Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Special Effects Modelmaking for Film and Television

at University of Bolton United Kingdom

Our BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work degree offers dual accreditation from two nationally-recognised professional bodies. Recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) and endorsed by the Endorsement Standards Board for Community Development (ESB) and National Youth Agency (NYA), it involves 800 hours of fieldwork practice. Work-based learning through fieldwork placements, and academic studies that support the development of knowledge and skills for practice, are central to this course.

The core values of community development and youth work are at the heart of this degree. Our passionate and knowledgeable staff will guide you to explore issues such as social education, social policy, community engagement, politics, globalisation, social justice, equality and diversity, social history, housing and homelessness. You'll also be supported to develop key transferable skills such as communication, self-awareness and time management.

Fieldwork placements or work-based learning could be in a number of distinct settings that work to improve the lives of people in communities and young people, preparing you to adapt to the changing environments in which you may be employed in future.

Highlights

• The University of Bolton’s BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work degree is the first in the North West to be professionally recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee for Youth Work, as validated by the National Youth Agency (NYA) and the Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development (ESB).
• The course has been designed in consultation with employers, ensuring the relevance of the skills and knowledge gained by graduates.
• Extensive work placements mean you can amass hundreds of hours of practical and professional community development and youth work experience.
• Our excellent links with over 70 partners and external agencies means we can offer a wide variety of placements; for instance, in youth and community centres, schools, alternative education projects, women's refuges and community projects, or housing, health, leisure and youth training schemes, resettlement projects, and detached, outreach and mentoring projects.
• You have the chance to graduate with a wide range of practical and transferable skills that apply in all kinds of social, professional and academic areas.

Key Features

• Our programme gives you the chance to enjoy extensive practice-based experience at each level of your studies.
• You’ll have access to excellent academic and pastoral support from teaching staff who are also experienced professionals in community development and youth work.
• Throughout the course, we’ll support and encourage you as you develop your understanding and articulation of the key theories of personal and social change affecting young people and communities today.
• Specialists in the field of community development and youth work join us as guest speakers and lecturers throughout the course.
• If by the end of semester 1 you decide that you don’t want the professional endorsements, or your circumstances change, you can transfer to our parallel course – the BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Studies.

Professional recognition

• The University of Bolton’s BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Endorsed Route) is professionally recognised by the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) for Youth Work (as validated by the National Youth Agency (NYA)) and the Endorsement and Quality Standards Board for Community Development (ESB).
• Successful achievement of the BA (Hons) Community Development and Youth Work (Endorsed Route) confers professionally qualified status for youth workers in England.

A recent survey of 9.2 million job adverts found that just over one in ten roles required data expertise (1). Across the economic spectrum, there is a growing need for professionals who can unlock the potential of data, turning raw information into actionable insight. From healthcare, government and public services to marketing, telecommunications and the energy sector, data skills are highly transferable between industries. It doesn’t matter what your background area of expertise is, the University of Bolton's MSc Data Analytics and Technologies: Extended is open to everyone wishing to launch their career in data analysis, data visualisation and the technologies that underpin these essential business activities.

Supporting you to become the ‘complete package’
Employers are not looking for ‘robots’ that process data – they are looking for well-rounded human beings with a combination of high-level technical expertise and essential interpersonal and employability skills, such as leadership, communication, critical thinking, team working and problem-solving. We draw expertise from across the University to ensure you gain the vital mix of hard and soft skills necessary for career success. In addition, our extensive links with regional and national employers offer opportunities for masterclasses, networking and individual industry-based projects. Overall, this course offers you the opportunity to develop extensive knowledge of data analytics and a broad grounding in technology solutions, coupled with essential skills development for business and leadership. Together these attributes will take your CV to the next level.

Mastering the data
Our experts will support you as you develop an extensive knowledge of data analysis principles and methods and gain a broad grounding in technology solutions. We’ll focus on high-impact areas such as digital marketing and how the culture of the web, social media and digital technologies affect consumer behaviour. You’ll be encouraged to explore how concepts from consumer psychology, marketing and business intelligence are applied in areas such as web analytics, email marketing, search engine optimisation and online advertising. We’ll guide you as you learn how to use a selection of data analytics software packages, and apply this knowledge to contemporary case studies in a hands-on way to extract and present valuable insights from the data. This course offers you the skills to interrogate and make sense of data, unlock vital insights and communicate your discoveries.

Helping you pursue Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification
To ensure you have the skills to effectively manage and store data, we’ll support you to develop critical understanding and practical ability in the use of core IT infrastructure, architecture, processes and technologies. This will be particularly helpful when you undertake cloud-based data analysis. Companies are increasingly using the public cloud so need professionals with the skills to design, deploy and manage applications in cloud computing so we offer specific materials to help you pursue AWS certification as a Cloud Practitioner (2). AWS certification emphasises hands-on experience and best practice, meaning it stands out for its rigour and thoroughness in evaluating your skills. As the market leader in the cloud computing space, AWS certification demonstrates and validates your technical cloud knowledge and skills, helping you stand out to employers.

Future-proof your career
Big data, cyber laws, consumer data analytics and AI is revolutionising and transforming how people do business. Being able to adapt and work effectively in a digitally enriched business environment is a key skill required by employers. Our MSc Data Analytics and Technologies: Extended degree offers an innovative approach that will help you to become your own careers coach. We’ll take a multi-faceted approach to help you gain a combination of academic, analytical, business and professional skills that will prepare you for a career as a data analyst, as well as provide a sound basis for doctoral-level study. We’ll use tried and tested, research-informed coaching and training methods to support your development and help you form clear plans for your future. You’ll undertake individual industry-based projects and create a body of work that focuses on your progression into employment. Completing this course will extend your skills and increase your self-confidence so you can compete with confidence for your dream job, secure a promotion or build your own business.

Would you prefer to complete your course over a different timeframe? We also offer this course full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months. For details of the 12-month course, please visit our full-time MSc Data Analytics and Technologies course search web page. Alternatively, to find out more and apply for the 24-month course, please visit our part-time MSc Data Analytics and Technologies course search web page.

Highlights

• Dr Selva Pankaj, the author of ‘Thinking into Character – A Proven Methodology for the Creation of Success & Self-Fulfilment’, is a valued partner of the University whose work will support you in the development of business and career planning, confidence and knowledge.
• Our industry?engaged staff have strong links with organisations across the range of public, commercial and industrial sectors, offering opportunities for industry masterclasses and lectures, joint projects, and networking.
• We offer you the opportunities to develop extensive knowledge of the key data analysis principles and methods, along with a broad grounding in technology solutions.
• This MSc is part of the University of Bolton’s ‘Career Development Masters’ suite, offering shared modules that give you a wider business perspective. Inspired by the graduate training programmes of major companies, these modules will help you develop high-level employability and transferable skills and apply them in your career.

Key Features

• Teaching and supervision are delivered by dedicated staff chosen for their expertise and experience in fields relevant to data analytics and big data, relevant technologies and your professional development needs.
• We offer an engaging programme of visiting speakers so you can enjoy masterclasses with industry professionals, gaining insights into contemporary issues, developments and practice in data analysis, digital technologies and the broader commercial environment.
• We'll offer you opportunities for interdisciplinary work and collaboration.
• On graduation, you’ll be able to showcase your expert knowledge to employers through your Professional Dissertation. This independent and substantial body of work will demonstrate your mastery of an aspect of data analytics and technologies, as well as your postgraduate-level skills in research and critical thinking.

Modern healthcare is interconnected on a global scale. Expert healthcare managers facilitate effective person-centred care at the local level, appreciate the broader national and international contexts of sustainable services, and recognise and respond to global trends in their local context. If you’re an existing healthcare professional who aspires to manage and lead, then the University of Bolton’s MBA Global Healthcare Management aims to develop your understanding of the nature, business and management of healthcare provision to meet these demands.

By combining study and training across the three areas of healthcare, management and research, we will guide you as you gain a deeper understanding of business administration in the healthcare context. We’ll support you to develop your knowledge of global health challenges and how they can be addressed, as well as how healthcare systems can respond effectively, and the place of business management within health practice. Additionally, we’ll focus on developing your strategic thinking and practice-focused research skills, as well as highlight tools and resources that can help you to develop practical solutions and transferrable skills.

The University of Bolton’s MBA Global Healthcare Management programme will support you to develop a critical understanding of global healthcare management perspectives and how these shape business management practices in a local setting. You’ll explore the global context of organisations and their workforce design, quality improvement, operations and financial management, as well as develop critical insight into innovation and change management. We’ll support you to gain a critical understanding of healthcare systems and decision-making, preparing you to improve business and management practice in your workplace.

Overall, as a graduate of this MBA, you’ll have the knowledge you need to be an effective manager with the skills and confidence to make excellent business, management and leadership decisions that advance your workplace and your career in the healthcare sector.

Highlights

• This practice-relevant postgraduate management course focuses on developing your ability to operate effectively in one of the biggest public and economic sectors – healthcare.
• You have the opportunity to join a well-established postgraduate community and study alongside fellow professionals engaged in careers within healthcare management.
• Teaching and supervision are delivered by an industry-relevant and academically-experienced faculty team.
• The MBA Global Healthcare Management champions high-quality person-centred health services in a systems context.
• The University’s excellent libraries, 24/7 IT facilities, WiFi and learning areas are freely available for your use.

Key Features

• We offer you knowledge of the principles informing accountability and ethics regarding your scope of business management practice, focusing on the design and delivery of sustainable person-centred services.
• Modules explore systems design and decision making, including leadership, innovation and change management in a quality improvement context.
• We’ll support you as you learn about leading and managing the workforce planning, procurement and development of high performing teams.
• We’ll cover healthcare markets and marketing within financial and business planning contexts.
• You’ll have the chance to extend your research and analysis skills and use them to prepare your master’s level dissertation.
• You’ll explore contemporary approaches to global, national and local developments in healthcare that influence and supports the development of evidenced-based business practice.

Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you’re looking to pursue a career in business, or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work. We’ll support you to enhance your existing Foundation Degree or HND-level knowledge and skills, ready to achieve the status of BSc (Hons) Business Management (People Management) Top-up graduate. You can study advanced aspects of business, management and leadership, enhance your professional skills, and boost your employability.

Building on your prior studies, we’ll guide you as you explore advanced topics such as international human resource management, learning and development, and the employment relationship. This Honours-level programme will also support you to gain knowledge of strategic management, and develop critical inquiry and research skills to improve your work and enhance its quality. As a graduate, you’ll also receive the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management, helping you stand out to employers.

Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you to understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts. We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as communication, data analysis, time management, team working and problem solving.

We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills so that you can take ownership of your professional development for the future, maximising your potential for success.

Highlights

• The Institute of Management Greater Manchester – and the wider University – provide a warm and friendly environment for your studies, with relatively small class sizes, purpose-built teaching facilities, and excellent student support and library services.
• On successful completion of this dual award course you’ll receive both an academic degree and a professionally-recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management. You don’t need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Award – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments streamlining your route to both qualifications.
• This course is part of our Business Management suite of degrees. At Honours level, depending on your prior studies, you can follow this specialist pathway in People Management, choose the core Business Management route, or select one of our other specialist pathways in Enterprise, Law, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing or Retail.
• Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support is offered by our team of highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses ranging from multinational organisation to SMEs.
• We’ll introduce you to your course and new study environment through a bespoke induction programme focused on helping you transition smoothly and effectively to Honours-level study.

Key Features

• This course is offered within our vibrant Institute of Management environment in Bolton town centre.
• We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
• We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Contemporary research findings are woven into our teaching. We offer a robust academic underpinning to your studies of business management.
• Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation or work-based project (if you’re in suitable employment).

Professional recognition
Graduates of our BSc (Hons) Business Management (People Management) Top-up course will receive the Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).

Business management qualifications open doors and are considered essential whether you are looking to pursue a career in business, or achieve higher levels of responsibility in your current work.

Our BSc (Hons) in Business Management (People Management) offers a strong grounding in an essential range of contemporary business management subjects combined with the opportunity to focus your studies in the final year. When you successfully complete the course you’ll also receive the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management.

By studying core modules that are common between all our BSc (Hons) Business Management programmes, you’ll be exposed to key concepts in leadership and people management and areas such as business law, marketing, strategic management, information systems and big data, project management, finance, innovation and enterprise. This solid foundation will support your advanced studies into specialist areas including international human resource management, learning and development, and the employment relationship.

Developing your employability is a key focus of this dynamic and flexible programme. Real-life case studies, guest speakers and industry visits are designed to help you to understand the business environment and the needs of employers in local, national and international contexts. We’ll support you to develop sought-after skills such as communication, data analysis, time management, team working and problem solving.

We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills so that you can take ownership of your professional development for the future, maximising your potential for success.

Highlights

• Our team of highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic business management lecturers offer face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support, ensuring you can access help and advice when you need it.
• On successful completion of this dual award course you’ll receive both an academic degree and a professionally-recognised management qualification – the CMI Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management. You don’t need to take extra exams or coursework to achieve the Diploma – we combine our degree module and CMI assessments streamlining your route to both qualifications.
• This course is part of our Business Management suite of degrees. All students study the same modules at the first two levels of the course to gain an in depth knowledge of the major business disciplines. At Honours level, you can follow the specialist pathway in People Management, choose to transfer to one of our other specialist pathways in Law, Enterprise, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing or Retail, or follow the core Business Management route.
• Face-to-face sessions and one-to-one support is offered by our team of highly experienced and enthusiastic lecturers who have worked in a wide range of businesses ranging from multinational organisation to SMEs.
• The University offers excellent 24/7 library and IT facilities, WiFi, and well-appointed learning areas.

Key Features

• This course is offered within our vibrant Institute of Management environment in Bolton town centre.
• We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent support offered by our teaching staff.
• We regularly invite guest speakers who hold senior positions in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and advice.
• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Contemporary research findings are woven into our teaching. We offer a robust academic underpinning to your studies of business management.
• Our dedicated team will support you as you develop critical thinking and research skills and apply these during your final year dissertation.

Professional recognition

• Graduates of the BSc (Hons) Business Management (People Management) pathway will receive a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).
• The Level 5 Diploma is the CMI’s benchmark qualification and offers the quickest exemption route towards Chartered Manager (CMgr MCMI) status. Chartered Manager status is only awarded by the CMI and is the highest status that can be achieved in the management profession.

Our BA (Hons) Creative Writing degree explores ‘how to put the best possible words in the best possible order’. Your imagination is boundless and we’ll help you to focus and control your ideas to give them shape, energy and structure. Our dedicated team of professional writers and lecturers will guide you on a journey through the worlds of prose, poetry and drama, and contemporary creative practice.

We’ll nurture and support you in exploring the rich, expressive potential of the English language and your development of the crafts of writing. Alongside this, we’ll examine, from a writer’s point of view, a wide range of creative work in various forms. Small group teaching and one-to-one support are central to our approach, allowing our expert team to offer personalised guidance that’s tailored specifically for you.

You’ll have opportunities to refine and develop your skills at every stage, from initial concept, through planning, background research and first drafts, to editing, re-writing and self-critique. The final year combines the creative, the critical and the practical. You’ll write a significant piece of creative work: a calling card script, collection of poetry or an extended piece of fiction; you’ll research and analyse a chosen area of creative practice; and you’ll undertake a work placement in an area associated with your individual career goals. Throughout the course, you’ll gain confidence, skills and knowledge, preparing you for a successful career in a multitude of industries.

Highlights

• The Guardian University Guide 2020 ranks the University of Bolton as second in the UK for the study of English and Creative Writing.
• Also, our Creative Writing courses are top in the North West and second in the UK for student satisfaction according to The Complete University Guide 2020.
• Our dedicated lecturers are active professional writers and researchers whose work continues to be published, or produced on stage, screen or radio. They bring this wealth of expertise and practical knowledge to their teaching.
• We have excellent industry contacts and strong links with external creative organisations such as publishers, production companies, theatres, libraries, art galleries, schools, funding bodies and arts development agencies that allow us to offer work experience placements in a wide variety of settings.
• In particular, our partnership with the nationally acclaimed Octagon Theatre, Bolton means you have opportunities for privileged access to rehearsals, dress rehearsals, professional actors and directors, and discounted tickets for productions.
• In your final year, you’ll have the opportunity to enter the Octagon Student Prize. Awarded annually for outstanding achievement in writing drama, the winning piece is given a professional presentation with practitioners.
• We’ll encourage you to submit your work to our ISSN recognised literary magazine ‘The Bolton Review’, and to our annual poetry competition.
• The annual New Writing Showcase offers you a chance to perform your work at the Bolton Octagon Studio or similar venue.
• As a Creative Writing student, you'll be eligible to enter work for the Carcanet Poetry Prize and for the And Other Stories Fiction Prize.

Key Features

• All our lecturers are professional writers and researchers who’ve produced and continue to publish poetry, prose, plays and papers with national and international periodicals and imprints.
• Experimentation is encouraged and you’ll be introduced to many different types of writing, from creative to critical, to help you develop your voice and gain awareness of the enormous variety of careers that creative writing skills support.
• We offer a friendly and supportive intellectual community. You’ll be encouraged to get to know your peers from other subjects such as English, Theatre and Media, Writing and Production, with whom you’ll be participating in a variety of external creative events and/or collaborative projects.
• There’ll be guest lectures from professionals from all aspects of the writing industry: producers, scriptwriters, poets, novelists, agents, publishers, promoters, and directors. Names you may recognise such as Sally Wainwright, Patrick Ness and Jenn Ashworth have given presentations in recent years.
• ‘Live Literature’ is our well-established, vibrant series of readings from published poets, fiction writers and playwrights, held in conjunction with Bolton Library and Museum Services.
• We’ll work to help you develop a range of skills alongside your writing that are highly valued by employers, such as creative thinking, problem-solving, communication, team working, time management, research and critical analysis, IT, cultural awareness and lifelong learning.

Professional recognition

• The University of Bolton is linked via creative partnerships with Bolton’s own Octagon Theatre and Carcanet, a leading and prize-winning poetry publisher based in Manchester. The university is currently fostering links with South Yorkshire’s leading literary development organisation, The Poetry Business.
• Writers and lecturers who teach on the course have established links with a variety of media and organisations, including The Guardian, The Poetry Society, NAWE, The British Council and Arts Council England.

At the University of Bolton’s School of the Arts we offer creative, student-focused courses that are valued by employers, and underpinned by the knowledge and industry experience of our high quality staff. We frequently update our programmes to ensure they keep up with new and emerging trends and provide you with the tools and techniques you will need to progress into your chosen area of employment.

Our Animation and Illustration degree offers commercial understanding, and gives you the opportunity to develop high level technical skills and knowledge. You’ll be encouraged to develop professional standards in the creative use of a wide range of illustration, animation, and digital software programmes. Building on an introduction to the basics of animation and illustration, the second half of the course offers you increasing levels of choice to specialise in either area, exploring digital and experimental means of image making.

You’ll be taught by a diverse team of highly experienced, professionally and academically qualified, staff. They have extensive experience in the animation and illustration industry and have worked for several broadcasting companies including the BBC and Granada Television.

Highlights

• Our Art courses are placed in the top ten in the UK for student-to-staff ratio by the Guardian University League Tables 2020, so you have access to individual tutor support and small group teaching.
• If you want to specialise in pursuit of a specific career destination, such as digital animation or children’s book illustration, you can do so.
• You’ll be encouraged to enter national and international competitions, including the Penguin Random House Design Award, Channel 4 E Stings and the Macmillan Prize for Illustration.
• We’ll invite you to participate in study visits to animation festivals, galleries, museums, exhibitions and conferences. In the past, these have included The Bradford Animation Festival, Thought Bubble, Alice in Wonderland at the Portico Library, Manchester Art Gallery and Tate Liverpool, and the Manchester Animation Festival.
• Students have also benefited from trips abroad and have visited, in previous years, Barcelona, Berlin, New York, Paris and Tokyo. There is also an opportunity for a limited number of exceptional graduates to exhibit at Design and Art Direction in London.

Key Features

• You’ll have access to industry-standard equipment in our five dedicated studio spaces equipped with Apple Mac computers and scanners. Much of the coursework involves the creative use of animation, illustration and graphics software.
• The course is broad-based and you’ll explore character design, story boarding and narrative techniques with traditional and digital animation and illustration for screen and print.
• There is a visiting speaker programme so you can benefit from discussions with industry professionals in the sector. We’ll also support you to develop transferrable skills for the work place such as problem solving, team working and interpersonal skills.
• You’ll be encouraged to create a portfolio of work and have the opportunity to present your work to the public as part of the Bolton School of the Arts final-year Creative Show.
• In addition to the taught modules, which are mostly simulated live briefs, there are opportunities to work on live projects for clients from inside and outside the University.

If you’re looking for a postgraduate course that exactly matches your strengths and ambitions then your search is over. The University of Bolton's MA/MSc Professional Practice (Specialism): Extended allows you to design your own master’s degree. We’ll help you personalise your postgraduate education by combining the disciplines that matter for your future. This bespoke course will support you to gain a combination of academic, analytical, and employment-focused skills that will prepare you for a career in your chosen professional area, as well as provide a sound basis for doctoral-level study.

Supporting your choices
Working with our expert tutors, you can choose two modules from across the whole spectrum of master’s level modules available at the University of Bolton. You’ll also be supported to devise a master’s-level dissertation or major project that develops your research and critical thinking skills and allows you to demonstrate your expertise. We’ll counsel you as you make these choices to ensure you create a coherent programme of study – one that is achievable and that will support you to develop the skills and knowledge you seek. We offer a wide range of subjects and you can choose modules from a single area or from two different disciplines, depending on your interests, prior qualifications and experience.

Capture essential employability, transferable and business skills
Alongside your subject-specific studies, you’ll have the opportunity to build the essential employability, transferable and business skills you need to compete with confidence for your dream job or build your own successful business from the ground up. You’ll focus on developing the skills that are most valuable to you as an individual, as shaped by your prior learning and future plans. We’ll guide you to explore areas such as influence and impact, self-management, creativity and innovation, and professional identity, bringing in business and psychological concepts to enhance your development as a professional.

Focusing on your future
We want to help you gain the skills and self-belief to showcase your worth in your chosen field. We’ll guide you to explore and understand the postgraduate labour market in the sector you wish to join, preparing you to apply your new knowledge, attributes and experiences so that you can satisfy and impress your stakeholders (such as employers, clients, commissioners and funding bodies). We’ll help you learn about the recruitment methods used by different types of organisations in your field, explore your personal brand and self-positioning, and prepare for recruitment and selection or self-employment. In addition, we’ll support you to develop skills in commercial ability and acumen, networking and professional relationship management, as well as strategies for career maintenance and growth.

Tried and tested research-informed coaching
Throughout the programme, we’ll use tried and tested, research-informed coaching and training methods to support your development. These will range from postgraduate-level skills in research, critique, problem-solving, professional presentation and synthesis to interpersonal and business-relevant skills such as innovative thinking, team working and project management, the effective use of technology, public speaking and professionalism. All this knowledge will be tailored to your chosen employment context to help you achieve your vision for your future.

An ideal course for graduates and professionals in a wide range of areas
This course should appeal to (but isn’t limited to) graduates and professionals in areas such as art and design, accountancy, science, engineering, business management, film FX, performing arts, community development and youth, computing, games, construction, law, crime and criminal justice, early years, education, English and creative writing, mathematics, nursing and the caring professions, media, psychology, the humanities and sport.

Would you prefer to complete your course over a different timeframe?
We also offer this course full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months. For details of the 12-month course, please visit our full-time MA/MSc Professional Practice (Specialism) course search web page. Alternatively, to find out more and apply for the 24-month course, please visit our part-time MA/MSc Professional Practice (Specialism) course search web page.

Highlights

• Dr Selva Pankaj, the author of ‘Thinking into Character – A Proven Methodology for the Creation of Success & Self-Fulfilment’, is a valued partner of the University whose work will support you in the development of business and career planning, confidence and knowledge.
• This course allows you to focus on one subject or to combine two areas of interest to follow an interdisciplinary route. When you successfully complete the master's, your degree title will be chosen to reflect the focus of your studies.
• Our highly qualified and professionally experienced staff have strong links with many economic sectors, offering opportunities for industry masterclasses and lectures, joint projects, and networking.
• The University of Bolton offers a host of world-class facilities across our campus and faculties. Depending on your choice of modules, you'll be able to make use of our specialist facilities to support your studies.
• This MA/MSc is part of the University of Bolton’s ‘Career Development Masters’ suite, which offers shared modules designed to give you a wider business perspective, including tax self-assessment, invoicing, intellectual property and risk assessments, as well as knowing how to start a business and to take advantage of opportunities for enterprise development.

Key Features

• Teaching and supervision are delivered by dedicated staff chosen for their expertise and experience in fields relevant to your areas of study and professional development needs.
• We offer an engaging programme of visiting speakers and practitioners that gives you opportunities to network with and learn from industry professionals.
• We'll offer you opportunities for interdisciplinary work and collaboration.
• Your studies will culminate in your Professional Dissertation, an independent and substantial piece of research that will further your knowledge and practice. This will demonstrate your mastery of an aspect of your field, showcasing your expert knowledge to employers as well as forming an ideal preparation for doctoral-level studies should you to wish to pursue a PhD.
• Your final master’s degree title will reflect your specialist areas of study (please note that the final award title will be selected in agreement with the University within the parameters specified in programme documentation). If you have chosen two specialist subject areas with equal weighting, the title will reflect both specialist subject areas; for instance, MA Professional Practice Creative Writing and Computing. If one of your specialist subject areas has a greater weighting than the other, the word ‘with’ will be used instead of ‘and’ between the two subject areas; for example, MA Professional Practice Creative Writing with Computing.

Our Master’s in Positive Psychology takes you on an immersive journey into this relatively new subject area within psychology. The programme’s modular nature allows you to take a flexible and fairly autonomous approach to learning, theorising, reflecting and researching.

You’ll get the chance to learn, debate and critically evaluate Positive Psychology’s new techniques and research. You’ll also have the opportunity to evaluate developing theories and applications in Positive Psychology, supported all the way by experienced and enthusiastic teaching staff with an excellent knowledge base. We offer expert training in research techniques, helping you to conceptualise, design and implement an independent research project that explores new ideas and approaches at the forefront of this increasingly popular subject.

Successfully completing a Master’s in Positive Psychology should put you in a highly favourable position for seeking employment in relevant care professions, educational institutions, and for securing a place on a specialist psychology-related higher degree or doctorate programme.

Highlights

• We’ll support you as you develop an in-depth and advanced knowledge of this emerging field of psychology, and develop your own research projects.
• Many of our teaching staff for this programme are involved in significant and ongoing research in this subject.
• You’ll have plenty of opportunities to develop highly sought-after skills in critical evaluation and reflection relating to theories and research techniques in Positive Psychology.
• Focused research training is designed to support and guide you in conceptualising, designing and implementing your own independent research in Positive Psychology.
• The programme is designed to enhance your employability, particularly in the care professions – or to help you progress to further studies in psychology.

Key Features

• An enthusiastic, dedicated and supportive teaching team delivers this pioneering programme.
• The course curriculum gives you the opportunity to explore issues from a diverse range of perspectives – all underpinned by a research-informed knowledge base.
• Learning and teaching is student-centred, with small group sessions and one-to-one tutorials. This is supported by the University’s virtual learning environment.
• We’ve designed the programme to encourage and support your unique approach to research and critical enquiry.
• You can enjoy contributions from expert guest speakers on a range of subjects covered in this exciting postgraduate programme.

The global games industry continues to grow. Worth over $137 billion in 2018, this value is predicted to rise to over $180 billion by the end of 2021*. Games offers lucrative careers at the cutting-edge of technology and talented games programmers are always in demand in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Offering a broad education in games programming, design, development and technology, our Games Programming degree emphasises the technical aspects of game production. We aim for you to become a skilled programmer and you’ll use C++, the principal programming language in the games industry, at each stage of the course. We assume no prior knowledge of programming but a good knowledge of mathematics, especially algebra, will help you succeed on the course. We’ll guide and support you throughout your studies to help you master object orientated programming and design techniques and learn about advanced programming data structures and algorithms for game development.

Games and interactive applications are becoming more cinematic in look and feel so we teach maths and physics in a very practical way to help you learn to create 2D and 3D environments where behaviour and movement looks realistic. You’ll also have opportunities to gain experience of multi-platform programming and artificial intelligence techniques used in the development of efficient and robust games.

Highlights

• University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most – we were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses.
• We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates your skills in readiness to impress potential employers.
• Team working skills are essential so you’ll have opportunities to work with students from our Games Design and Games Art courses on projects that mimic the multi-disciplinary teams found in the industry.
• Our Game Jams are great opportunities to build your social network and practice your programming and problem solving skills.
• We collaborate with games development companies on beta testing, offering you the chance to test upcoming games before they go to market. Previously, students have even got their names mentioned in game credits.
• Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.

Key Features

• Teaching staff on the games courses have a vast range of industry experience and an extensive network of contacts in the games industry.
• The course covers both 2D and 3D game environments and game engines for traditional gaming (PC and console), mobile gaming (cloud, social and casual) and virtual reality gaming, along with game play analysis and hardware specification.
• We organise studio visits and field trips to games development companies, and will encourage and support you to undertake work experience and industrial placements.
• We design the course assignments and projects so that they mimic industry pipelines and standards to give you a real feel for a career in the games sector.
• Our dedicated games labs feature high-specification hardware and industry-standard software.