Master of Science in Psychology by Research

at University of Buckingham United Kingdom

This programme aims to deliver a deep understanding of the contemporary security and intelligence environment in western democracies, with a focus on the UK. Security and Intelligence Studies are an important new field in political science but there is also widespread recognition that a good knowledge of how security and intelligence agencies operate; of the environment in which they operate; and of how their products are, and should be, used has become a key component of good and successful governance. Emphasis is placed on relating academic and historical analyses to contemporary problems and policy questions especially in the UK but also to western states in general, using a unique degree of practitioner-led expertise.

With regard to intelligence-led policy and practice, emphasis is placed on the very skills that the intelligence community itself has been urged to develop in the wake of the Butler Review on Intelligence on WMD. This specifically recommended the development of a greater degree of ‘professionalisation’ in intelligence analysis skills, including critical thinking and analysis (developed in part through an element of exercising and collaborative working on challenge problems), and a greater ability to evaluate and assess disparate sources of sometimes conflicting information. This programme is aimed at everyone who is interested in intelligence and security issues, whatever their career plans, but also at those who may be aspiring to work in the field of security and intelligence. It can also assist the career development of those already employed within that field.

Our MSc in Finance and Investment has been developed to produce practical and proactive finance specialists, able to meet the demand of the financial sector both locally and abroad.

The programme offers rigorous and advanced intellectual training in the area of finance and investment, based on the most current and modern academic thinking and industry best practice. We also place emphasis on our students’ roles in and duties towards the financial community to prepare them for life after they graduate.

Our MSc Finance and Investment offers a well-focused education in the theories and methodologies that are utilised today for valuation using financial tools from both the investor’s and institutional perspective. It also examines the complexities behind the decision making processes required at all levels.

BSc Psychology with Applied Computing looks at the ever-larger role that computers are taking in our everyday lives and the increasing number of jobs in the Information Technology sector. Aadegree covering psychology and IT is a very wise choice. The area of human-computer interaction is an example of an overlap between the two disciplines.

The BSc Psychology with Applied Computing programme is carefully designed to suit the varied needs of different students from different backgrounds and with different career objectives, in the IT and psychology fields.

By choosing to study BSc Psychology with Applied Computing at the University of Buckingham, you’ll benefit from a committed team of lecturers who genuinely care about the people they teach. Students will learn through Buckingham’s unique tutorials, which are in addition to lectures and seminars. These sessions ensure that you are not just a face in the crowd, your tutors will get to know who you are and encourage you to engage in debates and discussions. During tutorials you will develop your knowledge about psychology and computing and regularly practice skills that are important for employability.

The course consists of a rigorous and intellectually demanding study of the ‘core’ disciplines of, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Analysis and Portfolio Modelling, Auditing, Derivatives and Financial Risk Management, Economic Analysis, Empirical Techniques in Finance and a dissertation.

The dissertation, which forms a substantial part of the assessment of the degree, will allow you to develop your interests in either mainstream or wider business and societal aspects of Accounting and Finance.

LLB Law degree allows our students to become confident, competent lawyers, able to practise almost anywhere in the world after just two years (eight or nine terms) of study.

With an English ‘qualifying law degree’ from Buckingham you will be recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (formerly the Law Society) and the Bar Standards Board as qualified to be exempt from the academic stage of training for entry into the legal profession. Every LLB programme at Buckingham (whether single honours or combined honours) provides our graduates with this qualification.

We can usually accommodate the additional requirements needed to practise in some countries and if you are an overseas student we are happy to discuss exactly what subjects you must take in order to qualify for your jurisdiction.

During your study for the Buckingham LLB Law you will become proficient in written and oral presentation, perfect your research techniques and learn to solve problems in a logical and structured way.

The University of Buckingham’s Master’s programme in Country House Studies offers the opportunity to pursue research at Master’s level in any one of a wide range of country-house-related topics: from explorations of individual houses and their architects and decorators, to studies of their social and political use, and the role of the country house in literature and film.

Individual research topics are closely focused; but the approach of the course is to encourage students to investigate the interconnections between the country house’s multiple facets and roles, rather than to examine it in exclusively architectural-historical terms. Recent dissertations have surveyed, for example, the Baroque mural in country house decoration; the use of music in the country houses during the 1650s; and the professionalisation of the sale of country estates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The choice of subject area is ultimately the student’s own.

The MA is awarded solely on the basis of the dissertation (there are no ‘exams’), and the relationship between you and your supervisor is therefore at the heart of the course. The maximum length for the MA dissertation recommended by the School of Humanities is 25,000 words (or approximately 75 pages at line-spacing of 1.5), excluding notes and references. Student and supervisor meet regularly on a one-to-one basis to discuss, plan, and review the dissertation as it develops through the year.

This strategic marketing MSc will be invaluable to anyone wishing to pursue a career in marketing (e.g. marketing management, brand management, customer experience and customer service management).

In today’s global, digital world, effective strategic marketing puts the customer and their needs at the centre of decision-making, and a clear focus on customer experience is a critical part of this.  An understanding of this need for customer-centricity is at the core of our MSc in Strategic Marketing & Customer Experience Management.

This leading-edge programme is designed to be totally relevant to today’s organisations, exposing you to managerially relevant theory and practice, which will be of value in real-world business contexts.  The programme will provide you with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to help firms address the marketing challenges that lie at the heart of their business.

This programme provides an in-depth understanding of how firms can develop compelling value propositions, within the context of the strategic marketing planning process, and then how to deliver these value propositions across the customer journey, creating a positive customer experience.

In addition, the programme will enable you to examine the concept of service from many perspectives, by exploring service systems as well as service leadership, along with the critically important area of managing employees in a service-focused culture.

The programme also provides an understanding of consumer behaviour and digital and social media marketing – essential knowledge in this complex, digital world where consumers increasingly expect a seamless omnichannel experience throughout their customer journeys.

Additionally, a practical research methods module will set you up to embark on a dissertation, which will give you the opportunity to ‘deep dive’ into an aspect of the programme which is particularly inspiring.

This programme of study aims to train first-degree holders in computing-related areas into specialists in selected areas of IT and computing. Based on the current expertise in the Department, the programme offers students opportunities for in-depth study in:

• Secure mobile and wireless communications
• Biometrics and authentication
• Data mining and knowledge discovery
• Imaging techniques and applications

The programme is carefully designed to suit the varied needs of different students from different backgrounds and with different career objectives.

Communications using mobile and wireless devices such as mobile phones, PDA s and laptops have become increasingly important in modern life and electronic commerce. Reliable, speedy and secure transmission of information over such devices is vital for the successful exploitation of the technologies.

Authentication, using biometric data as a sophisticated means to combat fraud, is increasingly accepted by both businesses and governments. Biometric authentication solutions require good use of imaging and data mining techniques in constructing and verifying customer profiles. Online organisations have accumulated large collections of online data that need speedy processing and analysis. If you are interested in finding out more about any of these technologies, then this programme is for you.

On graduating from this programme, you will be able to:

• Understand a range of modern computing technologies
• Apply these technologies in practice
• Describe the roles that modern computing technologies have in many areas of application
• Demonstrate the value of state-of-the-art development in one specific technology and its applications

The 3 year LLB Law degree is designed for students who can benefit from an introduction to enable them to study at undergraduate level. The first year of the programme provides a foundation to the more specialist ‘core’ subjects delivered in years two and three.

The unique structure of Buckingham’s LLB degree allows our students to become confident, competent lawyers, able to practise almost anywhere in the world after just three years (eight or nine terms) of study.

With an English ‘qualifying law degree’ from Buckingham you will be recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (formerly the Law Society) and the Bar Standards Board as qualified to be exempt from the academic stage of training for entry into the legal profession. Every LLB programme at Buckingham (whether single honours or combined honours) provides our graduates with this qualification.

We can usually accommodate the additional requirements needed for those who wish to practise in other jurisdictions and if you are an overseas student we are happy to discuss exactly which subjects you need to study in order to qualify for your jurisdiction.

During your study for the Buckingham LLB Law Degree  you will become proficient in written and oral presentation, develop and perfect your research techniques and learn to solve problems in a logical and structured way and also acquire the practical skills of oral advocacy

For their first year of study students attend the same weekly seminars as students taking the Taught MA in Biography. These provide the critical awareness of the subject which is an essential prerequisite for dissertation work and they are one of the most distinctive and valuable elements of the MA. They take place as follows:

• Autobiography (September to December)
• Special Paper in Biography (January to June)
• Research Methods (January to June)

The modules on Biography and Autobiography are designed to combine the study of classic biographies and memoirs with contemporary writing. In addition, the Research Methods module provides an invaluable and innovative training, especially devised for biographers.

Guest seminars on the course are led by leading biographers, critics, publishers and agents. Teachers and speakers on the course have included Andrew Motion, Kathryn Hughes, Frances Wilson, Frances Spalding, Jeremy Lewis, Rupert Shortt, Caroline Dawnay, Andrew Lownie and  Miranda Seymour.

Research students are expected to produce, as a valuable preliminary to their own research project, written coursework for the Research  Methods module (an annotated bibliography and a short biography, with supporting material, produced according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography format), and one other piece of written work, but the full amount of termly written work required for the taught course is not compulsory. During the early part of the course, research students refine their research proposal under the individual supervision of the course director for eventual discussion with the Research Officer. Once the research proposal has been accepted students concentrate on individual research and the preparation of a dissertation, under the supervision of the course director.