Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information and Data Systems

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

Increasing expectations of ‘anytime, anywhere’ access to network facilities (whether from desktop, laptop, smart phone or tablet) means a constant demand for new networking protocols and technologies to keep up with the needs of a technologically reliant society.

This course is designed to give you knowledge of both wired and wireless technology to enable you to enter a career in this fast-paced industry.

Why choose this course?

• Study with staff active in networking and security research on a course with a balance of focus on wired and wireless technologies, working with a 64-node cluster, and other state-of-the-art equipment including virtualised environments as you advance your knowledge of both theoretical and practical challenges related to grid-computing
• Explore areas including network systems, computer security, networking administration and management, wireless networking, distributed parallel architectures, advanced security countermeasures, professional project management and emerging technologies
• Develop skills related to distributed networks (such as distributed and parallel architectures), ideal if you aim to pursue a career in networking, either in management or network set-up
• Gain in-depth skills in network management and administration (allowing you to work as a Network Manager) including essential security aspects, grid-computing and fault tolerance
• Benefit from developing expertise including components of professional qualifications such as CompTIA Linux+ and EC-Council CEH - equipping you for a career as a Network Engineer/Architect, in IT Support, as a Systems Analyst or Systems/Network Designer or in further study on an MSc by Research, MPhil or PhD.

If you have a passion for photography, this course gives you the knowledge, skills and techniques you need for a successful career in the field, whether your dream lies in fashion, advertising, animation, scientific and medical, or local studio photography.

Gain the practical skills and theoretical knowledge of both traditional and digital photographic formats on a course that includes darkroom techniques; medium- and large-format photography; studio photography; stop-motion techniques; and event and location photography.

See your images come to life collaborating on projects with students from other degrees such as fashion, animation, art and graphic design. Every day is different, whether working on location or in our airy, open-plan studios at Alexon House, formerly home to a leading UK fashion house.

Why choose this course?

• Explore the ways a professional photographer works alongside other professions in the creative industries such as fashion designers, art directors, graphic designers and animators
• Learn from leading professionals in photography and design who exhibit internationally and work with clients including The Sunday Times, Mack Books and international design magazines such as Eye Magazine
• Amass a professional-standard body of work and a network of contacts through events, exhibitions and industry-based opportunities
• Learn how to use social media and other digital platforms to promote your work
• Develop your personal communication and entrepreneurial skills so you enter the world of work with confidence
• Take the course over four years and include a year’s placement in industry, building your experience and creating contacts for the future
• If you need to step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year which guarantees entry to the undergraduate course

In following this Master’s course, you develop the essential knowledge, attributes and professional skills you need to pursue or further your career in operational forensic casework.

The forensic industry is highly competitive, requiring skilled professionals across diverse fields including pathology, toxicology, drug analysis, fire-debris analysis, wildlife crime, microbial forensics, forensic genetics and document analysis. This course prepares you to meet the needs of the industry and enter a career in areas related to civil and criminal investigation as well as wider science- or research-based positions.

On the course, you develop your theoretical understanding and practical experience alongside your skills in analysing and evaluating your findings. You also learn how to communicate these findings to a variety of audiences, including other scientists, the court and the media. Units may include forensic chromatography; evaluation and presentation of evidence; forensic spectroscopy; and biological advances.

Why choose this course?

•  Learn from staff with experience in operational forensic casework. Develop your practical skills through hands-on experience in our exceptional laboratory facilities, including a Scenes of Crime Laboratory.
• Study a course informed by the latest research, ensuring you are aware of current and emerging developments in this specialist field.
• Gain a qualification, the skills and the knowledge to meet the wide-ranging needs of the forensic and other science-based industries, making you well-placed to enter a career in a number of specialised fields.
• Develop strong research skills for form the basis of those required for study at PhD level. Benefit from the University’s strong links to external stakeholders in the forensic industry and related organisations and practice sectors.
• Take up career opportunities that could include forensic consultancies; government agencies; related industries; and research and development

 This course gives you an advanced understanding of molecular and computational biologies as well as the microbiological techniques at the forefront of technological developments in the field. It opens the door to a career in the biotechnology and allied industries.

Modern biotechnology is a hugely complex subject, drawing from a range of fields and technologies. On this course, you learn the latest new technologies in key areas; gain insights into how they are used in the global biotechnology industry; and discover how microbes can be used on an industrial scale to benefit humankind.

You also hone your research skills with a laboratory-based project in one of five taught areas: molecular biology; computational biology; applied microbiology; analytical biology; and biomaterials.

Why choose this course?

• Study the latest developments in applied microbiology and computational biology in high-quality, broad-based classes taught by dedicated staff with research experience in specialist subject areas
• Explore the latest technologies in molecular biology and the industrial processes that are used to exploit microbes for specific products and applications
• Develop the ability to use information from relevant sources, and independently and critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship
• Gain the ability to use assured, accurate and fluent language to present your work, and learn to develop graphs and images that clearly illustrate complex points
• Benefit from a wide knowledge base and the key transferable skills that will give you the opportunity to take your career to new heights
• Take the part-time pathway option to better fit study around your work and family commitments

Sustainability management is fast becoming a key driving force in shaping organisational strategy as companies are under pressure to compete in the Green Economy.

This course focuses on the relationship between the economic ambitions of businesses and the necessity to meet the growing global concern to meet sustainability agendas.

Through a combination of academic study and working with industry on real sustainability-related problems, you will develop the personal and professional skills you need to be a key player in this global, knowledge-based economy.

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

• Study the core areas of sustainability within the corporate sector, and logistics management and its relationship with sustainability
• Gain intimate knowledge of the structural issues companies and counties face when implementing a sustainability agenda.
• Develop advanced knowledge of organisational approaches to sustainability as well as of government policies and the critical capabilities to apply theory to complex issues
• Explore your enterprise, creativity and independence – the skills required by employers - through your dissertation unit
• Develop your employability by undertaking a work placement with the opportunity to work on a live project
• Benefit from studying with a Business School that has partners across the world enabling you to examine the cross-culture perspectives essential to organisations in the global markets

The international tourism industry continues to grow and flourish increasing the need for senior planners and managers with the skills to tackle a broad range of global management issues.

From heritage, cultural, social, environmental and political matters, to questions concerning strategic management and sustainable development, this course will provide you with a critical overview of the subject.

You will gain the knowledge and skills to understand the role of critical evaluation techniques and decision-making strategies necessary to establish yourself and thrive in a senior management role.

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

Why choose this course?

• Study major aspects and developments in international tourism and how these may be positively reflected in management practice
• Explore the interconnectedness of international tourism within its economic, technological, socio-cultural, psychological and political contexts, and deepen your knowledge of the effects of tourism on the environment
• Develop your knowledge of academic frameworks, theories and understandings within the policy and professional practice environment of tourist enterprises and business
• Gain access to high-quality research through our Institute for Tourism Research (INTOUR) and draw on numerous practical projects and case studies from a range of national and international organisations in the commercial, public and third sectors
• Benefit from our extensive links with industry, many of which provide opportunities for internships and possible employment.
• 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 programs.

This course is integrative, blending accounting and business finance theory to solve problems faced by managers on a daily basis. You will also further develop the necessary quantitative, research, and presentation skills required for successful career in business or further academic study.

Your studies will be enhanced by the integration of theory and practice into those situations where vital financial decisions have to be made.

Why choose this course?

• Benefit from a wide range of teaching experiences such as lectures, seminars, and workshops, fieldwork, practice weeks, external visits, on-line activities, individual and group work tasks and invited guest speakers from the tourism and aviation industry.
• Learn through a range of integrated, project based activities which will set the tourism and aviation industry in the context of business.
• Investigate the sensitive and positive effects cultures have on tourism and aviation. In your final year, we start to elaborate on the sustainable aspects of international tourism.
• Benefit from teaching informed by research and professional practice that our tutors draw upon to illustrate current issues in the tourism and aviation industry globally.

This course gives you the chance to study for a business degree with a potential accreditation* from a leading professional body in marketing.

If you have a committed interest in studying marketing as a major part of your degree experiences and see yourself developing a marketing-oriented career.

It will equip you for a career in marketing management where marketing knowledge combined with general business and soft skills in management are seen as a great advantage, and where your capability will see you comfortable in operating in many different task environments.

Why choose this course?

In order to remain competitive international businesses are looking for graduates who are able to work in a flexible, collaborative way in order to help provide innovative marketing solutions to often complex and open-ended problems.

This course is specifically designed to enable you to develop these skills through an exciting programme that links academic theory and real world business projects in realistic business and marketing settings.

Studying this course will help you to gain an insight into the reality of business and marketing that goes beyond what is discussed in the text books and will help you to engage with potential employers in a much more meaningful way

The course follows a hands-on practical approach, where you will work on a number of games and related creative technology projects over the duration.

The creation and production of computer games has grown to become a huge industry. According to the Entertainment Researchers Association UK consumers spent over £4.2 million on games in 2020, far more than was spent on video (including streaming services) and more than double that spent on music. As a result, there is a growing need for talented individuals to fill technical and creative positions in the sector.

The course is part of the Creative Technologies cluster in the School of Computer Science and Technology and is closely related to the degree course BSc (Hons) Computer Animation and Visual Effects which shares some of the teaching and technology.

In addition to the £40 million STEM building, you will also have the chance to work in our specialist creative technologies and game development labs, and use a range of cutting edge technologies such as motion capture, green screen, VR and XR to develop your practice and build a professional portfolio.

In the first year, you will learn a variety of relevant techniques including, programming or 2d graphics for games and learn to research the market and generate ideas for original games – you will also be involved in making games from the start and will develop your game ideas into playable demos.

From the second year onwards, you’ll select an area of specialism from Games Programming, Games Design or Games Graphics

Why choose this course?

• Learn how computer game assets such as environments, character models and animation are created and integrated into code
• Study in passionate, dynamic groups as you get to grips with commercially relevant software tools such as 3ds Max and Visual Studio
• Develop your team working and project coordinating skills as you produce code and software
• Gain experience with motion capture rigs, facial scanners and 3D sculpting
• Explore the latest developments in mobile, tablet, web and social media gaming
• Challenge yourself by solving complex problems and presenting new game concepts and ideas
• Benefit from personal development planning which will help you research companies, discuss your future plans and apply for jobs

In the pharmaceutical industry, there is a real need for skilled graduates with up-to-the-minute understanding of this fast-evolving field. This course gives you the knowledge you need to be a professional scientist, able to work in areas where there are significant skills gaps.

This BSc (Hons) degree integrates the development of drug, cosmetic and hygiene products with emerging areas such as systems biology, pharmacogenetics and translational medicine – areas which directly address the needs of the UK pharmaceutical industry.

Drawing on the School of Life Sciences’ established strengths in biomedical research, the course starts by giving you a common core of chemical, biomedical and pharmaceutical knowledge. The emphasis then shifts to deeper study of areas such as medicinal chemistry; drug discovery; drug development; and pharmacology. You also explore business aspects of the pharmaceutical and associated industries, looking at how science has evolved to meet current industry demands.

Why choose this course?

• Benefit from a degree that trains you in both the traditional areas of pharmaceutical research and new, emerging areas important for the future of the pharmaceutical industry
• Follow a career in a field that is one of the most research-led in the UK and includes pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agrochemicals and veterinary medicine
• Gain a sought-after qualification in an area - such as systems pharmacology and medicinal chemistry – where a projected major skills gap has been identified
• Study a curriculum aligned to the areas of need identified by the British Pharmacological Society, including public health science and healthcare policy
• Gain valuable work experience through the School of Life Sciences’ strong links to the clinical and industrial sectors
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year in industry, gaining work experience, building your CV and making contacts for the future
• If you need to step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year which guarantees a place on the degree course