Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Health and Social Care

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

This is a course for our times, responding to the challenges of globalization. The degree will challenge those from the UK and beyond to think past their national perspectives. To get the full story you need to transcend geographical borders and traditional divisions.

Today's big stories are complex, simultaneously political, economic, hyper-local and global. You will learn about transnational organisations, critique theories relating to the role of the media and globalisation and practice journalism across various media platforms.

Why choose this course?

• Study with professionals from the industry, including alumni of this course, who will share practice examples, give you tips on entering the industry and help you develop your network
• Explore career options in regional, national and transnational reporting, or as a political, economic and foreign correspondent as you develop into a rounded journalist capable of seeing the whole 'global' story
• Develop your resourcefulness and enterprise – with an ability to identify and pursue stories and to challenge, test and critique evidence, while adhering to ethical codes of conduct
• Gain first-hand knowledge, by visiting national and/or international news organisations such as Reuters and Bloomberg, as well as UK/EU parliaments; work on the University community radio station and student newspaper or gain experience with local and regional newspapers and radio stations
• Benefit from a degree that gives you relevant transferable skills in publishing, copywriting, public relations, in-house press office positions, teaching, sports journalism, media research and digital media production, or enable you to continue to an MPhil or PhD research degree

As the science of life and living organisms, there’s never been a more important time to study Biological Science. It touches almost every aspect of modern life, from developing drug and immune treatments to cloning and climate change.

This course gives you a wide understanding and knowledge of this exciting specialist field. You begin with a foundation in microbiology, cellular chemistry and anatomy before progressing to biochemistry and biotechnology; human health and environment; the application of biology in industry; and the impact of human population growth on our environment. In your final year, you develop your knowledge of the biochemical and biological mechanisms related to health and disease, exploring areas such as pathopharmacology, immunology, and cell and molecular biology.

The course also helps you evaluate and confidently discuss the ethical issues around biological developments like cloning and the Human Genome Project.

In your final year, you undertake your own research project, under the guidance of the Biological Science team, all of whom are actively involved in research themselves.

Why choose this course?

• It’s a leading-edge course, exploring the impact of the latest advances in areas such as biotechnology and medicine
• You are taught in our state-of-the-art laboratories, within the University’s new, centrally placed STEM building
• Our Biological Science team has over 30 years’ experience and are involved in a range of research projects from environmental science and cancer treatment to biophysical analysis of proteins and drug interactions
• The course offers a broad-based training so you’ll graduate with key transferable skills like critical thinking, review writing, data interpretation and communication
• It opens up a variety of possible career paths, not only in science-related industries but in education, scientific sales and marketing, and technical media

This two-year Master’s gives you the high-quality pharmacological training, knowledge and skills you need to work in the field of drug discovery and development alongside teaching you valuable IT skills in data analytics.

The development of safe and effective new drugs is a challenging and rewarding field. On this course, you acquire a broad knowledge of drug discovery and development, focusing on the mechanisms of drug action at molecular level; the treatment of human diseases; and the latest cell and molecular technologies used in pharmacology. You also have the opportunity to specialise in one research area through the completion of a laboratory research project.

The Data Analytics units cover a range of topics including programming; databases; security; project management; and computer networking. You also learn how to apply your IT knowledge and skills to complex real-world problems as well as emerging technologies and developments.

Why choose this course?

• Study the principles of drug design, pre-clinical evaluation, clinical trials, regulatory affairs and the application of new technologies in the drug discovery and development process
• Explore the latest therapeutic concepts and principles relating to the causes, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases in current clinical practice
• Develop a systematic understanding and critical awareness of new technologies in cell and molecular biology
• Work with our expert academic team, who are actively involved in research so you are up to the minute when it comes to current and emerging developments in the field
• Gain a wide range of valuable practical and transferable skills as well as the ability to apply data analytics to problems and developments in the pharmacological field
• Progress into careers in drug research and development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, the NHS and other public organisations

This two-year Master’s gives you the high-quality pharmacological training, knowledge and skills you need to work in the field of drug discovery and development alongside teaching you valuable skills in project management.

The development of safe and effective new drugs is a challenging and rewarding field. On this course, you acquire a broad knowledge of drug discovery and development, focusing on the mechanisms of drug action at molecular level; the treatment of human diseases; and the latest cell and molecular technologies used in pharmacology. You also have the opportunity to specialise in one research area through the completion of a laboratory research project.

The Project Management units include leading and managing organisational resources; personal professional development; and developing independent research. You build your ability to implement plans, overcome obstacles and achieve change in a project, organisation or in your own performance.

Why choose this course?

• Study the principles of drug design, pre-clinical evaluation, clinical trials, regulatory affairs and the application of new technologies in the drug discovery and development process
• Explore the latest therapeutic concepts and principles relating to the causes, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases in current clinical practice
• Develop a systematic understanding and critical awareness of new technologies in cell and molecular biology
• Work with our expert academic team, who are actively involved in research so you are up to the minute when it comes to current and emerging developments in the field
• Gain a wide range of valuable practical and transferable skills as well as the ability to apply project management skills to problems and developments in the pharmacological field
• Progress into careers in drug research and development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, the NHS and other public organisations; your project management skills are also relevant across a wide range of other sectors

This BA (Hons) Psychology course explores how professional psychologists use evidence-based practice to make a difference in people’s lives. It also introduces you to the psychological theories that explain human thoughts, emotions and behaviour.

The course shows how applying psychological knowledge can help us better understand and explain human behaviour. You learn about the key approaches - cognitive, social, developmental, biological, individual-difference psychology – as well as investigating psychological theories; historical and conceptual issues; and research methods.

In your final year, you complete a literature-based Honours project.

Why choose this course?

• Apply theory to real-life situations so you understand how psychology works in the real world
• Explore different perspectives on issues and problems, and learn to evaluate them in a critical manner
• Learn with an academic team actively involved in leading-edge research, activity which feeds back directly into your learning
• Benefit from studying in our modern facilities with a range of up-to-the-minute equipment to aid your learning
• Develop skills highly valued by potential employers such as the ability to conduct research, manage projects, problem solving, critical analysis, communication and team-working
• Use your degree to move on to postgraduate education and training to become a chartered psychologist, or specialise in a specific field such as forensic or health psychology
• It can open doors to a career in research, the prison service, police, social services, the mental health sector, business and HR, and teaching

This 2 year Master’s courses will give you the opportunity to be awarded a subject specific degree in Project Management with Data Analytics.

The course will improve your knowledge and skills to manage projects effectively in the commercial, public and third sectors (including the voluntary sector). You will learn from your experience of managing real projects by critically assessing a range of project management methodologies, tools and techniques.

The Data Analytics units cover 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.

Why choose this course?

• 2 year subject specific degree with data analytics.
• During this course you will learn from your experience of managing real projects by critically assessing a range of project management methodologies, tools and techniques.

The BSc Marketing with International Tourism Management course aims to enable you to develop the necessary skills for, and knowledge, practice and understanding of, the tourism industry.

You will become a self-directed, self-regulated reflexive learner, using an awareness of opportunities for careers or further study in the tourism industry.

With a good grounding in business and marketing the course offers students an industry focus in tourism management with good employment opportunities across a range of employment opportunities in both marketing and tourism roles.

This inter-disciplinary course combines key subject areas of business, marketing and tourism management in a practice-oriented way that allows you to develop a deep theoretical understanding and practical knowledge of tourism marketing and management.

The University of Bedfordshire is a member of The Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE). ATHE is the subject association for tourism in higher education in the UK. It represents universities that are leading providers of tourism programmes.

Why choose this course?

• Benefit from a course that opens up career opportunities as a business and conference organiser, outdoor activities/education manager, theme park marketing manager, tourist information centre manager, travel agency manager, tour operator marketing manager, hotel and leisure marketing manager, and offers access to a wide choice of further study.
• Learn essential skills for careers in the tourism industry, in a department with close links to local tourism, hospitality and business organisations.
• Study areas including: intercultural management in tourism, tourism and society, critical issue in tourism and hospitality, business practice, marketing, consumer behaviour and marketing communications through a combination of classroom-based learning and fieldwork activities.
• Gain additional insights through field trips to local and international organisations facilitated by your Department.
• Explore the relevant theory and research areas and learn how to apply them through practice, when you will work on real-life briefs and case studies.

How can we understand, intervene and promote health and wellbeing across the course of life? Health psychology works to answer this question, looking towards the interaction of psychological, social and biological factors to understand health and illness.

Health psychology moves away from the medicalisation of health and illness. Instead, on this course, you take a more whole-person approach to understanding health and illness, studying social issues and aspects such as obesity, lifestyle and stress. Taught by an academic team actively involved in research in the field, you benefit from their up-to-the-minute knowledge and research skills.

This course forms stage one of the training you need to become a chartered psychologist member of the Division of Health Psychology within the British Psychological Society.

Why choose this course?

• Gain new insights into the theory and practice of health psychology
• Learn to show how the links between scientific theory and practice can guide the collection and interpretation of empirical data
• Develop a systematic understanding and critical awareness of current problems in the field
• Gain confident knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods which will allow you to perform complex data analysis, interpretation, evaluation and synthesis
• Develop your competence in a range of techniques including multivariate analyses
• Benefit from a strong sense of personal responsibility and professionalism that will enable you to practise or conduct research within ethical guidelines

On this Master’s course, you learn how biotechnology and engineering can be used to treat human disease, exploring areas of biological science that offer clear commercial applications for future healthcare developments.

Biomedical engineering is at the forefront of medical research, advancing our understanding of biology and improving healthcare. As a professional in this field, you will be able to use biotechnology and engineering to create new products and medicines aimed at solving a wide range of medical problems.

When you join this course, you start by learning about new technologies in cell and molecular biology before focusing on genomic and systems’ data; cell visualisation; and protein localisation in cells and tissues. You also study methods to create three-dimensional cultures and tissues.

Why choose this course?

• Benefit from a wide choice of laboratory-based research projects using state-of-the-art technologies and instruments
• Study with a research-active academic team who possess wide-ranging research experience in each subject area
• Benefit from the expertise of visiting specialists from external academic institutions, industry or government agencies
• Develop the ability to synthesise and use information from relevant sources, independently and critically evaluating current research and advanced scholarship
• Gain the practical, hands-on knowledge and expertise that will equip you to work within emerging areas of the biotech and pharmaceutical industries

Develop the skills and confidence to deliver real-world, research-informed health and social care, on a degree course that opens up a wide range of career roles.

This course gives you a broad understanding of contemporary health and social care and its application in the wider social, policy, legal and organisational environment, both within the UK and internationally.

Areas of study incorporate sociology, public health, law and the human services. In your second and third years, follow your interests with optional units in mental health, disability, safeguarding, addictions, human rights and care of older people. In your final year, undertake an independent research project, with the support of our experienced academic team.

There is a strong vocational focus, ensuring you develop transferable, employability-enhancing skills. Take this course over four years and include a fee-free one-year placement in industry* where you gain practical experience, build your CV and meet potential future employers.

Why choose this course?

• Understand and confidently apply evidence-based theory to practice, delivering excellent health and social care outcomes to all those who access these services
• Study with an academic team who have wide experience in the field and are actively involved in health and social care research
• Benefit from the opportunities offering by the University of Bedfordshire’s new Health & Social Care Academy, run in partnership with local councils and NHS Trusts, to recruit and train health and social care workers
• Take the course with a placement year (see below) and benefit from our wide range of relevant placement opportunities including roles in research assistance, social media and community advocacy as well as internships
• If you need to step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the undergraduate course
• The course opens up career paths within local authorities, public health, civil service, social enterprises and the NHS as well as in the private and not-for-profit sectors
• Our Health and Social Care course received a 91% satisfaction rate in the National Student Survey 2020