual research project in your 3rd year, joining a renowned research culture that has seen former students contribute to published scientific papers.

You’ll benefit from a recent £16 million investment in state-of-the-art equipment for bioinformatics, mass spectrometry and protein and gene sequencing, as well as our excellent imaging facilities, including confocal laser scanning microscopes for 3D live-cell imaging.

Through your studies you will gain an impressive portfolio of transferable skills, making you an attractive prospect for potential employers. Invaluable lab experience, specialist learning and communication skills will help you to join our alumni in sectors including medical research, biotechnology and clinical trials coordination.

• Explore the function and integration of selected human physiological systems in normal physiology and disease.
• Become familiar with molecular biology techniques.
• Develop an understanding of the theory, technology, and clinical practice of human molecular genetics.
• Carry out an individual laboratory or theoretical investigation under supervision.

The interactions between humans and our physical world are fascinating, from our responses to the physical features and phenomena of our planet to the interplay between regional geographical characteristics and the cultures that call those regions home. Study Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London and you’ll enjoy a universal subject, exploring topics including social development, patterns of trade and how geographic factors interact with both one another and human goals.

This adaptable course lets you choose from a range of optional modules to suit your preferences in years 2 and 3, from Political Geography to Global Warming to Post-Capitalist Cities. Fieldwork is a key part of the experience of doing Geography at Royal Holloway. As well as being excellent research training, our extensive programme of fieldwork helps bring the department together as a real community. The department offers a substantial and exciting range of field trips in the UK and overseas. Current locations include Cyprus, Spain, Malawi, Sicily, London and New York. The cost of the Year 1 fieldtrip to Spain is included in the student fee.

You’ll benefit from a renowned research culture, with the highest quality research and teaching in a supportive learning environment. You’ll acquire a broad range of skills and knowledge to take into your future career or further study and Geography graduates enjoy excellent employability prospects in a range of fields.

Study Geography at Royal Holloway at you’ll have access to state-of-the-art equipment, including world-class facilities for GIS, image analysis, advanced cartography and the physical and chemical analysis of soils, sediments and water.

Pursue your passion for Geography with us and graduate in a strong position to enjoy a rewarding career.