Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Writing and Journalism

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

In this course you will acquire the skills and knowledge you will need to give your career in international social welfare and social development a global perspective.

Your studies will provide a broad level of understanding by exposing you to a variety of ways in which social welfare and development issues are approached in diverse contexts, including in the Global South.

Overall, the course focuses on social issues with an international dimension and includes topics such as human rights, social justice, human trafficking and humanitarian aid as well as on the intercultural competence and skills needed to work effectively in international contexts.

Why choose this course?

• Study, compare and evaluate different welfare regimes and indigenous responses to human need within a framework of equality and social justice
• Explore the ethical aspects of your subject including attention to power and anti-discriminatory practice
• Develop a comprehensive and critical understanding of the knowledge, theoretical and ethical underpinnings and approaches to international social work and social development in diverse global contexts
• Gain an in-depth knowledge and critical appreciation of research models and methods, and acquire a high level of skill in evaluating and undertaking research while working within a robust ethical framework
• Benefit from a programme that will give you the core skills, initiative and professionalism necessary to carry out direct work with clients in a range of settings, for example working for NGOs, governments, the UN or voluntary organisations.

This course offers global perspectives, theoretical foundations, ethics and practice skills equipping social welfare and social development professionals to respond effectively in diverse country contexts and make global-local connections. It aims to enable students to develop cultural competence and the ability to work effectively in different global contexts.

You will develop critical thinking, enquiry and analysis skills in response to human need encouraging reflectiveness, increasing self-awareness and questioning of models of practice. You will also develop team working skills as you will be exposed to multi-disciplinary and culturally diverse working, both through collaboration with other students and observing practice in community-based projects.

The course aims to equip students with the skills to carry out research and to understand the implications of research for practice. It also provides the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge of a specialist subject of your own choosing.

The practice skills element of the course enables students to apply theory to practice and to develop the core skills, initiative and professionalism necessary to carry out social welfare work in a range of settings including through NGOs, government or voluntary organisations.

This course examines key issues of media and communication, introducing principles of cultural theories and media research methods, providing a broader understanding of how different aspects of the media interconnect.

Why choose this course?

• Data Analytics Units covers a wide range of topics including programming, databases, security, project management and computer networking.
• This gives you both the underpinning theory and the ability to apply it to complex real-world problems, as well as an awareness of emerging technologies and developments.

This popular course offers you the opportunity to develop the skills you need to become an Art and Design professional in a supportive community environment. You will work with live briefs, public projects and industry partners including Luton Culture, Departure Lounge Gallery, The Hat Factory and MK Gallery.

Offering a balance of theory and practice, our BA (Hons) Art and Design ensures you develop a range of visual and creative skills while you gain insights into critical theory, the importance of context and contemporary professional practice. If you are unsure of your specialist field, it gives you the opportunity to experience several creative pathways including Art and Design practices; community arts; curating; arts management; arts advocacy; and further study towards a career working in art and design education.

You develop essential skills and knowledge in a variety of 2D, 3D, digital and time-based practices, and engage in critical aesthetic and conceptual debates. You explore visual, social, cultural, environmental and political diversity, expressed through your developing Art and Design practice.

You will become proficient in presenting work to professional standards, including project production, and will develop the skills needed to build relationships in the creative community including networking, exhibiting, and marketing.

Why choose this course?

• All course tutors are practising, internationally exhibiting artists
• You study both traditional disciplines such as drawing, painting and printmaking along with the latest techniques in photography, video and digital media
• You learn through practical workshop sessions, sustained practice in the studio and one-to-one tutorials as well as work-related opportunities
• You work independently, developing your ideas through to outcomes, showing you can select and use materials, processes and environments; research and analyse those ideas and outcomes; and make connections to wider contexts
• Learning is linked to ‘real world’ experience to prepare you for a career across a number of fields
• You are able to consider issues arising from the creative practitioner's relationship with audiences, clients, markets, environments, users, consumers, and/or participants
• Develop personal and practice-based skills such as management, communication and multi-agency working
• You can take the degree over four years with a placement year in industry (see below), which allows you to sample a field of practice, build your CV and make future contacts
• If you are returning to learning or need a launchpad into a degree course, you can opt for Art and Design with a Foundation Year (see below)
• You gain a qualification that will enhance your prospects of a fulfilling and exciting career in a wide range of creative industries. Our graduates have become practising artists and designers, teachers, arts administrators and art managers; they have also continued their studies, both locally and internationally

This course will further develop the knowledge and skills acquired during your undergraduate studies by enhancing your ability to understand the financial risk frameworks within a business and management context.

Along with the knowledge of financial markets, financial regulation and risk management required comprehending the operations and assessing the risks facing businesses, you will also further develop the necessary quantitative, research, and presentation skills required for a successful career.

Besides focusing on specific areas of financial markets, financial regulation and risk management, this course offers you a contextual understanding of the environment in which businesses operate and the place of financial risk management within a business.

There are six entry points through the year. This allows you to start at a time when it is most suitable for you.

In its structure this course recognises the importance of regulation in underpinning the world of financial reporting and its varied impact on published results and capital markets.

At the same time we realise that although knowledge of economic and finance is a necessary condition when trying to understand the world we live in, it needs to be applied in a concrete way in order to avoid consuming itself in analysing theoretical models.

Therefore, this course is structured in a way that uses risk management and financial theory as the driving force and at the same time it links its concepts with other pillars of knowledge through the holistic approach the global economic and financial environment require.

When you join this MSc course you will join a supportive and nurturing ‘community of inquiry’. Along with your peers you will develop a critical awareness of how research processes can be applied to the study of public health, an insight into the global drivers behind health system reform, and an appreciation of policy development and implementation in developed and developing nations.

This course is for you if you seek a career in public health. There are a range of career opportunities within public health, including public health analyst, public health program manager and public health specialist. The course can also act as a platform for postgraduate research (MPhil/PhD) study in public health and provides you with sufficient grounding for the UK Faculty of Public Health Part I examination. Upon completion of this course, all students become eligible to apply for fellow membership of the UK Royal Society for Public Health

Why choose this course?

• Study the principles of public health that are relevant to students from around the world, and boost your practical, critical and theoretical skills
• Explore your potential on a course that commences with two foundation units before moving onto specialist units that enable you to explore contemporary issues relating to public health policy. A final unit enables you to undertake a research project
• Develop an understanding of issues in public health principles and practice from local, national and international perspectives
• Gain an insight into the global drivers of reform in health systems and their potential impacts on future public health policy
• Benefit from a course that uses case-studies from around the world, and is based on the principle that medical professionals should improve health and prevent disease, not just provide treatment for those who are ill.

92% of our graduates are in work or PhD studies in different countries around the world. (DLHE, 2014).

All of our research is recognised as internationally excellent in impact, and the majority is world-leading (2014 Research Excellence Framework).

This course will help you to develop a critical understanding of how public health policy is developed and implemented in developed and developing countries and how the research process is applied in the study of public health. In addition, this course:

• Highlights the importance of public health and public health practice worldwide.
• Provides an in-depth understanding of health issues from local, national and global perspectives.
• Focuses on delivering research-informed teaching.
• Supports students in developing specialist expertise in public health which will enable them to improve public health and prevent disease, thereby bringing lasting change to the population’s health status.

With its strong emphasis on real-world and real-work experience, this industry-facing, entrepreneurial-focused course gives you the skills you need to achieve success in the business of film-making.

The degree offers a business-based approach to film production, providing you with the knowledge and expertise you need to establish a successful career in this fast-paced, exciting field. It is particularly relevant if you’re thinking of starting up your own film production company.

In your first year, you explore creating content; film production; and making images and sound. You go on to study essential skills such as freelancing; both fiction and non-fiction film-making; and writing for the screen. You also work independently on a special film project of your own choosing.

Why choose this course?

• It offers a unique 70/30 practice/theory balance
• Study in our industry-standard production and post-production studio facilities, giving you a head-start if you wish to set up your own production company
• It gives you the skills you need in digital technology to be an independent film-maker producing low-budget projects, corporate promotions, event profiles and much more
• Learn from an academic team with key roles in the British film industry, many of whom have made documentaries and dramas for TV, cinema and gallery exhibitions
• Take on real-work creative briefs from the local film community - including Luton Culture and Clearhead Productions - as well as our in-house agency Media Junction
• Develop key transferable skills such as critical and analytical thinking

More than ever before our lives are defined by the spaces in which we live, work and play, and interior architects are ground-breakers when it comes to creating experimental, imaginative and stimulating environments. This course will fire your imagination while giving you the skills and knowledge you need to follow this exciting career path.

Nowadays, people actively want the spaces they inhabit to serve their needs, reflect their personality, and offer ergonomic and environmental innovation. On this course, you explore the relationship between interior spaces, architectural forms and human experience and interaction, considering such aspects as space planning, scale, structure, colour, texture, lighting, branding and user experience.

The remit of a professional interior architect is wide so, while studying, you are encouraged to develop unique proposals for a range of environments, from bars, restaurants and theatres to workplaces, retail spaces and exhibitions. You focus on a number of commission areas including refurbishment, film and exhibition design, and virtual environments.

Where possible, design briefs are collaborative, with real sites, real clients and opportunities to network with professional practitioners, building your practical skills and giving you valuable experience in preparation for a career in the field.

Why choose this course?

• Develop a creative and critical understanding of building structure and fabric while studying the design of interior environments in urban, suburban and rural contexts
• Be able to interpret the different ways in which people, activities and places relate to and with each other
• Learn about the latest innovations used to solve contemporary design problems
• Explore specific specialist areas of the field such as anthropometrics, ergonomics, environmental control and sustainability, and orthographic representation
• Benefit from project-based teaching that covers 2D and 3D computer-aided design, digital image creation and manipulation, and video production and editing
• You have the option to take the course over four years and include a fee-free professional placement (see below) which will give you relevant experience, build your CV and offer networking opportunities for the future

After graduation of this course, you'll be producing quality journalism for audiences from the hyper-local to the global. You will have developed an internationalised approach, and be able to challenge specific cultural perspectives, deepening the quality of your analysis. This course will teach you to evaluate issues of media and international development, such as human rights and media structures and explore the latest academic and journalistic research technique

Why choose this course?

• Articulate your journalism across media platforms
• Produce a final project of your choice, either in the form of a journalistic portfolio or an academic dissertation
• Attend master classes and visit the BBC, The Guardian, Reuters, Bloomberg and others
• Interview top UK politicians, human rights lawyers and others visiting the university
• Data Analytics Units covers a wide range of topics including programming, databases, security, project management and computer networking, giving you both the underpinning theory and the ability to apply it to complex real-world problems, as well as an awareness of emerging technologies and developments

This course gives you the flexibility to develop your own practice, whilst working on cross-disciplinary projects and building a research and practice portfolio. The MA provides an exciting environment for you to develop your personal practice and Project management skills supported by established practitioner/tutors in your chosen field.

Why choose this course?

• A wide range of facilities with access to technical and digital media such laser-cutting, 3D printing, image processing software, moving image software, high definition photographic equipment and high-quality photo screen-printing.
• A teaching and learning strategy that is aimed at giving a robust focus to your artistic or design practice.
• Dedicated studio space for you to work, access to workshops and technical support
• Collaboration and guiding undergraduate students hands-on practical
• One-to-one contact with staff with an emphasis on your personal creative development and Project management. Personal tutor in your discipline

We have taught Television Production for over a decade and in this time we have developed close links with the factual and entertainment TV industries. We are proud to say our graduates are now working on some of the top programmes and films in the UK and US.

This is a highly practical course which covers a broad area of television production and is suitable for those who have no prior experience of studying television at university.

You will be hands-on in our multi-camera TV studio and on location using a variety of camera, sound and lighting equipment. You will also be taught the post production process and will be encouraged to develop, produce and screen your own programming as part of your learning at Bedfordshire.

At the end of your time with us, you will be a multi-skilled, industry-ready practitioner. Employability is a core feature of this course. It is our job to help you break into TV and we will help you to develop industry links and find paid work or internships during your time with us.

Why choose this course?

• Our course will give you a solid grounding in all aspects of TV production; from producing to production management, from camerawork to editing. You will be taught by lecturers who have been working at the highest level in the television industry and with their help you will make your own industry contacts and start to make your first steps into the television industry while studying on the course.
• You will have access to thousands of pounds worth of high-end production kit including cameras, lights, sound recorders, rigs, edit suites, O.B. kit and, of course, our multi-camera TV studio. Aside from assignment production work, you will also get the opportunity to produce and broadcast your own programming online and on social-media via our in-house TV station BedsTV.