Master of Science in Social Policy with Quantitative Research Methods

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

Our intensive, one-year, MSc Management with a specialism in Project Management is for graduates from a wide range of subject backgrounds. It is not necessary to have any prior academic or practical experience in business or management. It will especially suit students pursuing management careers in manufacturing and production, consultancy, construction, product development or ICT.

Our MSc Management pathways provide an introduction to management followed by a detailed exploration of a specific area of management theory and practice, in this case Project Management. The program attracts students from around the globe and you will be part of a cohort with variety of backgrounds and interests. 

The MSc will develop an in-depth understanding of project management within a broad range of organisations. You will critically evaluate assumptions, methods, and procedures of project management, giving you a grounding in relevant frameworks that will develop your managerial thinking within project contexts.

We aim to guide, teach and develop analytical and confident critical thinkers. You will gain insight into the nature of management and digital business and will be armed with the knowledge to apply management theory to practice. Group work and presentations, often based on industry case studies, allow practical application of theory and develop the teamwork and communication skills expected in today's workplace.

The Department of Philosophy has exceptional research strength in philosophy of physics, and very strong links with the University's School of Physics. The latest Philosophical Gourmet Report ranked Bristol as the fourth strongest department in the UK for Philosophy of Physics and the joint strongest for General Philosophy of Science. The department is home to the Centre for Science and Philosophy and regularly hosts major research projects in philosophy of science (see our research pages)..

This MA draws on these outstanding research strengths. It is intended both for students who wish to specialise in philosophy of physics at a higher level, and for individuals with a background in physics or mathematics who wish to make a transition to philosophy and foundations of physics.

The MA is an exciting programme consisting of taught components in philosophy and physics, as well as a dissertation which is an opportunity to work on an extended and original piece of research on a topic of your choosing, with guidance from a research supervisor.

Our BSc Finance will equip you with the skills necessary for a successful career in the financial services industry as well as in economic consultancy, in government departments or in regulatory agencies. You will also be well placed to pursue specialist postgraduate studies.

The course offers rigorous training in all areas of finance with a focus on the quantitative skills that are required in every aspect of financial decision making today. Through a choice of core and optional units, you will gain exposure to the related fields of economics, accounting, management and business law.

The course is designed by researchers who have industry or regulatory experience. It is among the first courses in the UK to contain coverage of new and disruptive forms of finance at the undergraduate level, including cryptocurrencies, FinTech, digital finance (Big Data), smart beta investing, peer-to-peer lending, and high-frequency trading.

You will learn to relate concepts and theories to financial practice through the use of specialist industry newspapers, including the Dow Jones Financial News and data vendors, such as Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters Eikon as well as Refinitiv.

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.

BSc Computer Science provides a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of computer science combined with opportunities to specialise in a range of advanced areas. We constantly review our curriculum to ensure it remains at the leading edge.

Core ideas are introduced in years one and two. You will cover the principles of algorithms and programming, covering three key paradigms: imperative, functional and object-oriented.

You will also study the mathematics and statistics underpinning modern computer science; how a modern computer architecture is organised; concurrent systems and networks; and foundations of human-computer interaction, cybersecurity and theoretical and data-driven computer science.

A key component of year two is the software group project in which you work in a team to develop an application for a real-world client with help from an industrial mentor.

In your final year you will choose from a range of optional units in order to specialise in selected advanced areas of computer science. You will also undertake an individual project, co-created with a supervising member of staff, with opportunities to work with industrial and research partners.

This course combines philosophy with study of Portuguese, providing a valuable skill set that is ideally tailored to the increasingly globalised workplace.

For philosophy, you will study units covering introduction to philosophy, logic, and realism and normativity.

Portuguese is the seventh most widely spoken language in the world, and Portuguese-speaking countries such as Brazil and Angola have complex and fascinating cultures.

You will spend your third year abroad working or studying at a partner institution in a Portuguese-speaking environment. This will enable you to refine your language skills and cultural understanding. For further details of year abroad opportunities visit Global Opportunities.

Both departments enjoy a strong reputation for teaching and research and this course combination provides intellectual challenge with a cosmopolitan perspective.

This highly successful MSc program is designed for students who want to put greater emphasis on accounting, finance and management topics in their graduate studies. The programme is academically rigorous and tailored to the needs of the current business environment.

In the first term you will develop key skills and a grounding in accounting, finance and management. This will prepare you for the more advanced units taught in the second term. You will study four core units and then be able to choose one optional unit from each of the key subject areas of accounting, finance and management and one additional optional unit from the research method section.

The final part of the MSc is a project-based dissertation of between 10,000 and 15,000 words. Options for dissertation subject areas are provided and you will be able to choose from a set of dissertation topics in these broader areas. Many of the dissertations are literature-based and you are expected to acquire and use literature search skills with a range of electronic and traditional sources.

Do you enjoy both physics and computing? Our three-year BSc Physics with Scientific Computing combines study of the building blocks and forces of nature with training in the computational and data-science skills that are currently revolutionising science and society.

Computing skills are vital across many physics-related careers. Computers control advanced instrumentation and simulations predicting the properties of the universe, from subatomic particles to the formation of galaxies. This course offers a unique combination of units and projects blending programming, machine learning, data science and high-performance computing with fundamental concepts in physics to produce a new kind of scientist – one with a firm foundation in physics, a sound appreciation of scientific computing and an understanding of what can be achieved by combining them.

Year one gives you a comprehensive grounding in physics, mathematics and programming, while year two focuses on the principles of physics with further emphasis on scientific coding. In your final year you will undertake a research project or dissertation supervised by staff with expertise in physics and computing.

You will join a friendly department with a very active, award-winning student society. We encourage you to develop a broad range of skills, including the experimental, theoretical and computational skills needed for a career in research and industry. Our physics graduates have an excellent record of employment, a testament to the value that employers place on these skills.

If you have a fascination for physics and an appetite for scientific computing, you will enjoy this program.

This course recognises the importance of statistical analysis in these two core disciplines. The course emphasises the benefit of studying econometrics: the application of statistical methods to data to estimate economic models.

The first two years of the degree are focused on building your mathematical and analytical abilities and include mandatory units in micro- and macro-economics, mathematics, statistics and econometrics, and the fundamentals of accounting and finance. These units allow you to develop the necessary skills to complete the applied economics dissertation in your final year, when you can also choose from a wide range of optional units.

Previously, economics units have included: Economics of Developing Countries; Behavioural Economics; and International Economics. Finance units have included: Financial Crises; International Finance; and Portfolio Management.