Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Philosophy and Creative Writing

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

With input from professionals, you’ll investigate the tools used by some of the world’s most successful engineers and producers. Using industry-standard studios and technology, you’ll learn techniques to record, process and mix your work to the highest professional standards. You’ll also gain an in-depth understanding of acoustics, studio design and installation, monitoring, webcasting and advanced digital signal processing techniques.

• Our programme is Industry Accredited by JAMES, who represent the Association of Professional Recording Services (APRS), the Music Producers Guild (MPG) and Associate Industry Bodies.
• Develop excellent technical skills over the course of your degree, and benefit from our high quality studio, listening room, venue and sound resources including those by SSL, Yamaha, Avid, Focusrite, Quested, Genelec, Neumann, TLA, Lexicon and Drawmer to name but a few.
• Excellent industry input is built into the design of the degree awards from a huge number of areas within the wider music industry.
• The degree awards within the programme are designed to expose you to areas of music, sound and audio technology that you might not even know exist yet.  "Coming to this course has really given my brain the kick-start it needed, and I'm beginning to see near endless possibilities with where I can go." - Glenn Osborn, second year student.
• We have a strong record of students from the programme securing placement years between years 2 and 3 of their studies.  Placement destinations include Focusrite, Sound Technology (a leading distributor of high profile brands for the Music Retail and Professional Audio industries), The Famous Company, and a number of recording studios.
• Every year, organisations and companies approach us to recommend our graduating students.
• Music business is woven into your degree study at every year giving you the skills to slot into the music industry (or create your own business).
• Organise and Participate ‘live’ projects, and our ‘JamJar’ showcase live events.
• Benefit from studying in creative arts school and collaborate with filmmakers and animators in realising fully featured, professional standard media projects.
• We have some of the best resources in the UK, including the 39 million pound entertainment venue – the Forum where our students perform, and engineer every month, and state-of-the art music studios and film and TV facilities in our 12 million pound building for Music, Film and media.

If you are planning to specialise in the financial sector, the LLM International Financial Law is the perfect course for you! Combining two compulsory modules and two optional modules, the course offers everything you need for a solid foundation on which to build your career.

The Banking Law module will give you an understanding of the role of banks in our economy, and the relevant regulatory schemes. You will also study the banker–customer relationship, the impact of new electronic payment systems, developments within money laundering regulations and the issue of bank resolution in the light of the global financial crisis.

In the International Financial Law module you will examine financial law and approaches to key aspects of it, the regulation and supervision of financial institutions, international financial architecture, the role of credit rating agencies, and the nature of key debt and financial instruments, including International Bonds and Syndicated Loan Agreements.

These two compulsory modules are assessed via written coursework, and a practical assessment – a group presentation – also forms part of the International Financial Law module. You will supplement these modules with two optional modules from the wide range that the course has to offer.
We also offer a range of other Master of Law pathways.

Why choose this course?

The global financial crisis launched domestic and international finance to the forefront of the world’s consciousness. This course offers a critical analysis of the events, and examines the response of the world’s financial markets, as well as giving you the wider skills and knowledge you will need for a specialist career in the financial and banking sector.

As you would expect from the Hertfordshire Law School, the teaching is delivered by specialists in their field, and is underpinned by cutting-edge research and regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains relevant and on topic. Our innovative teaching methods are specifically designed to maximise your intellectual, transferable, interpersonal and practical skills.

If you wish, you can combine a similar pathway, and graduate with a named joint pathway. In addition, you may wish to complement your degree with our co-curricular programme, which will further enhance your skills.

Motorsport’s not just exciting entertainment, but also an important part of automotive development. It challenges engineers to be innovative in using the latest technologies to design high-performance vehicles. You’ll find most modules on this course are common with those on our general automotive engineering degree. However, you’ll also learn about aerodynamics of high- speed vehicles and high-performance engine design, testing and mapping. One of the big highlights is to get involved in designing, building and racing a Student Formula car. This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and is the first step towards chartered engineer status.

• This BEng Honours in Automotive Engineering with Motorsport will give you the opportunity for hands-on motorsport from your first year onwards, if you wish by getting involved in the design, build and racing of a single-seater race car in the UK Formula Student Competition;
• Your studies will reflect the latest thinking in the industry as the School is supported by a Motor Industry Advisory Panel which includes representatives from many well-known automotive companies;
• Our MEng Automotive Engineering with Motorsport students have previously completed work placement years at companies including: McLaren Automotive, Mercedes-Benz Grand Priz Limited and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains;
• Your MEng studies involve an extra year and will provide you with a broader and deeper understanding of the subject
• Recent Automotive Engineering graduates have gone on to work at organisations including: Williams Grand Prix Engineering, McLaren Racing Limited, and Renault Sport.

As with our aerospace technology with management degree, this broad-based aviation course has an emphasis on computer-aided engineering – including 3D modelling, computer-aided analysis, simulation and computer-aided manufacture. You’ll develop your practical skills in workshops and well-equipped laboratories, while your piloting skills are developed in the second half of the course through the University’s flight simulators and tuition at a nationally recognised flight centre in the UK or US. There are additional fees for this but at a discounted rate. You’ll also take part in group work, which will enable you to develop your team-working skills and improve your employability.

More about the Course

This programme develops a range of skills applicable in different branches of engineering, reinforcing them through practical experience as you work towards obtaining a UK National Private Pilot's Licence.  Flying lessons are offered by a nationally-recognised flight centre.  Whilst this is an additional expense for students on this course they will give University of Hertfordshire students an attractive discounted rate.

In the first year of your BSc Honours degree course in Aerospace Technology with Pilot Studies you will gain a broad grounding in engineering, focusing on technology, information technology and management, including a basic introduction to the aerospace industry.

In your second year you will build on your knowledge of core technologies, IT and management skills as they are applied within the aerospace industry. This includes studying aerodynamics with, wind tunnel testing, design of aircraft structures and components, using commercial standard software used within the aerospace industry. You will also study elements of the PPL ground school syllabus such as meteorology, human factors, air law and navigation topics.

In your final year you concentrate on the application of aerospace technology - including aircraft performance, propulsion, manufacturing, and avionic systems - and key business skills. A project to design a complete aircraft fosters teamwork capabilities where your skills as a pilot will be put to the test in validating the design through the use of a flight simulator. You will also develop specialist knowledge by undertaking a major project on a relevant topic, and have further opportunity for flying. A key element is undertaking all pilot training necessary to take the NPPL examinations at a local flying school.

• This is the ideal course if you are interested in a role that combines technical knowledge with piloting
• The student with greatest flying performance is awarded a Scholarship, to extend their pilot training after graduation
• You will have access to excellent equipment: flight simulator, wind tunnels, specialist laboratories and CAE software
• Provides potential pilots with a high-level qualification for alternative employment in the aerospace sector
• Our BSc Aerospace Technology with Pilot Studies students have previously completed work placement years at companies including: Inflite Services, Virgin Atlantic Engineering, and British Airways
• Recent Aerospace Technology graduates have gone on to work at organisations including Airbus Defence and Space, Fujitsu, and Toyota
• You can gain access to this course with a broad range of entry qualifications and an enthusiasm for flying

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.

• 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

This dynamic two year course gives you the knowledge, skills and placement experiences to become a contemporary physiotherapist with a masters qualification. The contemporary curriculum considers the care settings primary, secondary and tertiary to reflect modern patient centred healthcare. Research will underpin practice including a focus on leadership and innovation. You’ll be exposed to seven different placements, usually starting from the first semester, providing you the opportunity of gaining hands-on experience and practical knowledge.

• Each student on the programme has their own studio space within the shared PG Art studio area. You will be able to work alongside fellow students in Photography, Fine Art, Contemporary Textiles and Contemporary Crafts, as well as students across the School.
• The School has excellent facilities accessible to all students – darkrooms, print and textiles studio, 3d workshops (including glass, ceramics, jewellery, 3d printing), equipment loan store, and computer suites.
• All the teaching staff are creative practitioners/artists who have national or international standing and expertise. Invited speakers, artists/creatives, curators and theorists, also add to the creative mix. The teaching staff are passionate about the work we make and the work you make!
• The course is suitable for those interested in commercial and/or fine-art approaches to photographic practice.
• See our UH Photography Flickr page for portfolios and news of course and alumni activity.

Why choose this course?

This MA Photography award deals with the unique blends of fact, fiction, distinctive style and technical practices that characterize the many forms of contemporary photography, whether that is form a commercial or fine-art approach. It is about the ways in which traditional practices and digital technologies are coming together, developing new forms of photographic practices and bringing new possibilities for the creation, publication and exhibition of photographic imagery.

This postgraduate degree is concerned with communicating truths, stories, facts and emotions, it deals with persuasion and comment and the aesthetics of the image in ways which are visually rich and diverse. The widespread adoption of digital technologies to capture, edit, display and distribute photographic images has brought many new possibilities for the creation, publication and exhibition of work to a wide range of audiences and for a wide range of purposes.

The same technologies bring questions about precision and accuracy, the role of invention and imagination, and the way that the photographic image is received, understood and consumed in today's culture. You will work with traditional wet, analogue photographic resources, digital workflow facilities, or a mix of the two which is most appropriate to your personal practice.

Study our MA in Journalism and Media Communications and gain the skills you’ll need for a successful, dynamic career in today’s complex global media industries.

This Masters course aims to prepare you in both practice and analysis of global journalism and media. You’ll benefit from our extensive links with the media industry, including the BBC and the Sunday Times, and gain a grounding in all its aspects, from fast-changing multimedia to magazines, advertising and the excitements of sports journalism.

You may have studied humanities subjects and be looking to deepen your research interests. Or you may have been working in areas such as business or healthcare and need communications skills. Whatever your background, taking this MA will enhance your career by equipping you to operate effectively in a professional media environment. Our business-facing approach means you’ll be taught by lecturers with extensive professional experience of print, web design, journalism and PR, giving this MA its strong focus on your future employability.

During the course you’ll explore the synergies between social media, PR and journalism, focusing on current media practice and the technologies of convergence. You’ll consider how to make communication more effective in professional settings by looking at journalism and its associated business models; learn how to interview and report on events; gain expertise in internal and external corporate communications; and analyse the impact of technology on the communications industries.

Modules may change from year to year but are likely to include Corporate Communication, PR and Advertising; International Journalism Trends; Writing for Magazines; Sports Journalism; and Media Production as well as modules on research methodology. You also have a range of options for your final project. This can be a dissertation on a media subject of your choice, a short work placement, the one-year sandwich placement or a larger media research project, depending on your chosen route.

For Media Production you’ll create multimedia – podcasts, video and advertising – for online magazines, pitch and measure a campaign and use social media to promote your work.  A strong practical element in Writing for Magazines will equip you to write for social media and understand how to create content and engage audiences.

Our module International Journalism Trends explores news ownership and media production on a global scale and provides deeper insight into the theoretical and cultural framework of media and journalism. Sports Journalism will give you a grounding in the exciting practices of sports journalism, from interviewing top stars to reporting on breaking sports stories.

Two modules on research methods and critical and theoretical debates will equip you with advanced research skills and the transferable communications skills - including interviewing, identifying a story and building connections - that are vital for roles in PR and Corporate Communications.

On the one-year programme students can take up a short work placement as a final module, giving you the opportunity to put into practice your knowledge and skills developed over the year. Typically, you will be expected to have spent a minimum of 20-25 days on an internship or work experience placement, after which you’ll write a 3,500-word report and give a short presentation reflecting on your experience.

Previous students have taken short work placements on national newspapers, the BBC, Hertfordshire Life magazine, Three Counties radio, social media, marketing or internal communications roles in local businesses and PR agencies such as Bell Pottinger.

Why choose this course?
We give you

• A broad range of media communications skills with a strong focus on digital media
• Expert lecturers widely experienced in the communications industry
• An opportunity to take a short work placement in a media-based environment
• Insights into emerging trends in the fast-changing digital media world
• Research and transferable skills valued by a range of related industries

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.

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.

Why choose this course?

• This programme is distinctive in its philosophy of widening participation and provides a route to gain skills and training in data science to those from a background not traditionally associated with the STEM-themes of mathematics, statistics and programming. The programme is designed to be appealing to a broad range of students who are seeking training or up-skilling in data science.
• You will benefit from the expertise of astrophysicists, physicists, mathematicians and computer scientists with international research profiles. Their day-to-day research involves application of, and in some cases the development of new, data science skills, from fundamental statistical analyses, the use of distributed high-performance computing, and research into novel artificial intelligence algorithms.
• We aim to make the programme distinctive in terms of the mixture of hard and soft skills, and the close personal relationship that we are developing with employers, which will feed into the programme through continuous assessment of the latest industry-relevant tools, which are continually evolving as new technology and software becomes available.
• You will experience a multidisciplinary approach to data science by experiencing challenges in computer science, creative arts, medical and business environments.
• You will have the opportunity to attend a wide range of research-focused seminars to excite and spark your intellectual curiosity.