Master of Science in Contemporary Identities

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

Sociology is a well established discipline, as relevant to the study of 21st-century societies as it is to the sweeping changes of the Industrial Revolution.

Sociologists are concerned with society’s structures, forms of action, and cultural practices and they are uniquely placed to understand the changes of social life. This course provides the academic and professional support needed for you to develop your own sociological imagination.

The first year provides a solid grounding in sociology, followed by a greater choice of units linked to staff research interests in subsequent years. Recently, these units have covered subjects such as culture, ethnicity, class, migration, modern slavery, popular music, racism and science.

There is a strong emphasis on research skills throughout, with compulsory units in the first two years. In your final year, you will conduct a piece of supervised sociological research on a topic of your choice that draws on these research skills.

The course is designed for students who seek to broaden their knowledge on the economy and understand the linkage with accounting. Therefore, it combines two courses, economics and accounting.

The economics aspect provides students with insight into economic institutions (eg banks), actors, and policies that underpin and influence the financial market. The accounting aspect explores accounting institutions (eg audit firms), accounting regulations, and accounting techniques that are used by and support organisations that actively participate in and outside the market.

This course is unique as it offers students access to an interdisciplinary perspective that includes psychology and sociology. Students learn from academic experts in the field, who work with businesses in the financial industry. The knowledge acquired from the field is used to design and shape the curriculum, thereby enabling students to keep abreast with commercial and contemporary issues.

This course provides students with rewarding opportunities to participate in a summer internship and the Bristol PLUS Award. You'll also benefit from the Professional Liaison Network, which runs a professional mentoring scheme with alumni, insight talks and internships.

The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) by way of exemptions from some professional examinations enabling students to fast-track their careers. 

Previously, graduates have gone on to work for the Bank of England, JP Morgan, UBS, PwC, KPMG, EY, Microsoft, IBM and many other blue-chip organisations.

The first two years of this course provide a background in mathematical analysis, modelling and scientific computation and their application to engineering. These core topics underpin the advanced material that follows.

As well as gaining first-hand exposure to pioneering research, after your first two years you will have a wide choice of options from across engineering and mathematics to fit your interests.

A major focus of the course and a key strand throughout the curriculum is real-world problem solving, spanning many different application areas from robotics and social media to medicine and environmental modelling. Problems come from our industrial collaborators or address challenges in current research. Working on these case studies, using theory and techniques from your other units, you will develop your mathematical modelling, collaboration and communication skills.

A highlight is your final year project – a highly creative, challenging and enjoyable experience that is excellent preparation for your future career.

In your first year you will gain a broad understanding of the biology of normal and cancerous cells. In addition to studying the immune system, you will take pathology, microbiology and biochemistry units.

In the second year you will study the cellular and molecular basis of cancer and its therapy, as well as autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes and arthritis, and human cancers caused by viruses, such as papillomavirus and hepatitis B. You will take molecular genetics and an optional unit, possibly biochemistry or pharmacology, from a selection offered by other schools.

All practical teaching in years one and two is supported by the eBiolabs dynamic laboratory manual.

In the final year you will undertake a research project or scientific dissertation, working in a research group in our Biomedical Sciences building or in one of the surrounding hospitals. Your work may even be published in scientific literature.

The four-year BSc Cancer Biology and Immunology with Study in Industry is available by transfer after securing a placement during your second year.

This innovative program aims to give you the knowledge, skills and practical training needed to work with wildlife, and places particular emphasis on wildlife health and conservation on a global scale.

Cutting-edge topics include animal capture and handling techniques; the assessment, stabilisation and transportation of injured animals; methods for improving the welfare of captive animals; concepts in behavioural ecology; endangered species breeding program; the reintroduction of captive populations to the wild; practical conservation strategies; and the management of protected areas. The curriculum also delivers a comprehensive introduction to wildlife disease ecology, surveillance and control.

A distinctive feature of this MSc is the large number of specialist lectures, workshops and seminars that are delivered by leading researchers, conservationists and wildlife veterinarians from outside the University. These provide valuable networking opportunities that will benefit you in your future career.

This course provides an exciting intellectual challenge from the outset. In year one you will study physics and mathematics and philosophical topics such as metaphysics, the theory of knowledge, and ethics.

Subsequent years allow you to study the overlap between the subjects in depth and might include units in the philosophy of science and the foundations and philosophy of physics.

The course gives you the opportunity to develop a physicist's broad range of skills, including problem solving, numeracy and communication, and to supplement these with a philosopher's ability to rigorously analyse complex texts and form coherent arguments on complex subjects.

You will join a friendly department with a very active, award-winning student society. The course is accredited by the Institute of Physics.

At a critical time for workers’ rights around the world, our LLM in Employment, Work and Equality Law offers you an opportunity to develop a deep understanding of relationships between law, regulation, policy and practice – and graduate to meet a growing demand for specialist lawyers with the knowledge and skills in this important field.

The LLM in Employment, Work and Equality has been well received by trade unions and NGOs as a distinctive programme that offers more than traditional courses in employment law. It provides an in-depth, intensive study of wide-ranging issues analysing domestic and international law, the role of human rights in regulating the labour market, the representative scope of trade unions, treatment of migrants at work and equality more generally.

Choosing our LLM in Employment, Work and Equality means you will be challenged and inspired by world-leading labour lawyers dedicated to progressive and innovative thinking around employment, work and equality law – with those teaching the course belonging to the Law School’s Centre for Law at Work.

A-level standard offer

AAA including an essay based subject

This degree offers an enriching experience with exciting intellectual challenges. You will study the politics of individual countries and governments and the relationships between countries, communities and individuals.

This course follows the same structure as BSc Politics and International Relations but with an additional year spent abroad.

The year abroad is an exciting opportunity to experience and study a different society and culture. For further details on year abroad opportunities, please see Global Opportunities.