Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English Language and Literature

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

Literature can offer new perspectives on familiar themes, as well as open doors to unfamiliar ideas and cultures which are temporally or spatially remote from your own. It is an ideal source for philosophical reflection, exploring and challenging the assumptions that frame the way we think, act and see the world around us.

Our BA Philosophy and English Literature degree encourages you to expand your imaginative capacities and to critically reflect on possibilities for how the world could be, by engaging with a wide variety of perspectives. You will gain skills in understanding how to read and interpret in context, and in how to formulate your own arguments, to arrive at your own conclusions.

In your first year, you might choose to study international and American literature or revisit Shakespeare and consider his cultural relevance today through fictional, cinematic and TV adaptations. In Philosophy, you might explore questions which lie at the heart of much literature, such as whether anything can give meaning to life, and whether our striving to achieve anything of significance is ultimately futile, even ridiculous. The philosophy of film and literature module addresses the assumption that anything is possible in fiction and considers the extent to which that is true.

All our English Literature and Philosophy lecturers are active researchers, so you’ll share the excitement of doing original work in a supportive and highly-rated academic community. Our Philosophy team is in the top 15 in the Guardian League Table 2019 and rates as one of the 100 best Philosophy departments worldwide in the 2017 QS rankings.

In your second year, you’ll focus on period-based literature from the Renaissance onwards and gain an understanding of literary history, from Elizabethan verse and drama, via Augustan poetry and the emergence of the novel in the 18th century, to the radical transformations of the Victorian age, and the emergence of modernity in the 20th century. In Philosophy, you’ll choose from a variety of topics, which includes a module on the nature of art, expression and representation (in literary as well as visual art), and modules on influential texts in philosophy, such as Plato’s Republic.

The final year allows for even more opportunity to tailor your degree to reflect your own interests. On the literature side, themed options include children’s literature, young adult fiction, Renaissance tragedy, 21 st century American literature, European crime fiction, literary adaptations and the culture of print in the 18th century. A wide variety of Philosophy modules are available, including modules on feminist philosophy, the nature of language and meaning, and a module on Nietzsche, who is well-known for his literary style.

• A flexible programme of study, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting
• An exceptional academic team, conducting internationally renowned research
• Stimulating, innovative courses that allow you to make rewarding connections between two disciplines
• CV-building potential through work placements and extra-curricular activities

Information technology includes many aspects of computer science, but with more focus on the computer technology needs of people and organisations. The subject includes software development and acquisition, but also operations, support and systems administration. This course has a particular emphasis on the application of computer technology to businesses: the modelling and design of systems and data, the design of databases, how to enhance the user experience, and how to ensure software solutions meet clients’ needs. You also have the option to gain Oracle DBA certification. Thanks to the nature of this degree, you’ll develop the broad skills many employers are looking for while keeping your career options open.

• Choose this course with an emphasis on the application and deployment of computing in organisations such as businesses, or change to one of the others in our flexible programme.
• Be taught by highly qualified staff, most with a PhD or other advanced degree plus research, teaching, or professional experience.
• Be part of a highly regarded well established computer science department with excellent facilities, a strong research background, and links to business and industry.
• Prepare yourself for a career in the IT sector through a mix of academic, professional and practical study, with opportunities for industry certifications and a paid placement year. Previous students have worked placements at companies including GSK, Xerox, and BT?.
• Recent graduates from Computer Science have gone on to work at amazing organisations including Sega Europe, NHS, and Lloyds Bank.

All three of our model design courses share the same First Year, giving you an excellent introduction to model making, prop making, sculpture and special effects. Building on this foundation, you’ll learn how to create highly detailed models for a range of disciplines, such as concept cars for the automotive industry, scale models for architects and miniatures for films.

In second year you will learn how to create highly detailed models for a range of disciplines, from concept cars for the automotive industry to the scale models used by architects and ‘movie miniatures’ for films.

In your Final Year you’ll work on major projects and create a professional portfolio to impress employers. Throughout your studies you’ll use the latest computer-aided design technology alongside more traditional machining. This course is accredited by Creative Skillset, reflecting the highest standard of teaching and facilities

Model Design Successes

The Model Design Programme is the only Special Effects course to have been accredited by Creative Skillset, the industry kite mark of quality following a rigorous assessment process by experts working in the Creative Industries and is awarded to practice-based courses which best prepare students for a career in the industry.

The programme has outstanding links with industry and this results in high profile work experience opportunities for our students. In 2013, our students worked on major feature films at leading UK studios, including making action props on Guardians of the Galaxy, Jupiter Ascending, Exodus and Black Sea.

In 2014, 92% of our second year students undertook work experience on four major feature films at Leavesden, Pinewood, Shepperton and Twickenham studios.

Graduates from this degree often work with leading figures in the creative industries and a host of companies including: Anarchy Ltd, Artem, Asylum, Berry Place, Darkside FX, Ferox Effects, Foster + Partners, Gerry Judah, Seymour Powell, Pipers and Zone Creations etc.

The programme regularly exhibits at the New Blades exhibition (held at Holborn Studios in London). In 2013, our graduates won three prizes making a total of thirteen awards we have won at New Blades in the last 4 years.

Articles about the work have featured in a variety of international publications including Wired Magazine and CNN.

Model Design Facilities

Our students’ work in a large airy purpose built studio (with individual spaces for every student), which is situated above an extensive workshop that contain a wide range of traditional and cutting edge technologies. Students are able to use a wide variety of equipment/machinery and state of the art rapid prototyping facilities: laser cutters, 3D printers, CNC milling and routing. Our students also use a well-equipped sculpture studio, which has excellent life drawing and modelling facilities, a plaster mould making area and industry standard extraction in the fiberglass/resin casting room. The sculpture workshops also provide excellent brazing, soldering and welding facilities for most types of metal fabrication and finishing. In addition to these dedicated workshop facilities, our students are taught a variety of computer aided design processes in both 2D and 3D packages in computer suites, which are situated close to the Model Design studio. Our students have access to all of the facilities across the school including excellent photographic equipment/studios and printing.

This is a unique combination of three interrelated degrees with a combined first year (Model, Character and Special Effects). The lecturing staff all have extensive subject knowledge gained from careers in the creative industries, hence students achieve professional standards in their work. We have excellent links with industry and provide placements on major movies at leading UK film studios.

• You will learn how to create highly detailed models for a wide range of disciplines from concept cars for the automotive industry and product prototyping, through to the scale buildings used by architects or ‘movie miniatures’ used in films.
• Excellent workshop facilities for both traditional model making machinery and cutting-edge prototyping technologies including; CAD, 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC machining sit alongside the specialist industry standard facilities for model making, product prototyping and prop making
• Outstanding work experience opportunities and collaborative projects provided by our very close contacts in the creative industries
• Industry professionals teach across all three pathways of the programme
• Model Effects students achieve consistently high graduate employment rates

Data is the currency of all but the most theoretically-based scientific research, and it also underpins our modern world, from the flow of data across international banking networks and the spread of memes across social networks, to the complex models of weather forecasting. The constant generation of data from our digital society feeds into our everyday lives, affecting how we receive healthcare to influencing our shopping habits. In order to handle, make sense of, and exploit large volumes of available data requires highly skilled human insight, analysis and visualisation. The professionals working in this field are called ‘data scientists’, who blend advanced mathematical and statistical skills with programming, database design, machine learning, modelling, simulation and innovative data visualisation. These professionals are in high demand in both public and private sectors in the UK and worldwide. This programme aims and learning outcomes are built around two guiding principles:

• To provide comprehensive understanding of the fundamental mathematical and statistical concepts underlying data science, and how they are implemented in algorithms and machine learning techniques to solve a variety of data processing and analysis problems.
• To provide training in the practical skills relevant to data science, central of which is the ability to write clean and efficient code in industry-recognised languages (in particular, Python and R), but also includes data handling, manipulation, mining and visualisation techniques.

Our BA Politics & International Relations and Journalism degree gives you the opportunity to study current challenges in national and international politics while developing a range of journalistic skills that will help you understand how key events are communicated in our so-called ‘post-truth’ era of fake news and alternative facts.

This degree focuses particularly on the interactions between media distribution and political governance while also giving students the opportunity to study both subjects in their breadth and diversity. We will ensure that your studies enhance knowledge, understanding and academic confidence and deliver strong transferrable and professional skills for a career, not limited to, but particularly in media, publishing and public relations.

During your studies you will explore topical practical and theoretical questions. You might explore issues which arise as a result of increasing political focus on different dimensions of security and its governance, for example in the modules ‘Security & Governance’, ‘Terrorism and Security’ or ‘The State in the 21st Century’. Journalism modules complement this by giving you the opportunity to consider how changing political conditions impact  in areas of media production from news to features and online journalism. A module entitled ‘Journalism, Law and Ethics’ explores why we need an understanding of the regulatory framework to work as a journalist.

You will be taught by experts who work at the cutting edge of their research disciplines. Our journalism team are highly experienced practitioners who will help you develop the skills to produce work in different styles and for diverse markets.

Your learning experience will include subject-specific methods such as producing news items and features for a target readership and a variety of transferrable skills built through both subject areas, such as, structured argumentation and strong oral and written
communication.

You will be able to undertake a placement or study abroad year to gain professional experience or increase global awareness to build skills relevant to your studies in Politics and International Relations or Journalism.

MA Illustration is a Masters award within the MA Art and Design programme at the School of Creative Arts. Within the programme there is strong emphasis on professional practice and the real-world applications of art and design. You will develop key research skills and gain a good understanding of the work of other practitioners in your field.

The aim of the postgraduate programme is to equip you with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to practice at an advanced level, to foster your creativity and enhance your employment opportunities. You will work alongside artists and designers who are involved with a wide variety of media and forms. Induction, seminars and social events for students and staff mean that you will be part of a friendly and supportive postgraduate community, which also includes film makers, musicians and professionals working in new media. Senior research staff and internationally renowned artists work with postgraduate students, helping you to develop original and challenging work.

The MA Illustration degree is designed to develop your imaginative, creative and technical potential as an illustrator. It provides an opportunity for you to examine a range of media in the fields of illustration, including the role of image-making in new and traditional media, and illustration's relationships with fine art and digital media.

This masters degree gives you an opportunity to develop advanced knowledge and skills in the use of narrative storytelling and its relationship to illustration, as well as illustrative conventions in children's and adult literature, comics and other media. We encourage you to develop the entrepreneurial and commercial skills necessary to help develop your work to its full potential and to equip you with the practical and intellectual skills to thrive as a practicing artist. Through working alongside artists and designers on other postgraduate courses you will explore the possibilities for the illustrator today, questioning conventions and refining the direction of your practice.

Our staff are experienced in research and professional practice, and you will also benefit from contributions from visiting designers and professionals, as well as from involvement with our international exhibitions programme. The course also has close links with a wide range of industry partners.

Excitement, international travel and working in a high- performing team to achieve success are just some of the major attractions of motorsport. It’s an industry that allows you to work at the cutting edge of automotive technology. This course will give you the skills necessary to support motorsport engineers as they push the boundaries and strive for optimum vehicle performance. Benefiting from world-class expertise and facilities, you’ll study a wide range of modules, including the fundamentals of vehicle and engine design, as well as high-tech computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques. You’ll also have the unique chance to work with engineering students in designing, building and racing a Formula Student race car.

• This BSc Honours degree course in Motorsport Technology is part of a suite of automotive related degree courses
• Involvement in Formula Student Competition from year 1 - design, build and race single-seater race car
• Excellent facilities in automotive engineering technology
• World Class Expertise NB materials, vehicle dynamics, structural analysis, aerodynamics and CAE
• Our BSc Motorsport Technology students have previously completed work placement years at companies including: VW Racing, Hyperion Motor Racing, and RP Aero Systems
• Recent Automotive Technology graduates have gone on to work at organisations including: Mercedes Benz, Vantage Engineering, and Bentley Motors
• You do not need an A-level in Mathematics or Physics to gain entry to this course, you simply need the correct UCAS points and your enthusiasm for the subject.

More about the Course
Motorsport is not just exciting entertainment, but also an important part of the development side of the automotive industry.  The competitiveness of the sport drives engineers to develop innovative ideas and take advantage of up and coming technologies that, if successful, could be employed across the main automotive industry in future.  This course will give you the combination of skills necessary to support motorsport engineers as they strive for efficiency and optimum performance in their vehicle design.

Astrophysics is the study of the physical processes that shape the structure and evolution of the universe. This course seeks to provide answers to fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of stars, planets and galaxies, as well as the universe itself. 

You’ll have the chance to study the cosmos in all its wonder, and gain a detailed physical understanding of how the universe works. The School’s vibrant research programme feeds into the course content and you’ll make extensive use of our superbly equipped observatory. You’ll also have the exciting opportunity to spend a year at a major astronomical research centre or an international observatory.

• On our Astrophysics BSc (Hons) degree you will study the cosmos in all its wonder, gaining a detailed physical understanding of how the Universe works. We put a lot of emphasis on understanding the physical and mathematical principles behind astrophysical phenomena.
• You will also gain considerable hand-on experience of astronomical observations at our dedicated teaching observatory, beginning your studies there only a few weeks after commencing your degree with us.
• During your second and third years you will specialise in more advanced Astrophysical topics, including the physics of the solar system and extrasolar planets, cosmology, and star formation and stellar evolution. We also offer a range of options in your final year, including learning how to plan space missions in Space Dynamics and the flight dynamics of rockets in Rocket Performance and Propulsion.
• You will also carry out a final year investigative project in a cutting-edge area of Astrophysics research. You will be closely supervised and guided by one of our experienced researchers in the Centre for Astrophysics Research. Previous projects have included mapping the Orion Nebula with our telescopes at Bayfordbury, studying planetary systems with the Herschel Space Observatory, and modeling high energy jets from galactic nuclei.
• If you’re continuing on our MPhys programme it’s possible to extend your project into your MPhys year. We also have an innovative strand of industrial projects supported by the Institute of Physics, that give you direct experience of working in industrial research.

As a mental health nurse you will work in partnership with individuals experiencing mental health difficulties from a wide range of backgrounds and age-groups.
Approximately 25% of the population are thought to experience some form of mental health problem at any given time.
Mental health nurses are the largest profession working in mental health.

You will draw on a core set of values that inform every aspect of your practice. You will learn to:-

• Respect individuals affected by mental health problems
• Value the aspirations of the individual
• Offer meaningful choices in evidence based interventions and care
• Adopt a positive attitude to change and support social inclusion

50% of your time will be spent in classroom based learning and 50% will be spent on placements in clinical settings such as hospitals and community. Your placements and classroom studies will alternate in blocks of several weeks.

You will develop the complex range of competencies required to become a skilled mental health nurse.
Please download some further important information about the course

Why choose this course?

Mental Health nurses have a vital and challenging role in establishing  therapeutic relationships with individuals who experience mental health problems. Including:

• Providing support to families, relatives and carers
• Responding to changing needs
• Promoting mental and physical health recovery and general wellbeing

This highly specialised branch of nursing focuses on caring and supporting individuals of all age groups suffering from mental problems or mental distress in different care settings including:

• Individuals’ Homes
• Inpatient
• Outpatient
• General hospitals
• Community and rehabilitation units

You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team including GPs psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, arts therapists and healthcare assistants.

Explore the full range of modern mathematics as you gain fundamental knowledge and advanced mathematical and statistical skills. Mathematics holds the key to advances in virtually all areas of our lives, from finance to computing, logistics to medicine and travel to weather forecasting. If you’re looking for a career that involves shaping technological or scientific progress, mathematics is an ideal degree for you. What’s more, our flexible course allows you to specialise in whichever area of mathematics interests you most. You will find our friendly and personalised approach in the small group tutorial besides your day to day lectures. We have particular teaching expertise in various areas of numerical modelling, financial mathematics, algebra, statistics, optimisation and mathematical physics. You can even choose to take a year out to study abroad or undertake a placement.

Our Mathematics degree is a highly flexible course that allows you to specialise in whichever area of Mathematics interests you the most.

• We take pride in our student-focused approach to teaching Mathematics. Our School is well regarded for its friendly and professional environment, which allows us to equip you with the skills and knowledge required to be a successful mathematician. We will support you throughout your degree so that you can achieve your full potential.
• We are a research-active department undertaking internationally excellent research in mathematics and mathematical physics. Take a look at the latest exciting research, which will underpin and inform your studies.
• You can always access additional support throughout your course with regular drop-ins at the University’s own Maths Support Service located in the Library and accessing specialised career support from the Career and Employment department.