Master of Physics (Hons) in Astrophysics (with Sandwich Year)

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

Our Graphic Design BA (Hons) program is driven by a desire to develop graduates that are ready for employment. The course is committed to teaching you how to generate brilliant concepts and the skills required to execute them beautifully. Briefs will allow students to explore the widest definitions of contemporary graphic design by encouraging them to explore their own interests, be experimental and push the boundaries of the subject. Projects will focus on creating typographic and image-based solutions including posters, books, websites and films as well as packaging, identity and typeface design.

We have an enviable record of success. In recent years our students have won over 100 awards in all of the most prestigious national and international design competitions. These include: at least one D&AD pencil every year since 2011; Designer of the Year at New Designers; countless other ISTD, YCN and agency competitions; and various runners-up/finalists’ places in other competitions such at the Penguin Random House Design Award.

Clever, original ideas are vital for a successful career working at the top end of the profession and our course is committed to teaching students how to generate brilliant concepts. We foster a fun yet demanding atmosphere that encourages our students to think independently, question the world around them and be opinionated. Our proximity to London allows us to easily bring in high-quality visiting tutors, all of whom have worked for renowned agencies, and inspiring guest speakers.

• Outstanding connections to industry, including high profile live briefs and visiting speakers.
• A forward-thinking, ideas-driven curriculum which prepares our graduates for a wide range of careers.
• A flexible approach which encourages exploration and experimentation in a wide variety of formats.
• A reputation for success in the most-coveted student award schemes.

What is it for sounds, gestures and marks on paper to have meaning? What are the various uses to which we can put language, and how does it manage to have the effects it has? How do we learn language? And how does the language we use reflect society, the nature of our thoughts, and what we take reality to be like?

Our BA Philosophy and English Language degree allows you to examine the nature of language, through two distinct approaches. You’ll develop a range of skills in analysing the structure of the English language and how it is used in a variety of situations, while exploring and challenging the assumptions about the nature of language, its limits and how it functions.

In your first year, alongside core linguistics modules, you’ll learn to think critically by examining how language may be used – and misused – in reasoning and persuasion. You’ll also study social and political philosophy, covering topics such as freedom of speech, and examine the nature of mind and reality.

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 English language lecturers are research-active academics working in cutting-edge areas such as language and gender, formulaic language, corpus studies, bilingualism, bilingual processing and codeswitching.

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. In Philosophy, you may explore a wide variety of topics, including the option to learn some languages of logic.

One final-year option is corpus studies in English language, which will develop your research skills through your use of Sketch Engine, a text analysis tool that allows you to search vast samples of language, or corpora. In Philosophy, there is the option to study more advanced contemporary themes and theories in the philosophy of language, and also to take a module which focuses in particular on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s influential work on the nature of language.

• 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 extra-curricular activities

• Explore the most advanced studio techniques, technologies and processes at the forefront of current music production.
• Discover advanced compositional devices and strategy applicable to DAW-based realisation of original material.
• Unleash your creative potential and cultivate your own individual style to produce original works that stand out from the crowd in their artistic and technical sophistication.

The MA Creative Music Production is aimed at applicants specifically interested in applying studio technologies and production skills to the creation of their own original music (as opposed to “producing” other artists’ music). In addition to equipping students with solid bases in studio technology, processes and practices, the course addresses the purely formal, artistic and aesthetic aspects of music-making, and the specific compositional devices and strategy applicable to DAW-based realisations of original material.

By surveying the defining traits and aesthetic concerns of a number of popular genres centred on electronic composition-production, students develop a sophisticated awareness of current artistic and aesthetic trends, and an enhanced knowledge of the musicology of production. On this course, you will develop a portfolio of original works showcasing your talent as a composer-producer, opening up a wide range of possibilities for your professional career.

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 focus on developing your artistic and technical skills to produce models, animatronics and other effects. You’ll also gain hands on experience of the specialist equipment used to produce rain, fire, smoke, wind and snow, and learn about the safe use of pyrotechnics.

In Second Year, you will acquire an understanding of special effects design and receive a thorough grounding in the practical aspects of this. You will be able to combine your artistic and technical skills to produce animatronics, action props, models and special effects.

In your Final Year, you’ll work on major projects and create a professional portfolio to impress employers. Throughout your studies you’ll use a mix of traditional techniques and modern technology. This course is accredited by Creative Skillset, reflecting the highest standard of teaching and facilities.

• Combine your artistic and technical skills to produce animatronics, action props, models and special effects.
• Gain ‘hands on’ experience of special effects equipment used to produce, rain, fire, smoke, wind and snow etc. and learn about the safe use of pyrotechnics.
• Use of traditional workshop machinery and cutting-edge technologies, plus access to specialist industry standard facilities for animatronics, model making and prop making.
• Close contacts with industry, which provide outstanding work experience opportunities and collaborative projects.
• High graduate employment rates for Special Effects students. 
• The only Creative Skillset Tick accredited Model and Special Effects course in the UK.

Software engineering is a discipline that applies professional engineering techniques to the construction and evolution of large and complex software systems. This course adds a specialism in software engineering to a broad base in computer science. In the first two years there is an emphasis on software development, professional programming, the modelling and design of systems and data, the principles of networking and the user experience. Building on this foundation you’ll study software engineering in depth and learn how to analyse, design, develop and evaluate computer-based systems. You’ll also learn the application of engineering techniques, such as those relying on software metrics.

• Choose this course with an emphasis on Software Engineering building on a base of mainstream Computer Science, 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 Intel, Microsoft, and Apple
• Recent graduates from Computer Science have gone on to work at amazing organisations including Ticketmaster, BAE Systems, and Ocado

This course is designed to meet the growing demands of businesses for graduates who possess rigorously developed personal, as well as business skills. It aims to produce graduates who are ready for employment in a management role.

The course is open to graduates of any academic discipline, and also to non-graduates who have appropriate work experience and hold a sub-degree or professional qualification.

Modules cover the basics of marketing, project management, accounting, and people management, amongst other key areas. This breadth gives you highly transferable skills, relevant to most work environments, which will enable you to become an effective employee or a future entrepreneur.

Why choose this course?

• Work in a Business School with a rich academic culture, taught by staff from a range of management professions
• Enjoy a supportive, engaging and diverse environment
• Gain a broad qualification that can prepare you for a diverse range of careers
• Flexible part-time study options allow you to fit the course around your existing commitments.

Who should choose this course?

• If you are a new graduate looking for a broad management qualification
• Or you already have significant work experience (min. five years) but do not have a formal qualification
• You want to study part-time in a flexible way that suits your needs.

It is an exciting time to study Human Geography at the University of Hertfordshire, as space and place has become locally, regionally, nationally and supra-nationally contested throughout the world, as resources like water dwindle, and populations increase and move.

At the University of Hertfordshire, we specialise in better understanding how new sustainable and resilient urban spaces are created, making good use of the world's first Garden City and the country's first New Town on our doorstep.

We are also fascinated by issues of governance, exclusion, vulnerability and resistance amongst diverse communities, both in the UK and abroad, with researchers working on these topics in Poland and India. We also have research and teaching staff focusing on future mobilities, particularly in the south-east, where commuting issues and congestion are so topical.

Other key features of our course include:

• A focus into migration pathways and gateway towns with staff expertise in the Polish diaspora.
• We have dedicated GIS suites that help us to map and analyse these phenomena.
• Field work is a key aspect of the study of Human Geography at UH and we are ideally placed to look at development, economic regeneration and community transition in North London and its satellite towns, plus issues around the Green Belt.
• You can study the course over 4 years by including an industrial placement or a year studying at one of our many overseas partners.
• Our teaching team are dedicated and personable, and we treasure our informal, 'family' reputation and sense of community. Our staff know our students, and our regular small-group tutorials in first and second years set us apart from many larger departments.

Film and television production is one of the largest growth areas in the creative industries, with major international productions coming to the UK to find the best crews and creatives in the world. Taught by industry professionals and using the latest technology, you will develop the practical skills, creative abilities, technical expertise and business know-how to really kick-start your career. You’ll also take advantage of our excellent links with industry partners, including Warner Bros Studios Leavesden and Elstree Studios, as well as opportunities for work placements and employment.

The Film and Television programme is a ScreenSkills and CILECT accredited course that provides an environment in which students can grow into confident television and film practitioners. We are proud to be among the top 20 for film production, nationally (The Guardian), delivering industry ready graduates into the workplace.

Our course is designed to put the industry and its needs at the heart of our teaching.  Students learn professional skills from the outset, managing and producing their own location and studio-based shoots, and getting the opportunity to experience a variety of key roles on set and in post-production.

Our close partnerships with leading industry figures ensures that students hear about the latest commercial developments, while also putting into practice the long-established methods and techniques, workflows, and standards employed by film and television companies globally.

During your studies, you can take control of your own specialist career development, choosing to focus on those areas of production and post-production that best suit your passions and employment aims.

With modules covering the theory, history and contemporary practice of film and television, the course gives you an understanding of the industry’s past while preparing you to take an active part in its future.

Study English Literature with us and we’ll help you grow from passionate reader into critical thinker and literary scholar.

You’ll be taught by research-active academics who bring fresh thinking to our accessible, engaging courses. This means you’ll study literature written in English by writers from all parts of the globe, whose voices are relevant and important in our modern world.

We’ll introduce you to writers who will open doors to contemporary worlds and cultures remote from your own, and also help you explore more familiar literature in ways that challenge your preconceptions.

Whatever your taste in literature, our courses will interest and provoke you. From The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Jane Eyre, from Paradise Lost to Zadie Smith’s Swing Time, we’ll broaden your literary horizons and hone your critical thinking.

A core module in your first year will equip you to read and interpret both traditional and contemporary literary texts critically as a scholar of English literature. Alongside this you can choose to study international and American literature or revisit Shakespeare and consider his cultural relevance today through fictional, cinematic and TV adaptations.

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. You’ll also have the opportunity to consider ways of reading that go beyond textual analysis or historical context, such as understanding literature through the political or ideological lens of Marxism, feminism and post-colonial theory.

You’ll have the chance to specialise in your final year, tailoring your degree to reflect your own interests. Themed options include children’s literature, young adult fiction, Renaissance tragedy, 21st century American literature, European crime fiction, literary adaptations and the culture of print in the 18th century.

If you have a particular interest or independent research idea you can choose to work with a supervisor to write an extended dissertation. Previous dissertations have focused on subjects as diverse as anthropomorphism in Beatrix Potter’s animal tales; Black British identity in young adult fiction and grime music; women in Shakespearean tragedy; and slavery and the frontier in early American gothic short stories.

One of a range of degrees from the taught Masters Programme at the School of Computer Science our course is especially designed for graduates of numerate subjects other than computer science. It is mostly taught separately from the other courses. It intensively covers a broad range of the key principles and techniques of computer science.

There is an emphasis on software development, in particular when applied to solving problems in other disciplines. Depending on the modules chosen, it can lead to a career in areas such as systems development, IT management, or the deployment of advanced applications in specific disciplines.

• This MSc is one of a range of advanced courses within our postgraduate masters programme in Computer Science, this particular course provides you with a specialism in software engineering.
• You will develop knowledge and skills in the models, methodologies, measures and tools that can be employed in software development considered as an engineering discipline.
• You will be taught by a highly-regarded and long-established computer science department with strong links to business.
• Half the research outputs in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire have been rated at world-leading or internationally excellent in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014.