Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English Literature and Media (with Sandwich Year)

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

Modern media is becoming more and more influential in every aspect of our society, from politics and economics to the way we communicate with our closest friends. The way language is used varies for different media, but you can also look at how language reflects society, and how it changes over time.

Our BA English Language and Media degree introduces you to the scientific study of the English Language and allows you to examine human communication in different media contexts. You’ll explore the theory, historical contexts and modern practices that make up our global media landscape. You’ll examine the emergence of new media in an increasingly media-centric world, discovering the different ways the media communicates, how its industries are connected and how it influences us as individuals and societies.

In your first year you’ll be introduced to media communications in general as well as consider the relationship between media and society alongside core English Language modules. You’ll also explore the diversity of use of the English language including regional variants, pidgin and creole English, language and ethnicity, and slang and street English.

Core modules in your second year focus on English grammar and the sounds of English. You can explore theories of how and why language developed and study language-related real-life problems such as plagiarism and crime investigation in forensic linguistics. You’ll develop an in-depth knowledge of specialist areas such as public relations, advertising and digital media, as well as broader transferable skills like the ability to critically analyse media content.

In your final year you can follow modules in different topics, including child language and communication, clinical linguistics, gender and language, and formulaic language, informed by our academics’ own research specialisms. You’ll also have opportunities to work with fellow students to create media products, go on a work placement, hear from industry speakers and build a network of contacts.

Like the BEng, this course specialises in aircraft design, especially aircraft structures, materials and aerodynamics. You’ll follow the same pathway as the BEng programmes, but in your extra year you’ll deepen your knowledge and understanding of aerospace topics. You’ll also sharpen your business and management skills. The team project is multidisciplinary and involves applying your skills to solve an unusual and challenging problem, for example the design of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for surveillance on Mars. You can also participate in competitions such as BMFA Heavy Lift competition, where you and your fellow students have the chance to design and build your own UAV and compete against teams from across Europe.

• This MEng degree in Aerospace Engineering has an excellent, long-established reputation with the aerospace industry
• The University of Hertfordshire has produced aerospace engineers with practical experience of design and development for future aerospace systems
• Our MEng Aerospace Engineering students have previously completed work placement years at companies including: Marshall Aerospace, Virgin Atlantic Engineering, and Rolls Royce plc
• You will have access to the best equipment: flight simulator, wind tunnels, specialist laboratories and CAE software
• You will be offered a flying experience at a local flying school with one-to-one instruction on fixed wing aircraft
• Our aerospace staff have a wealth of industrial experience which gives an applied approach to their teaching and their contacts prove invaluable to graduates seeking employment
• Recent Aerospace Engineering graduates have gone on to work at organisations including Ministry of Defence, Shell UK, and Telefonica

With a focus on areas such as HR strategy, leadership, training and development, recruitment, performance and reward management, employment relations and employee engagement, the MA in Human Resource Management will enable anyone looking to begin or develop their career in HR, to delve deep into the field and enhance their career progression. As well as receiving an academic qualification you can also gain professional membership to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). 

Focusing on contemporary, critical and applied themes in the subject area, the course gives you the opportunity to develop the knowledge and understanding necessary for the appropriate analytical, technical and behavioural responses to these issues. The flexible part-time delivery option is a key benefit of this programme, making it ideal for fitting around your busy work/life schedule.

The program

This well regarded and established programme provides a deep and critical insight into leading, managing and developing people. You will achieve an advanced and evidence-based understanding of human behaviour in organisations and HRM roles, perspectives and skills.

The course will develop your practitioner skills and you will learn how research and practice work together. This is an advanced HRM course and the modules look at strategic as well as operational issues. 

Key Features

• Acquire CIPD accreditation
• Improve your employability and career prospects by enhancing your personal and professional skills
• Benefit from the experience of well respected and successful Business School staff
• Flourish in a supportive and challenging environment
• Interact with international partners 

The MPhys allows you to study astrophysics to a greater depth and breadth than the BSc. It’s particularly recommended if you’re interested in pursuing research in industry, government or academia, or if you want to go on to further postgraduate study. During the course you’ll study more advanced topics such as galaxy formation and evolution, high-energy astrophysics and atmospheric physics. You’ll also undertake a large research project within our Centre for Astrophysics Research. We have an innovative strand of industrial projects, supported by the Institute of Physics, that gives you direct experience of working in industrial research. You’ll also have the exciting opportunity to spend a year at a major astronomical research centre or an international observatory.

• The MPhys programme allows students to study astrophysics to a greater depth and breadth than our BSc programme. An MPhys is particularly recommended for those students interested in pursuing research in the industrial, government and academic sectors, and who are likely to consider undertaking further postgraduate study (MSc and/or PhD degrees).

• The MPhys programme allows students to study astrophysics to a greater depth and breadth than our BSc programme.
• In the MPhys year you will study more advanced courses in a range of Astrophysics and Physics specialisms (including Galaxy Formation & Evolution, High Energy Astrophysics, and Atmospheric Physics), plus undertake a large research project within the Centre for Astrophysics Research.
• Your research project will form a third of your final year and you will be closely supervised and guided by one of our experienced researchers while you work on a cutting-edge problem in modern Astrophysics. Previous projects include developing Lucky Imaging cameras at our observatory, studying extreme variable stars in the Milky Way, studying observations of powerful Active Galactic Nuclei, and designing new space telescopes to study extrasolar planet atmospheres. We have an innovative strand of industrial projects supported by the Institute of Physics that give you direct experience of working in industrial research.

Explore the fundamental theories of physics and gain the skills to understand the world in terms of forces and particles in small or complex systems. During this fascinating course you’ll learn to comprehend everything from the streamlined shape of dolphins to the quantum encryption of messages. The course is informed by our internationally excellent and world- leading physics research, which covers areas such as the microphysics of air quality, atmospheric physics, light scattering, quantum optics and mathematical physics. You’ll also have the option of spending a year working in industry or at a research institution. Study abroad opportunities are available at universities in Europe, Australia and the USA.

• Our degree lets you study the fundamental theories behind Physics and their application to modern-day research and technology. We will take you from the knowledge that you have gained in your school or college studies right the way to the most up-to-date developments.
• During your second and third years you begin to specialise in experimental physics or more theoretical and mathematical concepts. You can choose from a range of options in your final year, including Nonlinear Systems, Rocket Performance and Propulsion, Physics of Stars, Nonlinear Systems, Partial Differential Equations, Dynamics and Geometry, Further Numerical Methods or Quantum Computing.
• You will also carry out a final year investigative project in a cutting-edge area of Physics research. You will be closely supervised and guided by one of our experienced researchers in the Centre for Atmospheric & Instrumentation Research. Previous projects have included designing a calibration system for airborne ice sensors, modelling the behaviour of soliton waves in the oceans, and examining quantum dynamics using topological methods.
• If you are continuing on our MPhys programme it is 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.

Philosophy explores and confronts the assumptions that frame the way we think, act and see the world around us. Creative writing offers a way for you to do this by exploring new perspectives on familiar themes, expanding your imaginative capacities, and finding ways to articulate ideas in novel and illuminating ways.

On our BA Philosophy and Creative Writing degree, you will be introduced to a range of literary texts, genres and practical approaches to writing, and you will learn how to formulate your own philosophical arguments, to arrive at your own conclusions.

In your first year, you will embark on becoming a writer, including writing for the screen, whilst exploring central philosophical questions, 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 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.

Our Creative Writing team are published and practicing novelists, poets and dramatists and you will gain a clear, theoretical understanding of the discipline, as well as practical skills that will shape your ability to express yourself.

In your second year as a writer, you’ll turn your attention to writing for the stage and consider poetry as well as prose writing. 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, which is written in dialogue form.

The final year allows for even more opportunity to tailor your degree to reflect your own interests. In Creative Writing, you will embark on your own project, either on poetry, prose or script writing, whilst in Philosophy, you’ll choose from a variety of modules, including modules on feminist philosophy, the nature of language and meaning, and a module on Nietzsche, who is well-known for his literary style.

We give you:

• A flexible program 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

This highly practical and participatory course will provide you with the skills and knowledge you need for a career in legal governance. The two compulsory modules – Legal Risk Management, Governance and Compliance, and Corporate Governance – offer a solid grounding on which you can build with a range of optional modules to suit your own unique requirements.

The Legal Risk Management, Governance and Compliance module introduces you to the basic concepts of project management in the context of risk management. It provides an in-depth understanding of some of the core challenges faced by businesses in this area, as well as knowledge of the relevant regulatory frameworks. In the Corporate Governance module, topics such as corporate governance theories, law and practice are covered. You can then build on this foundation with two additional modules from the range of optional modules on offer, to fit your own needs and preferences. Alternatively, you can combine it with other complementary study routes, and graduate with a named joint pathway.

Why choose this course?

• In the fast-moving corporate world, skilled, knowledgeable legal practitioners are always in demand. The University of Hertfordshire is well known for its strong links with industry and its high-quality staff, all of whom are specialists in their fields. You can therefore be sure that the teaching is always up to date, relevant and supported by cutting-edge research and practice.
• The complementary pathways that are available mean that you can shape your study route according to your personal career goals and ambitions, which will also further enhance your attractiveness to potential employers.
• Hertfordshire Law School has helped graduates forge successful careers for 40 years. You’ll benefit from our reputation for being forward thinking, innovative, and responsive to the world around us.
• The innovative, flexible and practical teaching methods will enable you to develop the intellectual, transferable interpersonal and practical skills you will need for your career in the professional, commercial, business, or academic sectors. 

What will I Study?
The focus of this course is on active, practical learning to develop the skills required for employment. Class seminars are supported by group work, which are fantastic opportunities to pool knowledge and resources and to work collectively on problem-solving and real-world scenarios. Role plays, debates and discussions will enhance your skills of negotiation, persuasion, presentation, leadership and teamwork. A peer support and mentoring scheme is also available, which will further enhance all these vital skills and abilities.

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.

• This BEng Honours degree course in Aerospace Engineering with Pilot Studies places is a particular emphasis on the flying qualities from a pilot's point of view;
• You will get the opportunity to gain a UK National Private Pilot's Licence whilst doing your degree;
• The flying is offered locally at an attractively discounted rate.
• Our BEng Aerospace Systems Engineering with Pilot Studies students have previously completed work placement years at companies including: Rockwell, Eads Astrium, and MBDA
• Recent Aerospace Engineering graduates have gone on to work at organisations including The Royal Air Force, Martin-Baker Aircraft Company, and Chester Hall Precision Engineering

This unique course gives you the flexibility to pursue an engineering career designing aircraft from a pilot’s perspective, or to take the first step to become a commercial pilot. The compulsory flying element is mainly in the Fourth Year and is provided by a nationally recognised flight centre either in the UK or the US. There are additional fees for this, but with at an attractively discounted rate compared to other flight centres. There are also opportunities to fly in the First and Second Years as an extracurricular activity, including the chance to use various flight simulators.

More about the course

The aerospace industry is increasingly in need of Systems Engineers with the skills to integrate modern communication systems with conventional aerospace systems to enhance aircraft performance.  This variation to our Aerospace Systems Engineering degree can be the first step for those wishing to become professional pilots.  It combines the multidisciplinary nature of the Aerospace Systems Engineering degree with pilot studies to a National Private Pilot’s Licence level and beyond. 

The compulsory flying experience is mainly in the Fourth Year, provided locally by a nationally recognised flight centre either in the UK or the USA. There are additional fees for this, but with an attractively discounted rate compared to other flight centres. There are also opportunities to do some flying in the First and Second Years as an extracurricular activity, including use of various flight simulators.

• The MA Animation degree allows you to develop your 2D or 3D Digital Animation skills and knowledge to a more advanced level.
• You will produce a personal portfolio which in approach, style and vision looks to the forefront of current practices.
• The course allows you to extend your theoretical and contextual understanding of animation, its audiences and media culture.
• You will become familiar with professional-level enquiry, research, creative invention, project planning and management practices.
• The course is taught within a multi-disciplinary environment of discussion and exploration of ideas.

This award enables you to develop creative practical skills in a range of digital processes that are used in Animation and related fields. Within this course you can choose to focus in a particular area of animation such as 2D animation, 3D animation or combine the areas to create new forms and ideas from the fusion of techniques and styles.

Within 2D animation you can look at traditional animation techniques and blend these skills and approaches with new digital media to form new content and formats. You will explore the rich heritage of 2D animation and the possibilities of experimentation, both in form and content, that traditional animation has actively encouraged.

3D digital animation has become the most popular form of animated imagery over the past decade,used by more experimental practitioners who question the appearance, form and uses it has in present-day media. In this form, you will challenge your preconceptions of what 2D or 3D animation can do, which helps you become an innovator in the field. You will have the opportunity to explore the range of possibilities available to the practitioner, mixing technical knowledge of the subject with the creative freedom that an understanding of the theory and context of new media practices brings.

The postgraduate Animation programme involves an induction, seminars and social events for students and staff, allowing you to be part of a friendly and supportive postgraduate community of film-makers, musicians and professionals working in new media. Senior research staff and internationally renowned professionals work with postgraduate students, helping to develop original and challenging work. Your study includes ways of thinking about the cultural resonance of your work, the audiences it is made for, the nature of creativity and the role of the cultural industries in a modern knowledge economy.

Through your study you will develop a range of project management skills and an ability to identify and manage your own learning. You will consider the role of enterprise opportunities in commercial, professional and social environments, as well as specialist modules in your chosen discipline area, the programme includes shared modules with other postgraduate awards in the School of Creative Arts. This structure promotes cross-discipline discussion and maintains the enthusiasm and focus of discipline specialists. It enables you to develop key transferable skills of postgraduate study grounded in activities that have currency, relevance and application for your future career and further academic study.