Master of Science in Policy Research

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

The innovators of the 21st century will bring together arts, science, engineering, humanities and enterprise to deliver innovative products, services and ways of living. They will be team players with a breadth of skills and qualities that enable them to work across specialisms and cultures.

This course combines in-depth subject specialism in computer science with interdisciplinary breadth, creative teamwork and entrepreneurial skills. Alongside your computer science studies you will apply your subject knowledge by translating ideas into plans for digital and creative enterprises, both social and commercial.

This course gives you the opportunity to be part of a dynamic and continually expanding field and to influence its future development. Computer science is having a huge impact on the technology that is shaping our society and the way that we live. Our course is designed to give you the skills and knowledge you will need, combining the fundamentals of the subject with exploration of its diverse applications.

You will come together with students from other innovation disciplines, such as psychology and management, each contributing a unique perspective on a challenge as you identify needs and develop ideas. Ultimately, you'll create innovative solutions together.

By the time you graduate you will have a portfolio of work ranging from live client projects to planning your own entrepreneurial venture. You will have learned how to evaluate the potential of your product or service and how to finance it, and you will have a network of peers and advisers who have worked with you along the way.

BSc Economics and Politics combines an enriching experience with exciting intellectual challenges in two schools with strong reputations for teaching and research. By studying these two social sciences you will develop a deep understanding of global markets and political systems.

Economics follows a series of core units in the first and second years, covering micro- and macro-economics, mathematics, statistics and econometrics. This lays the foundations for specialising in the areas of economics that most interest you in your third year. Popular unit options previously have included Development Economics, Behavioural Economics, History of Economic Thought and International Economics.

You will also study the politics of individual countries and governments and the relationships between countries, communities and individuals. Politics is organised around three themes: political theory, comparative and national politics, and international relations. In addition to compulsory units, which will give you a solid grounding in politics, you be able to select from a range of units that are closely linked to staff research interests and thus unique to Bristol.

This degree develops analytical and quantitative skills applicable to a wide range of careers in economics and beyond.

We teach economics in a technically rigorous way. Econometrics - the application of statistical methods to data to estimate economic models - is a central component of the programme. During the first two years, mandatory units in macro and micro-economics, mathematics, statistics and econometrics provide you with a strong foundation.

You will complement this with optional modules from a wide range of choices within the Schools of Economics, Finance and Management and other parts of the University. The number of options increases as you progress through the degree, allowing you to select units from the areas of economics that most interest you.

In the final year most students choose an applied economics dissertation. You will also select from a wide range of optional units; in recent years these have included Behavioural Economics, Corporate Finance, Development Economics, Environmental Economics, Industrial Economics, International Economics and Operations Management.

The Study Abroad course offers you the opportunity to extend your degree to four years, spending your third year studying economics in English at a university in Europe or farther afield. This course allows you to combine the challenging, broad academic content of our economics degree with an overseas dimension that reflects the international nature of the economy.

This course combines politics and international relations with the study of Russian. This provides a valuable skill set that is ideally tailored to the increasingly globalised workplace.

You will study the politics of individual countries and governments and the relationships between countries, communities, and individuals.

Politics is organised around three themes:

• Political theory
• Comparative and national politics
• International relations.

In Russian you will study a combination of language and culture units, introducing you to a linguistic and cultural tradition spanning some of Europe's most important literary and cinematic developments and ideological trends.

You will spend your third year abroad, enabling you to refine your language skills and cultural knowledge and gain valuable work experience. For details on year abroad opportunities please see the Global Opportunities website.

Both schools encourage synergy between research and teaching, resulting in a vibrant learning environment for students as staff respond in their teaching to new research.

This four-year MSci Physics course includes a year of gaining hands-on paid experience in the industry. A year spent in the industry can be a life-changing and rewarding experience. It can help you hone your skills in project management, teamwork and communication and provide invaluable insights into commercial pressures and real-world applied science.

Previously, our students have recently worked for The Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Airbus, JP Morgan, Sharp, Rolls-Royce and the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

You will continue to study core physics via distance learning during your year in the industry in readiness for your final-year project or dissertation back at the University. Our students' final-year projects address questions at the frontier of our research fields and the most successful have been published in scientific journals.

Our physics graduates have an excellent record of employment, a testament to the value that employers place on the transferable skills that you gain on this course.

This course is ideal for students interested in learning more about how to use numbers and data within criminology. It provides training in practical and analytical skills, which will enhance your career prospects and provide you with a strong platform for postgraduate study. No prior knowledge of statistical techniques is required.

About two thirds of your studies will follow the single honours Criminology course. By drawing on social harm perspectives criminology at Bristol examines conventionally defined crimes along with other problem activities or behaviours that may not be criminalised but still cause extensive harm to individuals and society. This provides you with a critical and informed understanding of crime and the criminal justice system, as well as wider social and economic questions.

The remaining third of your course will provide interdisciplinary training in quantitative methods. In year one of the quantitative pathway we discuss how numbers and data are used to tell convincing stories in the media and social research. We consider what is meant by segregation and how it can be mapped and measured.

Year two offers practical classes in social statistics and applied data analysis, which will develop your skills in numeracy and analysis and enable you to undertake your own individual research project in an area of quantitative social science in year three.