Master of Science in Finance and Investment Banking

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

A degree in English Literature and Journalism will help you grow from passionate reader into a critical thinker and literary scholar; it will also develop your practical, professional writing skills, shed new light on how the media works, and get you some hands-on experience that employers are really looking for.

On a degree in English Literature and Journalism, 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. 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. You’ll also develop your journalistic skills in exciting ways: you’ll learn the different requirements of writing ‘news’ and ‘features’, while learning how to carry out research, conduct interviews, and structure your writing in order to get published.

You’ll be taught by academic staff who bring fresh thinking to our accessible, engaging courses. Some are active researchers of international standing who bring their own passion for their discipline into the classroom; others are dynamic teachers with extensive industry experience.

Whatever your taste in literature, there will be something to 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 Literature 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 revisit Shakespeare and consider his cultural relevance today through fictional, cinematic and TV adaptations; or to deepen your understanding of Gothic writing by tracing its origins back to the Romantic era.

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 twentieth 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 literary study to reflect your own interests. Themed options include children’s literature, young adult fiction, Renaissance tragedy, European crime fiction, literary adaptations and the culture of print in the 18th century.

Your study of English Literature will enhance your ability to analyse and synthesise complex ideas, and to express yourself clearly in both written and spoken English. These skills will be hugely beneficial to your study of Journalism, but this part of your course will extend your range far beyond just print media. As the course progresses, you’ll discover how journalism varies across video, radio and the internet, hear from inspiring industry guest speakers, and take placements in real newsrooms.

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. In your MEng year, you’ll deepen your understanding of the industry. One of the big highlights is to get involved in designing, building and racing a car at the IMechE Formula Student events. This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and is the first step towards chartered engineer status.

• This MEng in Automotive Engineering with Motorsport gives you the opportunity to design, build and race a single-seater race car in the UK Formula Student Competition and can get involved from your first year onwards, if you wish
• You will have use of our excellent facilities within the Automotive Centre i.e. advanced engine test cells and a vehicle ride simulator for the testing of car suspension systems, plus the latest software packages for CAD/CAM
• You will benefit from studying at a very well established university within the automotive industry as we have been running automotive degree programmes for some forty years
• 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.

This course enables students to understand the fundamentals of information theory and apply appropriate performance and quality measures to engineer enhanced data communication systems.

Students design state-of-the-art networks using legacy as well as emerging optical and wireless technologies, developing the students’ ability to define and apply appropriate analytic, algorithmic and a mix of simulation and hardware tools for reliable data transfer.

Students will cover subject specific subjects such as Digital Mobile Communication Systems and Optical Communication Technologies alongside cohort taught subjects to develop their management skills and their employability.

The successful postgraduates of the course will acquire the knowledge and understanding, intellectual, practical and transferable skills necessary for the analysis and synthesis of problems in engineering and manufacturing through a combination of experimental, simulation, research methods and case studies. They can expect to gain work in a range of disciplines within a variety of industries from specialist technical roles to positions of management responsibility.

• Students who undertake this course will gain knowledge and understanding of the advanced theoretical issues and their practical implementations that underlie recent developments in Communications and Information Engineering.
• Students will be able to explore, explain the engineering challenges inherent in a variety of data communication applications.
• Supported by the School which has over 25 years' experience of teaching electronic engineering and has established an excellent international reputation in this field.
• We offer extensive lab facilities for engineering students, including the latest software packages.

Studying Philosophy, Religion and Ethics at Hertfordshire will enable you to explore the connections and contradictions between thought and faith in the world today.

You may have taken Religious Studies at A-level or be fascinated by how religious belief is a driving force behind social and political events in today’s globalised world.

This degree course offers you the opportunity to explore the beliefs that guide people’s lives using the logical and critical skills gained through philosophical inquiry.

You’ll be taught by internationally regarded academics, who will help you understand how the practices of religion and philosophy have influenced – and been influenced by – the modern world. You’ll learn to address the arguments and beliefs of others and to engage with them, so that you can arrive at your own conclusions and create your own original work.

All our 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 first year you’ll take philosophy modules exploring ethics, mind, knowledge and reality alongside an introduction to four of the major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. This will be given a modern context through a module on religion and the contemporary world.

Seminars in your first year will explore how to investigate and discuss different beliefs and ideas and to develop your critical thinking, all within a respectful and empathetic environment.

In your second year you’ll study the philosophies of religion, and explore virtues, vices and ethics. Focusing on specific virtues such as forgiveness, hope or love from both a secular and religious point of view, you’ll examine what it means to live a good life.

Alongside options in your final year to explore religion and popular culture, as well as feminist and political philosophy, your dissertation will allow you to develop your particular interests, perhaps encompassing an exploration of some aspect of your own religious belief system.

• An exceptional academic team, conducting internationally renowned research
• A flexible programme of study, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting
• The opportunity to write a dissertation on a topic about which you are passionate
• CV-building potential through extra-curricular activities

If you aspire to pursue your legal career internationally, this course is the one for you! The combination of compulsory and optional modules will ensure that you have the grounding you need, while providing you with the tools and knowledge to build upon it according to your own particular dreams and ambitions.

The Public International Law module gives you a solid understanding of public international law within its political context. The module begins by exploring the sources of international law and its key actors. You will also study areas such as dispute settlement techniques, the use of force or international criminal law, and the critical interplay between law and politics.

The Private International Law module focuses on the rules of private international law as they operate in England and Wales. You will receive a thorough grounding in the basic concepts, and then move on to consider the law on connecting factors and the rules on jurisdiction within common law and as they operate under European legislation. In addition, the module includes study of the relevant choice of law rules in contract and tort, and examination of the various legal regimes that provide for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgements.

Both modules are assessed by written coursework. In addition, you will study two modules of your choice from the wide range that is available.
We also offer a range of other Master of Law pathways.

Why choose this course?
In the twenty-first century, global travel, instant communication and cutting-edge technology have made the world a much smaller place than it ever has been. In this context, a comprehensive understanding of international law is vitally important for anyone wishing to pursue a legal career.

Taught by specialists in their field, and continually reviewed to ensure it is up to date and relevant, the LLM International Law will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need for your career, whether you choose to follow a professional, commercial, business or an academic route. Successful completion will ensure you have a well-rounded knowledge of international law, whether from a state, public perspective (often political and controversial), or with an individual, private focus.

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

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.

A career in writing enables you explore the world through your work – discovering people and places, exploring unfolding events, influencing debate and shaping your own creative voice. On this course, you’ll write for blogs, websites, print, video, audio and multimedia contexts, developing the skills to research your subject and really engage your readers.

Together, these subjects give you exciting opportunities to develop your voice as a writer and discover ways to publish your work. In journalism, you’ll learn about ethics, target audiences and the journey from interview to finished article. You’ll analyse newspapers and their values, as well as exploring broadcasting and online journalism.

In creative writing, you’ll learn important skills for devising, editing, revising and submitting your work. You’ll analyse texts, explore the effects of the author’s choices and create short stories, drama, poetry and creative nonfiction of your own. You’ll also have opportunities to work with schools or museums, attend guest lectures, study abroad or take a year’s work placement.

From September 2020, subject to validation, we will be offering a new single hons degree in Creative Writing. Find out more information.

• This course will help you to develop professional writing skills.
• Journalism and Publishing at the University of Hertfordshire ranked 21st out of 57 universities in the Guardian University league table 2016.

This programme combines high level vocational training with academic rigour. It prepares successful graduates for careers in a variety of areas including consultancy, specialist roles within organisations, research and areas of technical expertise. The MSc Occupational Psychology is accredited by the British Psychological Society and forms the first year of the Qualification in Occupational Psychologists.

The overriding aim of this programme is to provide students with specialist knowledge and a comprehensive suite of skills required to practise as Occupational Psychologists in a wide range of organisational environments.

The course includes the following areas

• Psychological Assessment at Work
• Learning, Training and Development
• Leadership, Engagement and Motivation
• Research and Professional Skills
• Well-being at work
• Work Design, Organisational Change and Development

And an option from

• Human Resource Management for psychologists
• Strategic Management for psychologists
• Marketing for psychologists
• Consulting Skills

You will also carry out a project which is a substantial piece of investigative work, normally carried out in an external organisation.  Host organisations for MSc projects have included large commercial concerns in both manufacturing and service sectors, a range of consultancies, charities, and in local government and government departments.

Projects are sometimes conducted abroad; past locations include Germany, Greece, Turkey, Malaysia, Kenya, Indonesia, China, India and Taiwan.

Staff who teach on the course include permanent academic staff who have industrial experience and who undertake regular consultancy work, and external psychologists from consultancies, large organisations and other universities.  Teaching and learning methods include lectures, workshops, seminars, tutorials and practical sessions.  There is an emphasis on putting theory into practice.

Why choose this course?

• This programme provides many of the professional skills and competencies needed to become a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and to apply psychology in the workplace
• Accredited by the British Psychological Society, and counts towards gaining Chartered Occupational Psychologist status
• One of the largest psychology departments in the country
• Our staff are actively engaged in significant research which is reflected by our excellent, Grade 4 rating in the Higher Education Funding Council's last Research Assessment Exercise. See a list of our Psychology staff here.
• We were awarded a Teaching Quality rating of excellent (23 out of 24) in our subject review
• A vibrant research seminar series - with contributions by leading academics from across the country

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.

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.