Master of Science in Professional Practice (Specialism) - Extended

at University of Bolton United Kingdom

Visual effects (VFX) and animation is at the heart of creating spectacular imagery for the film, TV, commercial and music video industries. VFX is an integral part of nearly every global blockbuster film in the modern era. Whether it’s the creation of hideous monsters, futuristic vehicles, or epic alien landscapes, VFX is the driving force behind the magic that you see on screen.

Our BSc (Hons) Visual Effects and Animation course is ideal if you wish to combine design creativity with cutting-edge 2D and 3D computer generated imagery and animation to create visual effects. We offer hands-on experience covering the whole workflow of a digital VFX pipeline – from concept design, pre-production and visualisation, to the production of photorealistic 3D models/environments, and computer generated and composited images.

Our dedicated and experienced team will lead you in an exploration of 3D computer modelling, texturing, lighting, rendering, rigging and animation, as well as the established areas of compositing, matte paintings and environments.

VFX artists need transferable skills too, including communication, project and time management, team-working and entrepreneurship. We aim to support you to develop these attributes, alongside the imagination, flair and curiosity that will enable you to design and deliver inventive VFX and animation solutions for film, TV and advertising.

Highlights

• Each year our final year students are set industry briefs by Oscar-winning VFX studios such as DNEG. Getting involved with these industry projects can help you form great links with top VFX studios, as well as give you direct feedback on your work from leading industry artists and professionals.
• You’ll have access to our fantastic range of VFX facilities, including our dedicated effects studio with infinity curve green screen, our site-wide renderfarm that uses distributed computing to render high quality, complex photo realistic scenes and environments, and our boutique film studio that includes broadcast standard cameras and lighting equipment.
• You’ll also use industry-standard software, such as Autodesk Maya for 3D work, The Foundry’s Nuke and Mari for compositing and digital painting, Houdini for technical effects and dynamics, and ZBrush for digital sculpting.
• We’re committed to helping develop your employability and career network. You’ll be encouraged to attend guest lectures that enhance your learning and help you make contacts in the industry. For instance, Malcolm Watts, a Lead Modeller at Oscar Award-winning visual effects studio DNEG (and University of Bolton VFX graduate) has recently shared his expertise with students on our film FX courses.
• Alongside your visual effects skills and knowledge, we’ll support you to develop a broader understanding of production design, including concepting, cinematography and composition. This will help you appreciate the roles, skills and expectations of other professionals working in the industry.

Key Features

• The course is designed and regularly reviewed in collaboration with professional visual effects artists and studio directors. This ensures that the content is industry-relevant and includes the latest techniques and innovations.
• We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work/show reel that demonstrates your skills in readiness to impress potential employers.
• Course assignments and projects mimic industry pipelines and standards so your experience is a realistic preparation for a career in visual effects and animation.
• Our dedicated staff team have a wide range of professional experience, industry knowledge, technical expertise and academic credentials, offering you a variety of perspectives and broadening your horizons.
• We prefer to keep student numbers relatively small in lecture and practical classes, so that you have plenty of opportunities to ask us questions and get individual help, as well as benefit from the ideas and support offered by your classmates.
• We’ll encourage you to research, analyse, design and develop visual effects techniques so that you can take an idea from a brief or script scene and find the most time-efficient, cost-effective and visually impressive way to turn that vision into reality.

Professional recognition

• The University of Bolton’s BSc (Hons) Visual Effects and Animation degree holds Tick accreditation from Screen Skills, the industry-led skills body for the UK's screen-based creative industries, including animation, film, games, television including children's TV and high-end drama, VFX and immersive technology. Working with industry experts, ScreenSkills awards the quality mark of the Tick to practice-based degree courses that most effectively provide students with the skills and knowledge required by employers in the screen industries. ScreenSkills provides the highest level of industry-led accreditation for VFX focused degrees, meaning our degree is globally recognised for its outstanding levels of teaching, employability and links into the VFX industry.

The BA (Hons) Education and Learning is a fascinating degree at the University of Bolton, giving you the chance to study a balanced combination of current educational policy, the history of education, and sociology, philosophy and psychology. It’s a great opportunity to explore in depth some of the key current issues affecting education in the UK and abroad.

Key themes on this course include critical and reflective thinking, equality and diversity. By thinking about how we learn consciously and subconsciously, we’ll guide you in an exploration of how formal learning, alongside acquired knowledge, shapes our lives, interests and value structures.

We also encourage you to research and analyse a range of educational practices, and reflect on your own and others’ experiences of education. This will help you think critically about learning and teaching, and how education is perceived and received.

On competing this course successfully, you will be well prepared for related postgraduate studies. Although the course doesn’t lead directly to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you’ll have first-hand experience in schools or other educational establishments to support your application for teacher training.

Highlights

• Small class sizes mean a more keenly focused attention on your learning needs and strategies for success.
• You’ll be studying at a University known for its friendly atmosphere, and get to study alongside students from a variety of backgrounds, each with an individual and unique perspective on education.
• Our professional and approachable tutors will guide and support you throughout your course, offering attentive one-to-one support.

Key Features

• The programme is designed to help you gain some of the required knowledge and experience required for direct entry to Primary Teacher Training courses (QTS), or for entry-level employment in education.
• You’ll have the chance to take on a systematic and reflective study of education that’s illustrated and informed by the diversity of teaching and learning approaches in different sub-sectors of education.
• You’ll be able to take at least one placement opportunity in an educational setting, where you’ll observe learning and teaching in progress, and talk to teachers and students about their roles and experiences.
• Our teaching draws on your own experiences of learning as a starting point for understanding the formal educational process. This means contributing to research and discussion through critical reflection on your own education, and by listening to others’ experiences.

Bolton was one of the first institutions in the UK to offer a degree in this exciting subject and studying in our well-respected, vibrant learning and research culture offers you an excellent start to your career. Whilst working towards a BSc (Hons) in Psychology here at the University of Bolton, you’ll have the opportunity to develop an in-depth understanding of the subject in terms of the science and theories of psychology, and their application in everyday life.

You’ll explore a range of core modules that provide a strong grounding in study and research methods, as well as a deep understanding of the science of psychology. There’s also the option to choose specialised modules according to your areas of interest, or that relate to a particular career path you wish to follow after graduation.

As a psychology graduate you may use your qualification as the basis for a career as a professional psychologist or to enter a wide range of other careers, including teaching, human resource management, the police, the armed forces and social work.

Highlights

• Our psychology courses are ranked top in the UK for teaching quality by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020, as well as top in the UK for student satisfaction by The Complete University Guide 2020.
• You’ll have an opportunity to carry out a work placement module in an approved professional setting.
• There is a strong focus on employability skills as well as academic success. Modules focusing on applied psychology and applied experience introduce these skills and a range of career options.
• You’ll also have support throughout your degree from your personal tutor, part of our team of helpful and approachable psychology staff who possess a diverse range of research interests.
• We work hard to create a learning environment that offers innovative methods of teaching and assessment, and access to high-specification facilities such as our observation and psychophysiology laboratories, Neuroscan software and hardware, and Stim2 software.
• The course provides opportunities to achieve the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society, as well as additional qualifications (e.g. Test user certificate in occupational (ability) assessment).

Key Features

• The BSc (Hons) in Psychology at Bolton is one of the most well-established psychology courses in the UK. It’s accredited by the British Psychological Society, so offers opportunities to progress to further professional qualifications and employment as a professional psychologist when you graduate at the required standard.
• You’ll be guided to explore the theories and concepts of psychology that apply to a wide range of human behaviour, including the philosophical, historical and social issues that have influenced the study and practice of psychology.
• You’ll have the chance to examine the relevance of psychology across the spectrum of human activity, including criminal behaviour, the psychology of cyberspace, therapeutic practices, and group and individual behaviours.
• We’ll explain the methods of psychological research, including collecting and analysing data, and encourage you to explore key skills such as accessing and evaluating information and effective communication skills.
• Throughout the course, you’ll be encouraged to devise, implement and write up research projects that focus on psychological phenomena.
• Personal supervision from staff throughout the course ensure you have the best possible opportunity to achieve your true potential. The course team is also committed to maximising your opportunities for future graduate-level employability.

Professional recognition

• Successful completion of the degree course is approved as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society, provided the minimum standard of qualification of second class honours is achieved.
• The British Psychological Society is the professional body of psychologists.

In our ever-changing world, novel ideas can create new businesses, help them grow faster than ever and develop new industries overnight. We aim to prepare you to lead these changes. The University of Bolton’s MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation will build your knowledge in the three key areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and business development and help you gain the skills and self-confidence to showcase your worth. Our expert team will work to nurture your entrepreneurial mindset so you can realise your entrepreneurial potential.

Innovation for everyone
Entrepreneurship and innovation play vital roles in knowledge creation and exploitation to generate value and drive sustainable economic, social and organisational development. Organisations are increasingly seeking people with the ability to spot and take advantage of new opportunities so entrepreneurial and innovation skills are highly sought after. It doesn’t matter what your background or area of expertise is, this course is open to everyone with entrepreneurial drive and the desire to innovate.

Be the change
The need for professionals who can create and grow innovative companies and sustainable social enterprises has never been greater. We also want to prepare you to bring innovative insights into existing organisations so they can better respond to the complex challenges facing our society. Many business executives link the success of their businesses to innovation and as a result, put a lot of emphasis on it. Not only does it allow organisations to stay relevant in the competitive marketplace, but it also plays an important role in economic growth. Our MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is designed to help you develop the high-level skills and critical competencies you’ll need to become a successful innovator and an entrepreneur who can build ethical and sustainable businesses.

Study in one of the most innovative regions in the UK
The North West of England was a powerhouse of the industrial revolution, and Greater Manchester remains at the heart of innovation in the UK today. MediaCityUK is an international hub for innovation, technology, and creativity and has been chosen as a base by over 250 media and digital businesses. Moreover, industry heavyweights like Google, Amazon, Freshfields, LLP, the BBC and Microsoft have opened offices in the Manchester area. Overall, the diverse industry base and the region’s growing population offer rich opportunities for those with innovative ideas coupled with the skills, knowledge and self-belief needed to build a new business from the ground up. As a graduate of this master’s degree, you’ll be well placed to thrive in this environment.

Supporting you to become the ‘complete package’
To succeed as an entrepreneur, you’ll need a combination of high-level business development expertise coupled with essential interpersonal and thinking skills, such as persuasion, negotiation, critical thinking, collaborative 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 supports you to develop extensive knowledge of innovation and entrepreneurship, coupled with essential skills for business and leadership. Together these attributes will take your CV to the next level.

Would you prefer to complete your course over a longer time? We also offer this course with a duration of 18 months full-time or 24 months part-time. For full-time study, please visit our MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Extended course search web page for details and to apply. Alternatively, for part-time study, please visit our MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation 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.
• We use small group and tutorial teaching, so you have the opportunity to benefit from the excellent and often personalised support offered by our teaching staff.
• Contemporary research findings are woven into our teaching and this is supplemented by colleagues from our enterprise lab who are on hand to offer practical support throughout the programme.
• 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.
• This MSc is part of the University of Bolton’s ‘Career Development Masters’ suite, offering shared modules that give you a wide 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

• Course materials are available online, allowing you to prepare work at home and make the most of the highly interactive in-class tuition.
• Teaching and supervision are delivered by dedicated staff chosen for their expertise and experience in fields relevant to entrepreneurship, innovation and your professional development needs.
• We regularly invite guest speakers with varied and extensive experiences in industry and practice, enabling you to benefit from their knowledge and mentorship.
• You’ll benefit from opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and network building with students from our other Career Development Master’s degrees, including the Human Society, Data Analytics and Technologies, Professional Practice and Creative Industries courses.

Psychology is a core component of psychotherapy and counselling and the University of Bolton offers one of the oldest and most established psychology courses in the UK. Our BSc (Hons) Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling degree offers you the chance to learn about the interaction between these disciplines, gaining an appreciation of the diversity of perspectives involved, along with an understanding of their therapeutic use.

Our friendly and experienced team will guide you as you develop knowledge of the theories, methods and debates central to the three core elements. We’ll support you as you explore psychology, gain specific counselling skills, and consider broader social issues that impact on the roles of psychotherapist and counsellor, such as assumptions, stereotyping, diversity and prejudice. We’ll also focus on developing your knowledge and skills in the use of psychological research methods, and your appreciation of the ethical issues involved.

Inter-personal and transferable skills are also vital, so we’ll challenge you to develop sought-after communication, problem solving, numerical, analytical, self-management, IT skills, and more. Overall, our dedicated team are focused on helping you gain the skills employers’ value along with a detailed understanding of psychology, counselling and psychotherapy.

Highlights

• Our psychology courses are ranked top in the UK for teaching quality by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020, as well as top in the UK for student satisfaction by The Complete University Guide 2020.
• This course is one of only a few Psychology, Psychotherapy and Counselling degrees in the country accredited by the British Psychological Society. Accredited as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartership, this degree is the first step towards becoming a Chartered Psychologist.
• Integrated into this degree are opportunities for you to gain accredited qualifications in counselling skills. Through successful completion of this degree, you’ll also achieve the Level 2 and Level 3 Certificates in Counselling Skills conferred by ABC Awards.
• We emphasise inter-personal, transferable and employability skills as well as academic success. After graduation, you may have the opportunity to progress onto professional qualification in applied psychology, such as our Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapies.
• We focus strongly on employability skills and the practical application of your studies as well as academic success. Workshops will involve analysis of life events and role playing of various scenarios using case study material. You can also benefit from final year applied sessions in counselling skills.
• Your personal tutor will be on hand to support you throughout your degree; one of our team of helpful and approachable psychology staff with a diverse range of research interests and professional experience.
• We’ve invested to create a learning environment that offers innovative methods of teaching and assessment using top-class facilities, such as our observation laboratory with video cameras, microphones and video editing equipment.

Key Features

• We stress the applied nature of psychology throughout the programme, emphasising learning through experience to help prepare you for further professional qualifications in psychology, counselling or psychotherapy.
• We’ll explain the principles and methods of psychological research, including the collection, analysis, reporting and interpretation of data. During your final year you’ll have the opportunity to carry out an individual research study.
• Teaching is dynamic and varied using methods that include lectures, small group work, discussion groups, case studies, demonstrations and laboratory workshops. You’ll be encouraged to take responsibility for your own learning with opportunities for you to participate and gain practical experience.
• Course content is delivered by our highly-qualified staff who have substantial experience in the field. By offering personal supervision throughout the course, we aim to give you the best possible opportunity to achieve your true potential.

Professional recognition
Successful completion of the degree course is approved as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartership (GBC) of the British Psychological Society, provided the minimum standard of qualification of second class honours is achieved.

The British Psychological Society is the professional body for psychologists.

Through the successful completion of the module "Introduction to Counselling Concepts" (PPC4001) you’ll gain the ABC Accredited Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills. Through the successful completion of the module "Counselling Skills" (PPC5001) you’ll gain the ABC Accredited Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills.

If you've been struggling to find a postgraduate course that exactly matches your ambition then the University of Bolton's MA (Specialist Title) via Creative Practice could be the answer. Our expert team will work with you to devise a series of projects that enable you to develop your creative practice. You may choose to focus on a single discipline, such as Animation, Illustration, Art and Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Media, Performance, Dance, Photography, Textiles and Surface Design, Fashion, Creative Writing, Live Events Design and Production, or an associated subject. Alternatively, you may combine several areas of practice 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.

We'll support you to develop a unique body of creative work through a series of negotiated projects that will be underpinned and informed by industry practice. You'll work with a specialist supervisor who will provide support and guidance throughout the developmental process. Alongside this, you'll undertake two taught modules. The first investigates current contexts for creative practice and offers you the necessary skills to undertake research at an advanced level. The second invites you to place your practice within a professional landscape to help you gain the skills to develop your industry profile and ensure your work reaches your desired audience.

With a strong theoretical underpinning, this MA is designed to develop your skills in research, critique and synthesis. We’ll guide you as you learn to work with self?direction and originality and develop your analytical and critical competencies. This combination of academic, creative and professional skills development helps to prepare you for a career in the creative industries, as well as providing a sound basis for doctoral-level study.

The MA is designed to enable you to develop a considerable body of work and a plan for its future development beyond the course. This may take the form of applications for funding, exhibitions, publication, or small?scale tours.

Our industry?engaged staff are practising artists, writers and performers. You'll benefit from our strong industry links with a range of arts and cultural organisations across Greater Manchester and the North West region, which offers opportunities for industry masterclasses and lectures, joint projects and networking.

Highlights

• You can develop your unique body of creative practice under the supervision of our experienced teaching team.
• We'll support you to prepare your creative practice for industry via funding applications, business plans, exhibitions, publication or small?scale tours.
• You'll be able to make use of specialist facilities across the University of Bolton's Schools of the Arts and Creative Technologies to develop high-quality creative outputs.
• We'll help you learn about tax self-assessment, invoicing, intellectual property and risk assessments, as well as offer business start-up sessions to prepare you to take advantage of opportunities for enterprise development.

Key Features

• Teaching and supervision are delivered by our dedicated team of experienced and well-qualified staff.
• The programme provides opportunities to engage with and learn from industry professionals, including visiting speakers and practitioners.
• We'll offer you opportunities for interdisciplinary work and collaboration.
• You'll benefit from our strong industry links with local and regional arts, culture and trade organisations, studios, galleries, publishers, manufacturers and companies specialising in creative art and design practice.
• Your final master’s degree title will reflect your specialist areas of practice (please note that the final award title will be selected in agreement with the University within the parameters specified in programme documentation). For example, your title might be something like MA Animation via Creative Practice, MA Dance via Creative Practice or MA Fashion Photography via Creative 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 (Retail) 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 areas such as business law, leadership and people management, 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 retail operations, global consumer behaviour and digital marketing strategy.

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 Retail, choose to transfer to one of our other specialist pathways in Law, People Management, Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing or Enterprise, 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 (Retail) 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.

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 (Finance) Top-up graduate. You can study advanced aspects of business, management and finance, enhance your professional skills, and boost your employability.

Building on your prior studies, we’ll guide you as you explore specialist areas including financial reporting for management, the practice and regulation of financial accounting, and the role of the finance manager. 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. When you successfully complete the course, you’ll also receive the CMI Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management and benefit from exemptions from the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Diploma in Business and Accounting.

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.
• On the Business Management (Finance) Top-up pathway you’ll also have the opportunity to gain exemptions from the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Diploma in Business and Accounting.
• 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 Finance, choose the core Business Management route, or select one of our other specialist pathways in Enterprise, People Management, Supply Chain, Law, 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 (Finance) Top-up course will receive the Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management from the CMI (Chartered Management Institute).
• Additionally, graduates of the BSc (Hons) Business Management (Finance) Top-up pathway will benefit from exemptions from the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Diploma in Business and Accounting.

Our BA (Hons) Fine Arts course will encourage you to develop your individual artistic identity and explore new creative possibilities. We offer a supportive environment where you can develop your creative skills and knowledge, learn to evaluate and draw inspiration from historical, philosophical and cultural influences, and establish the foundation of your professional practice as a working artist.

Our dedicated team will work to help you develop technical skills in the traditional fine arts media of painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture. You’ll also have opportunities to learn about and practise a broad range of new media and we encourage critical thinking so you learn to evaluate and understand your own work and that of others.

Career and transferable skills are also essential to your future success so we aim to ensure you gain relevant experience towards running a small business enterprise, creative studio management and a wider knowledge of the arts sector. You’ll be exhibiting your work in a public setting from level 4, and organising your own shows by level 5. Exhibiting your work in our Creative Showcase at the end of your final year will allow you to show off your projects to the public and impress industry.

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.
• Previous students have won regional and national competitions and awards, and prestigious commissions and artists’ residencies as a result of the industry connections offered by the programme.
• We use our direct connections with public art commissioners to give you access to a number of exclusive commissions each year. These ‘live briefs’ provide you with invaluable experience in this important creative field.
• Exhibition is vital, and you will be expected to play an active role in the department’s exhibition committee and have the opportunity to present your work to the public, including during Bolton School of the Arts’ Creative Showcase during your final year.

Key Features

• Theory is combined with practice, and traditional techniques with modern technologies. As well as taught practical workshops in a wide range of media and materials, you will receive tuition in using industry-standard digital software.
• Our large, well-lit, open studios have adjacent 2D art facilities that include printmaking, drawing workshops, 3D art facilities including ceramics, a dedicated casting area, sculpture space, fully equipped metal and wood workshops, spray booths capable of accommodating large-scale works, and a suite of MAC computers with large-scale printers.
• The programme is delivered by a dedicated team of practising artists, working in both group and private studios in the region, with extensive experience of exhibiting (nationally and internationally), curation, public and private commissioning, and strong connections to arts organisations and commissioning agencies nationally and internationally.
• Prominent guest speakers from a range of fine art disciplines are invited each year to talk about their practice. The department has strong links with arts groups, including the Bolton-based neo:artists studios and galleries, which were set up by graduates of the course.
• We develop opportunities to explore public art practice, through the programmes’ connection to public art and arts organisations. As a student, you'll have access to commissioning possibilities providing experience in public art making and commissions.