Master of Science in International Tourism Planning and Management

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

From online behavioural marketing to in-game advertising, and from SMS marketing to app-based adverts, digital marketing has revolutionised the way advertisers sell and consumers buy. And as the established major players and ambitious start-ups continue to develop and expand the landscape, so a ‘digital skills gap’ has appeared, both in the UK and internationally.

This course aims to help fill that gap by providing you with the knowledge and expertise you will need to make an impact in this rapidly expanding global industry.

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

Why choose this course?

• Learn the theoretical and practical skills that are demanded by the world’s leading digital marketers
• Study with seasoned professionals, academics and practicing experts, focusing on areas such as Marketing Data Analysis and Marketing Communications
• Develop your entrepreneurial expertise through seminars, workshops, project work and our well-established links with the local digital community
• Gain an understanding of the strategic knowledge and skills you will need to make effective business decisions and become a successful digital professional
• Explore the innovative creative concepts that are driving the latest global digital success stories, and develop the confidence to take your own imaginative ‘leaps of faith’
• Challenge yourself as you study the theory and practice behind audience behaviour and what make consumers buy (or not buy) products and services
• Benefit from studying at a university with recognised expertise in ‘Big Data’, and a campus that is home to Phase 1 of the award-winning MK Data Hub

This professionally accredited course provides a direct route to a professional qualification in accounting, opening up a rewarding career in accountancy or in an accounting role in business.

The course gives you a comprehensive knowledge of the main ideas, concepts and principles of accounting and finance, as well as the skills to apply your knowledge to individuals, businesses, institutions and governments.

Using the latest technology, you begin by studying business practice and the business environment in which accountants operate before proceeding to corporate and business law; data analysis; and the advanced study of management accounting, taxation, financial management and auditing.

The course is accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Association of International Accountants (AIA).

Why choose this course?

• ACCA awards exemptions from its F1 to F9 papers for students successfully completing relevant course units – the maximum ACCA exemptions available at undergraduate level
• Graduates successfully completing relevant course units are also eligible for exemptions from the AIA’s Foundation level and Professional level 1 papers
• A professional qualification in accountancy is a gateway to a range of careers in accounting, finance and banking at professional accounting firms; small and large private-sector companies; and not-for-profit organisations
• Take the course over four years and include a fee-free year in industry (see below) when you can gain experience and make contacts for the future
• If you need a step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the undergraduate degree

The MSc Social Work provides you with the opportunity to gain a professional qualification in social work at masters' level. This is a generic social work qualification that equips students with the skills, ethical principles, deep knowledge, critical awareness and reflexivity needed to pursue a career in social work in any field.

Successful students are eligible to apply to the social work regulator Social Work England SWE for professional registration.

On this practice-based social work course, your studies will be supervised by experienced practitioners, and you can expect an induction, a protected workload and a study day most weeks while on placement.

All placements are under constant development with our employer partners, and you may be eligible for a Social Work bursary administered by the NHS Business Services Authority

Why choose this course?

• Study the knowledge, skills and attributes necessary for social work practice at qualification level with adults and children in the private, voluntary and independent sectors.
• Explore the role of social work, its inter-relationship with other disciplines and the ethical base for practice where initiative is balanced with accountability to employers, the profession, service-users and carers.
• Develop a deep and systematic understanding of current theoretical and methodological approaches and acquire the skills necessary for analytical research-informed practice.
• Gain skills in critical reflexivity and emotional literacy which underpin collaborative social work practice and proactive professional development.
• Benefit from classroom and placement activities which will enable you to develop collaborative and communication abilities that can be applied to complex problem-solving tasks.

Approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), this course offers students a rewarding career path. In addition to gaining a postgraduate qualification, successful students will be eligible to apply for professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and when registered will be able to pursue a professional social work career in a range of settings.

On this practice-based social work course, your studies will be supervised by experienced practitioners, and you can expect an induction, a protected workload and a study day most weeks while on placement.

If you’re interested in a career in forensic science, we have a crime scene for you! A unique mix of biosciences and criminal psychology, our degree course offers you the opportunity for practical forensic processing in our crime scene facility.

Technological advances have made the role of the forensic scientist – the expert who collects, preserves and analyses evidence - increasingly important in crime investigation, and also in other fields such as archaeology.

The course starts with an introduction to psychology and the sciences relevant to forensics, followed by more detailed applied forensics including the preparation of evidence for court, pathology, medical physiology and haematology. You’ll also study the most recent advances in DNA analysis, toxicology, criminal psychology, and fire and explosive analysis.

Why choose this course?

• The Forensic Science team includes international experts in the psychology of criminal behaviour and forensics experts from a variety of operational backgrounds
• Our teaching is rated as ‘Excellent’ by the QAA and the team is part of a highly experienced department that has run biological science courses for over 30 years
• You’ll study in a specialist forensic laboratory, with key laboratory skills incorporated into most of the taught units, especially your final-year research project
• You’ll learn the skills and techniques needed to evaluate a real-life crime scene in our scene-of-crime lab, designed to resemble an 'normal' flat
• There’s the option to take the course over four years and include a year’s work placement (see below) to gain experience and industry contacts
• If you’d like to step-up into higher education, you can take an introductory Foundation Year (see below), which guarantees entry to the Undergraduate course

    "Studying forensic science with Bedfordshire has been an awesome, inspiring experience, with lecturers who are specialists with industry experience in the areas they teach. I highly recommend anyone wishing to study this subject with Beds to 'Go 4 it'."

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

The MBA (Finance) is a flagship qualification designed to meet the needs and aspirations of early career individuals through the combination of a general management education with the specialist area of Finance.

It is designed for individuals who want to develop their leadership and management skills along with their interest in Finance and for those seeking fast track career progression opportunities.

This postgraduate degree aims to enhance your professional prospects by developing your capability to apply the latest thinking relating to organisational development and change in the competitive global context. Successful completion of the MBA (Finance) highlights your potential to have a real impact on the transformation of the organisation you join.

Our courses are designed to be engaging, attractive and flexible in the current global marketplace. There are six entry points through the year. This allows you to start when it is most suitable.

Your course takes place over three semesters. Depending upon when you join the course, this will determine the order of units which you will study. You will benefit by beginning your studies with others who started at one of the earlier points of entry.

Why choose this course?

• The course adopts a practical and applied business curriculum and aims to develop an advanced knowledge of organisations and their effective management in the dynamic competitive global context, and the ability to creatively apply this knowledge and understanding to complex issues to systematically and innovatively enhance strategic business and management practice.
• This offers a challenging learning opportunity to encourage the integration of theory and practice supported by experienced academics with substantial management experience.
• You will work with academics and professors of practice on live consultancy projects with leading employers in organisations across private, public and not-for-profit sectors to support your personal and professional development as a creative and innovative leader with the knowledge and skills needed in the global, knowledge-based economy.
• You will develop the attributes and skills expected of post-graduates confirmed by partner industry bodies including the Chartered Management Institute and the Confederation of British Industry, including team-working, negotiation skills, leadership, confidence and the ability to apply critical and creative thinking to complex and unclear problems to develop innovative solutions

Marketing graduates, with understanding of the dynamics of modern business marketing, are highly employable, and this professionally-accredited degree will ensure you are up-to-date with developments in communications, digital and social media as well as essential business functions like finance, HRM and operations.

Marketing embraces psychology, consumer behaviour, management, innovation, sociology and popular culture and is central to life in the 21st century.

After studying buyer behaviour, marketing data analysis, branding, competition, and media and communications, you will combine it all in practical assignments.

Why choose this course?

• Learn from staff with extensive industry experience as you engage with real marketing projects
• Study the latest marketing developments ensuring you graduate with up-to-date knowledge
• Develop your career opportunities with an optional placement and links to industry practitioners
• Gain knowledge of marketing and communications areas including management, marketing in contemporary contexts, marketing data and international business
• Explore a range of potential career options including sales, brand management, business development, market research, communications and customer liaison
• Benefit from studying a degree accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), with an optional placement (sandwich) year.

In each year of study, you will be involved in  practical marketing projects from real companies and you will interact with professional practitioners, allowing you to engage with theory and practice and encourage you to make links between your studies and workplace practice.

This provides you with an understanding of modern business marketing and will ensure that you are up-to-date with developments in communications, digital and social media, as well as business functions like finance, HRM and operations.

Our professionally-accredited course will provide you with the opportunity to take the Introductory Certificate in Marketing qualification awarded by the renowned Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), with further exemption opportunities for the CIM Professional Certificate and CIM Professional Diploma.

After graduation, this could provide a great way to start your marketing career and save you time and money towards your professional marketing qualification

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?

• Project Management Units covers a wide range of Project functional areas so that you become knowledgeable and effective managers

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

In today’s visual world, it’s not just actors who perform on screen. Many other professionals are called on to present themselves in front of a camera. This course will build your screen performance skills to make sure you stand out from the competition.

Through a mixture of work-based learning and theory, this postgraduate course develops your communication, presentation and acting skills so you can perform confidently and to a professional standard before the camera.

It is intended for people who may need to perform or present in sectors such as performance, journalism, politics or business, and who might have some previous experience in acting, presenting and public speaking.

Why choose this course?

• Develop your individual performance skills based on up-to-date practices and techniques of working before the camera.
• Gain the confidence to communicate your ideas with clarity and promote your screen performance skills within the media industry enabling you to stand out from the competition
• Build professional contacts from participating in a range of different masterclasses run by experts working within the media industry making you well-placed to take up work placements or employment within established casting/production companies, or to audition for screen-based productions.
• Learn how to operate recording and editing facilities to support the final presentation of your showreel
• Benefit from a course where you graduate with a showreel of a professional standard which showcases your skills and personal approach to screen performance and is tailored to cover a gap in the screen-based media market.