Master of Arts in International Social Welfare and Social Development

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

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.

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 course is designed for non-computing graduates who need to apply information technology to their current career, or want to change career direction. It 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.

Why choose this course?

• Study key areas of information technology including applications of web technologies, information systems strategy and emerging technologies
• Explore creative and innovative applications of technology  to real-world problems
• Develop your analytical, evaluative and problem-solving skills in relation to IT-based solutions
• Gain a thorough understanding of the social and legal aspects of the Information Technology field (e.g. British Computer Society Code of Conduct and Data Protection)
• Benefit from valuable experience of working on projects for real business, opening up new career opportunities in management, supervision or as a practitioner (eg database/IT developer or system designer/analyst) in industries which make substantial use of computers and information technology.

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.

Companies are reporting that business is becoming ever more competitive and that industries are becoming more volatile. In order to remain competitive businesses are looking for project management graduates who are able to work in a flexible, collaborative way in order to help provide innovative solutions to often complex and open-ended problems.

The ability of organisations to develop projects and deliver them successfully is becoming increasingly important and the management of these projects is a much sought after skill.

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

You will be challenged to develop awareness of your own skills and learning needs and will be encouraged to offer innovative and creative approaches to Project Management and business problem solving.

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

Offering the in-depth technical and professional training you need for a career as an information technologist, this course is run in collaboration with local companies so you gain real-world experience while studying.

In your first year, you develop the skills to study the specialist topics later in the course including an introduction to software; hardware and how computers are built; how computers work with databases; and Structured Query Language (NoSQL). You will also learn about software applications (such as Microsoft, Oracle and Java) and hardware installation, configuration and maintenance.

In year two, you focus on software design and development; how software and hardware work together; designing secure systems; and approaches for testing software.

Learning in your final year focuses on research methods and emerging technologies as you undertake an independent IT project.

Why choose this course?

• It offers in-depth technical and professional training, including CompTia, Security+ and CCNA, which are required to practise as an information technologist
• Throughout the course, you benefit from work-based learning projects and hands-on experience which prepare you to graduate as a professional
• You learn how a wide range of technology can be deployed to provide systems that support organisations to achieve their business objectives
• You develop the knowledge and skills to draw out user requirements from non-IT experts and transform these into implemented system-level designs
• You will be able to lead an IT project, using transferable skills such as effective collaboration and critical thinking
• Take the course over four years and include a professional placement year (see below) where you can gain experience, build your CV and make contacts for the future

If companies are to expand their business and be competitive, they must employ modern marketing techniques and integrate these into their organisational processes.

On this course you will study a full range of marketing practices combined with broader aspects of strategic marketing such as buyer behaviour, marketing international business, marketing and service management, and social media marketing.

Designed to help you become a highly effective manager and creative thinker, you will gain the conceptual, framework-focused, analytical, problem solving and research skills required to operate confidently in a dynamic environment.

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

Why choose this course?

• Study aspects of global brand communications and reputation, marketing in the digital landscape, intercultural issues in marketing, and strategy and brand management
• Develop your employability by undertaking a work placement with the opportunity to work on a live project to improve your team-working, negotiation skills, confidence and ability to apply critical and creative thinking to complex and unclear problems
• 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
• Explore how cultural and social differences affect buying behaviour, and discover how to use branding to compete in the global marketplace
• Gain an appreciation of the integrated nature of marketing communications and their application in a contemporary context

This course is ideal for computing graduates who want to prepare for a general career in IT without the need to specialise at this stage.
Subjects range from data modelling, embedded systems and systems architecture to intelligent agents, equipping you to fully understand the application of computing technology in real-world situations whilst gaining the practical business skills that employers seek.

Why choose this course?

• Study a broad range of IT disciplines including online database applications, intelligent agents, programming embedded systems, professional project management systems architecture, network systems, distributed and parallel architectures and cryptography and cryptanalysis
• Explore and analyse current trends in the continually expanding area of internet technologies including wireless internet and network configurations and enjoy opportunities to work with innovative distributed environments and architectures
• Develop practical and business skills necessary for a wide range of careers in IT from management to high-level web application development or system administration
• 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 equipping you for a career as an IT Consultant, Programmer, Systems/Business Analyst, in web development/web services or in further study on an MSc by Research, MPhil or PhD.

Supporting the requirements of the British Psychological Society’s Division of Forensic Psychology, this course focuses on developing the expertise and qualities you need to gain employment at a senior level.

On this comprehensive postgraduate course, you develop a systematic understanding and critical awareness of current problems in the field while gaining new insights into the theory and practice of forensic psychology.

It covers all core areas including criminal, investigative and legal psychology as well as victimology and forensic assessments. It also involves study in advanced research methods and professional skills.

The course gives you stage one training towards becoming a chartered psychologist.

Why choose this course?

• Develop your ability to communicate forensic-related material using appropriate methods of delivery to psychology and non-psychology professionals
• Gain a high level of knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research methods, allowing you to perform complex data analysis, interpretation, evaluation and synthesis
• Learn to show how a critical understanding of theory may guide the collection and interpretation of empirical data
• Benefit from an increased sense of personal responsibility and professionalism that will enable you to practise or conduct research within ethical guidelines
• Be aware of the requirements of equal opportunities and disabilities legislation