Master of Arts in Childhood and Youth - Applied Perspectives

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

Economies are increasingly global. With this degree - designed to give you the knowledge and skills to manage a business effectively in the global context - show potential employers that you understand how business operates on an international scale.

Alongside traditional business skills and disciplines such as strategy, human resource management, finance, operations and marketing, you will acquire global skills via units such as international economics, global marketing, and Intercultural awareness in business.

In your final year you are supported in finding a placement which delivers invaluable international experience, as well as credit towards your degree, as you apply your learning to project work in a live setting.

Why choose this course?
This innovative and interdisciplinary course will help you to gain the skills and knowledge required in key business disciplines coupled with a broader global business perspective. The course provides you with a deeper appreciation of the roles and relationships of businesses in an international context, together with the specific operational and strategic issues, challenges and opportunities that businesses face when they start operating at an international level.

You will also gain a working understanding of foundational concepts in the key functional and operational areas, including business management, business research, marketing, finance, accounting, operations management, human resource management, interpersonal and collaborative communication skills, covering important aspects of working in an international and multi-cultural environment.

The course offers a rich learning experience

• Is highly vocational with a focus on knowledge and understanding of business organisations from a global perspective;
• Focuses on both large and small organisational contexts;
• Instils a high level of professionalism from the outset;
• Has a strong theoretical base in each unit;
• Develops interpersonal and collaborative communication skills
• Includes a supervised final year dissertation involving an individually conducted research element;
• Provides further opportunity for professional development in a work placement relevant to international business
• Has small class interactive teaching environments;
• Focuses on hard and soft management skills for the 21st century

Choose International Business at Bedfordshire and

• Learn through lectures, seminars and workshops, plus projects, research exercises, presentations, and case study analyses with a focus on using your knowledge and understanding in practice
• Study business management, business research, marketing, finance, accounting, operations management and human resource management
• Develop your communication and collaborative skills as well as a recognisable high level of professionalism, enabling you to fit in and be effective from day one
• Gain an understanding of the roles and relationships of businesses in the international arena, and the specific operational and strategic issues, challenges and opportunities that they face at an international level
• Explore opportunities for further postgraduate and professional study
• Benefit from a degree which gives you understanding of global business operations, analytical and problem-solving skills, and personal effectiveness and credibility when working across cultures in international teams – attributes which are highly attractive to potential employers

From global extravaganzas like the Olympics to regional music and food festivals, the events-related industry is growing at an incredible rate so needs specialist managers who can apply their skills to this field.

On this course you will study the project management and strategy needed for successful events and tourism management while examining the cultural impact of tourism and strategies to ensure the long-term success of an events and tourism commercial enterprise.

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

Why choose this course?

• Learn a range of management practices that are integral to the management of events whilst at the same time recognising the importance of the inter-relationships of a range of business functions and the impact they have on the management approach to ensure commercial success in the longer term
• Gain the knowledge and expertise required by event management companies, special production organisers, festival managers and corporate leisure services and exhibition venues
• Study industry-related scenarios and realistic simulations to understand the practice of managing events, and develop the problem-solving and decision-making skills you will need to succeed in your career.
• Explore academic theory relating to tourism, leisure and events, with a particular focus on problem-solving and decision-making which will enable you to sharpen your critical thinking and creativity in analysis, synthesis and appraisal.
• Develop and apply the skills of critical evaluation as you become a self-directed, independent, reflexive learner
• 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

Law plays a key role in all aspects of our lives. Whether at work or play law governs our behaviour and gives shape to government, business and personal relationships.

Our LLB Law with Psychology course will provide you with key communication and research skills. Alongside the core topics which satisfy the Foundation of Legal Knowledge requirements of the Law Society and the Bar Council, you will study key psychology topics such as psychology and criminal behaviour, psychology and mental health and critical social psychology.

Our law graduates leave us as articulate, knowledgeable and work ready individuals with a range of transferable skills to pursue a career in law, management, HR, the public sector, education and many other areas.

Why choose this course?

• Graduating with an LLB from the University of Bedfordshire is the first step on your journey towards becoming a solicitor or a barrister
• Learn the Foundation legal skills alongside key aspects of Psychology, such as Psychology and Criminal Behaviour; Psychology and Mental Health and Critical Social Psychology, then use and explore them in further units to develop your proficiency and competence even further
• Study law within the broader economic, social, political, historical, ethical and cultural environment of specific areas of legal knowledge
• Develop your advocacy skills in our newly refurbished courtroom giving you confidence in a realistic setting
• Gain skills in critical analysis, research, teamwork, use of language and argument and the ability to work and learn independently
• Explore your ability to present arguments in a way that others can understand
• Challenge yourself with a demanding but valuable qualification highly regarded by employers which is accredited by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Bar Regulation Board
• Teaching on the LLB Law with Psychology is done by a dedicated team of staff who combine world leading research with professional experience in the legal industry and the criminal justice system

This course offers you the opportunity to develop a particular strength in the management of international business issues. You will focus on strategic areas of management, international business, intercultural competencies, brand management, and financial management, all framed by the lens of developing patterns of world trade and the global marketplace.

You will develop the skills required to adopt appropriate strategic responses to different market environments through the study of and working with an organisation. You will also understand and experience at first hand the impact of contextual forces on international organisations, including the management functions of business such as corporate and brand reputation, corporate governance and ethical, economic and environmental change issues.

You will develop your knowledge of the financing of organisations including the sources, uses and management of finance and the use of accounting for managerial and financial reporting. You will also study and experience the management and development of people in organisations within a cross-cultural context, the use of relevant communications within the global economy.

You will appreciate how cultural differences affect both buying behaviour and marketing approaches. As well as specific knowledge relating to international business, you will develop enhanced personal and interpersonal skills through work experience in a professional placement. These include critical thinking, team working, problem solving, numeracy and quantitative skills, self-management and negotiation skills.

The placement will provide the basis for the delivery of the Business Placement Dissertation and comprise one block of study on Campus preparing for the project in the organisation followed by four blocks of study in the organisation and a final block back in the University to complete the write up. The project will be fully academically supervised throughout the six blocks of study.

Open doors to a vast range of careers in the rapidly growing tourism industry – from airlines to hotels, business and conference centres to eco-tourism destinations, the possibilities are almost endless.

This International Tourism Management course offers a sandwich year placement in the UK or abroad, giving you the chance to explore potential careers.

Your studies will focus on global issues such as the development and management of sustainable tourism and some of the most pressing issues in international tourism management, including the impact of new technology on travel, tourism and mobility, the environmental, economic and social impacts of tourism.

You will enjoy field trips  to tourist destinations or attractions, and an opportunity to specialise in visitor attractions, air transport, sports tourism or events 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?

• Learn the skills needed to enter careers in a wide range of UK or international tourism management settings
• Study theory and practice in difference branches of tourism, including visitor attractions, air transport, heritage and sustainable tourism
• Develop your understanding of the industry, with a final year work placement in the UK or abroad, with the opportunity to develop additional foreign language skills
• Gain knowledge of strategic management of tourism-related businesses
• Explore a range of potential career options with companies like tour operators, destination management companies, airlines and major hotel chains
• Benefit from a course that opens up diverse career opportunities in a fast-growing industry, including in international tourism development, tour operations, air transport management, destination management, business development and marketing, as well as a range of further study opportunities.

Business touches almost every aspect of our world and this degree is designed specifically to meet the needs of modern business, opening up a wide range of rewarding careers. It also adapts to suit your goals, with options to specialise in specific business fields in your third year.

This course combines academic theory with practical real-world business projects, giving you experience of a spectrum of organisational roles. Making extensive use of the most up-to-date technology, you produce business plans and market analyses while developing the skills to tackle a range of business problems.

Over three years, you gain skills in problem-solving, work analysis, presentation, team-working, communication and critical thinking, all of which give you the potential to be a rounded, capable manager.

Computer Science is a complex and wide-ranging subject, and includes the study of computation theory, the design of systems and artificial intelligence.

This course shares its first stage with our other related BSc degrees to give you a foundation in the subject while providing a platform for specialist study in the second and third stages.

You will concentrate on essential areas such as systems architecture and security, acquire practical programming, modelling and software development skills before focusing on a chosen specialist area for your final stage project.

Why choose this course?
MSc in Computer Science is an ideal course for computing graduates who want to continue studying computing technology but are looking to explore a wide area in computer science without the need to focus (solely) on one particular subject at this stage. The course is therefore ideal for those students who want to keep their career options open. A range of topics from Networking and Data Modelling to Smart Technologies will be studied which will equip you to fully understand the application of computing technology in real-world situations. You will also do a MSc final project to demonstrate a deep and systematic understanding of a selected area within computer science, including theoretical and methodological approaches issues at the forefront of research or professional practice in that area.

Models of work are constantly evolving, but one thing does not change: people still need to be recruited, trained, motivated and paid to meet an organisation's requirements. If your interests lie in effective people management, this course puts you on the right path.

You begin your journey with a thorough grounding in business before exploring the many aspects of human resource management (HRM): professional practice; leadership and motivation; creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship; business systems including international business; selection and recruitment; employee relations; and employment law.

Learn from expert tutors as you carry out practical projects that emulate working as a professional manager, and develop your practical experience with an optional year’s paid work placement in a HRM role.

In your final year, study strategic HRM, examining real firms with a view to solving people problems, and carry out an independent research project.

Why choose this course?

• Develop your understanding of how HRM works with other business disciplines, knowledge that will enable you to fit into numerous types of organisation in the future - private, public or not-for-profit
• Learn from experts in their field, active within the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), and in both consultancy and research
• Challenge yourself with an optional sandwich year placement after your second year.
• If you want to step up into higher education, we also offer a degree path with an initial Foundation Year (see below)
• Equip yourself with a range of subject-specific and transferable skills suited to a career in specialist human management roles or professional business and management environments, both national and international

“The University has offered me numerous opportunities to develop my skills and expand my network, and has constantly pushed me outside of my comfort zone, helping me become a real HR professional. My lecturers have always been supportive and understanding, and put great effort into communicating with us. All in all, these have been the most important three years of my life!”

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.

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.