Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English

at University of Plymouth United Kingdom

Our interdisciplinary design studio inspires you to challenge, disrupt and rethink design practices to create unique and compelling objects, artefacts and user experiences. Go hands-on with materials in our extensive workshops to design products, furniture, ceramics and lighting. Develop a rich portfolio that is relevant to the evolving needs of professional design practice and become a Designer Maker, or a Designer for Industry, or combine areas of 3D design practice.

Key Features

• Teaching is in small groups with the studio culture run like a design practice with innovative delivery including flipped classroom, podcasts and team teaching.
• Work alongside students from our Interior Design course in our vibrant studio with individual desk space and CAD stations.
• You’ll build up a portfolio with fresh projects starting every few weeks. Assessments are 100% coursework – so no exams.
• Culture trips to Europe and study exchanges in Japan, USA, India or Italy are also possible.
• Engage with real clients with live projects. We’ve recently run projects with Vitra, John Lewis, Red Paddle, UPP, architects Willmore Iles and Herman Millar.
• Gain valuable industry experience through our competitions, studio visits, visiting lecturers and our meet the supplier visits.
• BA (Hons) Product and Furniture Design is professionally accredited by the Chartered Society of Designers.
• The studio practice mirrors contemporary professional practice, helping you develop the skills and confidence to succeed in the job market.

Take your skills to the next level with MA Game Design. Refine 3D modelling, 2D art and animation skills, level design and gameplay coding. Games industry experts will guide you through aspects of game design and development, game theory, and industrial contexts. You will develop your portfolio, and in the final module, work as a team to produce and ship a fully-fledged game

MA Game Design provides an explorative insight into creating videogames. Not only will students hone the craft of developing their own videogames, but also learn more about the dynamic medium itself. Combining practice and theory to result in a balanced approach to foster imaginative and creative experiences.

Key Features

 MA Heritage Theory and Practice is intended for graduates and professionals focused on a career in heritage. You will explore current principles and practices in the management and curation of heritage sites and museums including interpretation and community engagement.

You will also engage with concepts and approaches in contemporary heritage theory and, importantly, how theory can relate to practice. During the degree, you will take part in ‘live’ projects with one of our heritage partners and be eligible for a heritage work placement.

Key Features

• Study Heritage at Plymouth and work on ‘live’ projects with one of our heritage partners including the National Trust, Powderham Castle, The Box, The Elizabethan House.
• Explore the connections between theory and practice in contemporary issues such as equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Be part of the team of Cornerstone Praxis, the University of Plymouth’s highly successful heritage engagement unit.
• Be taught by world leading academic experts and heritage professionals.
• Be part of a community of heritage focused staff and students through Cornerstone Heritage, the University of Plymouth’s interdisciplinary research centre for cultural heritage.
• Explore the emerging field of digital heritage, producing your own online content for our 'Digital History Project'.
• Showcase your research and professional practice skills with the option of a dissertation directly linked to the development of one our partner heritage sites or museums.
• Participate in a work placement with one of our national and regional heritage organisations.
• MA Heritage Theory and Practice is designed for a range of applicants including recent graduates and those with a professional background in heritage looking for a postgraduate qualification as part of their professional development

Take a fresh look at childhood. Exploring the theory and reality of children’s early years from many points of view, this innovative course will help you find your niche in this competitive sector and graduate with a clear view of where your career is going. Investigate issues through the lenses of sociology, social psychology, history, and philosophy.

Work directly with young children and their families during the Work Based Learning module or choose the option of gaining professional recognition of your practice. Our Work Based Learning Plus module enables you to meet Early Years Educator standards and be counted in the ratios in an early years setting through relevant assessed practice experience.

Key Features

• Explore the relationships between play and learning in your own studies as well as in child development
• Expand your options beyond traditional teaching and open up further career opportunities in education, social care, community work, psychology, management and research.
• See for yourself how theories and policies are applied in practice by visiting a wide range of provision for children and families.
• Learn on the job during the work-based learning placement.  You will gain the practical skills employers are looking for.
• Take a broader view of children’s development by studying the subject in practical, historical and international contexts.
• Develop essential skills through a variety of coursework-based assessments – from essays, surveys and child observations to group presentations and video commentaries.
• Learn from experienced lecturers and tutors who are actively engaged in national and international research projects.
• Make the most of the opportunities presented by being part of a department that has strong links with universities in Europe, Canada, Africa and the USA and through the International Students’ Exchange Programme.

What can the arts, humanities and social sciences do to cultivate a deeper understanding of relationships between society, culture and the environment.

This programme brings multiple disciplinary perspectives into dialogue with the ecological sciences, conservation and environmental thought. Drawing on wide-ranging and world-leading staff expertise, this interdisciplinary MA will enable you to build key skills in communication, research and critical and creative thinking invaluable for building more environmentally responsible societies of the future.

Key Features

Are you passionate about understanding animal behaviour and applying this knowledge to improve welfare? Do you want to explore the evolution of behaviour in a variety of species? Applying an understanding of animal needs and health, you consider the many aspects of animal welfare, including an examination of the legal and ethical frameworks that safeguard welfare. You also undertake practical work, conducting behavioural and welfare assessment studies, gaining the skills sought by employers.

In the 2019 National Student Survey, 100% expressed overall satisfaction with the course; 93% of students felt staff on this course were good at explaining things; 83% felt that the staff made the subject interesting and 93% found the course intellectually stimulating.

Key Features

• You will build a strong foundation in the fundamental science that underpins the study and understanding of behaviour and welfare - including ecology, evolution, microbiology, physiology, nutrition, health and disease. You will then build onto this with in-depth study of behaviour, welfare and their links in your second and final years of study.
• You will take part in residential field courses in South Devon and the Netherlands, allowing you to develop and apply the understanding you gain through lectures and to study animal behaviour in both wild and captive settings - the latter including zoos and agricultural settings.
• You will benefit from our collaborations with Dartmoor Zoo, Paignton Zoo, Newquay Zoo, the Donkey Sanctuary and National Marine Aquarium, which enable a number of field-trips throughout your course to look at captive animal behaviour, welfare, conservation and rehabilitation.
• You will have opportunity to boost your employability by taking a placement year between your second and final years of study, working in the industry, anywhere in the world - you can read more about this in the 'course details' section of this page.
• You can broaden your horizons by taking your second year at one of a range of universities overseas offered in our year abroad scheme.
• You will be supported pastorally and academically by a personal tutor throughout your studies, and will have regular 1:1 meetings to discuss your progress formally.
• You will interact with and be lectured by academic staff who are research-active and well regarded in their fields.
• You will undertake self-study throughout your course, using our well-equipped library and range of online scientific journals, as well as LABPlus, our unique laboratory and resource centre designed for science and engineering students, which will provide you with flexible workspace, computing facilities, specialist software and bioinformatic applications, access to microscopes, cameras and bespoke resources designed by academic staff to support specific modules as well as more general self-study.

 Why should we conserve biodiversity? How can we manage and restore habitats? With a hands-on approach, we’ll give you the scientific tools to address these issues, developing your understanding of plant and animal biodiversity in the UK and abroad. Develop your knowledge of key areas such as population ecology, evolutionary processes, behavioural ecology, conservation genetics and habitat management, and prime yourself for a career in ecology, conservation or environmental monitoring.

This course focuses on conservation in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments. You will experience two compulsory overseas residential field courses in years one (Spain) and two (Mexico), giving you first-hand experience of a range of ecosystems in other parts of the world. There’s no extra to pay: it’s all included within your tuition fees. You’ll participate in an optional work placement year, giving you the opportunity to apply your knowledge in a real world context.

Key Features

A marine biology degree with an international reputation, you’ll explore the diversity of marine life from the coast to the deep-sea. Using a range of marine organisms from the smallest microbes to the largest marine vertebrates, you'll learn how marine species and ecosystems function, consider why we see such diversity of life in our oceans, and learn how to conserve this. You'll tackle big questions like how are humans and climate change affecting marine biodiversity?

Using some of the best marine facilities in Europe alongside field work in the marine and coastal habitats of Devon, France and South Africa, and the option of becoming an HSE diver, you'll gain arguably the best practical experience of any marine biology course. By the end of your degree, your wide-range of skills and in-depth knowledge of marine biology will allow you to tackle the most pressing environmental challenges that marine systems are facing.

Key Features

• We’re very proud of our National Student Survey (NSS) 2019 return including that 94% of student respondents said that staff made the subject interesting. Other feedback included 100% also agreeing that our staff are good at explaining things and that the course was intellectually stimulating.*
• Add an exciting extra dimension to your marine studies by examining marine organisms and ecosystems in a truly global context. If you are interested in how marine and coastal habitats work, why they are so diverse and how best to conserve them, this is the course for you.
• Access the University’s research vessels based in the Plymouth Sound Special Area for Conservation and our Marine Station.
• Benefit from our reputation as an international centre for marine and environmental research. Our expert teaching staff are active researchers and enthusiastic specialists in their fields.
• Study marine life in the wild with access to the beautiful and varied Devon and Cornwall coastline. A recent World Wildlife Fund report highlighted the South Devon coast – which can be reached on foot from campus – as the area of highest marine biodiversity in the UK.
• Deepen your experience through practical field and laboratory work, linked to lectures – something regularly praised by our external examiners. Our specialist facilities include advanced molecular and behavioural laboratories, a seawater aquarium, environmentally controlled labs and a new bespoke marine station opening in 2014/15.
• Increase your knowledge and apply your skills in an international setting, with two residential field courses abroad (France and South Africa – one of the most biodiverse places on earth), giving you the chance to study organisms and ecosystems not found in the UK.
• Develop a wide range of skills that will prepare you for your chosen career and make you attractive to employers – learn how to ask and answer research questions, and how to apply this skill to conservation challenges in the real world.  There is also the opportunity to gain the HSE PRO SCUBA qualification, for those with a suitable background in diving.
• Immerse yourself in Plymouth’s marine research culture. Alongside the University the city is home to several other world-leading establishments, one of the largest concentrations of marine science study in Europe. Take opportunities to gain extra experience working in one of the marine organisations located in Plymouth, alongside your studies.
• Take the opportunity to contribute to the latest research and advances in the field – many of our students have their research projects published in leading international peer-reviewed journals.
• Choose from a wide range of subjects that most interest you and are best suited to your intended career path, building your own specialisms and skills.
• LABplus is a unique open access laboratory and resource centre designed for students studying science and engineering courses. The lab provides a flexible workspace, computing facilities, specialist software, access to microscopes, microscope cameras and bespoke resources.

Are you a health or social care professional looking to develop your key advanced practitioner knowledge and skills? You'll develop your current knowledge and expertise, linking it to contemporary literature, theory and research and apply it to your area of practice. Our range of programme optional modules, shared across a large range of named pathway awards, give you the flexibility and choice to tailor your learning to your workplace.

Key features

• Train to become an evidence-based practitioner, equipped to manage and lead in busy and constantly changing settings. Take the opportunity to study in a setting with exciting core and optional modules.*
• Study alongside an interprofessional range of health and social care professionals from a variety of backgrounds, for example allied health professionals, nursing, medical and social care.
• Choose from optional modules in a range of specialist areas such as management of long-term conditions (service delivery), practice education and evaluating outcomes. Specialist modules such as injection therapy can be taken as individual CPD options. Further options are also available from our named pathways.
• Complete the programme in a year, with a one year full-time study option. Alternatively, balance work and caring commitments by studying part time over two years and up to a maximum of five years. The full-time route is suitable for international students, who will be supported to choose optional modules with non-clinical assignments.
• Make the most of our approach to blended learning, which combines short study blocks and distance learning technologies with face-to-face teaching, enhancing the learning process by allowing time for reflection. Study comprises a mixture of lectures, practicals, seminars and tutorials.
• A range of assessments are used across our modules, designed to link your knowledge and skills to your area of practice. This will also enable you to develop advanced practitioner skills, including evidence-based case studies, portfolios and service delivery proposals as well as written and oral work.
• Learn from research active teaching staff, with national and international reputations in their specialist area. You’ll be encouraged to join the faculty’s research groups, nested under the Institute of Health and Community, and will work with our experienced staff on your own research project.
• Choose from three award pathways with full and part-time options: postgraduate certificate (PgCert), 60 credits; postgraduate diploma (PgDip), 120 credits; and masters (MSc), 180 credits.

Cyber security is essential for all organisations, with hacking, malicious code and social engineering ever present threats to data. This course provides holistic coverage of cyber security, from governance and policy, to cryptography, penetration testing and digital forensics. Grounded in core computer science, the course develops the knowledge and skills to design, develop and manage secure systems to produce highly employable cyber security professionals.

Being very applied in nature, you will spend a significant proportion of your time in our Security and Forensics Laboratory putting theory in practice whilst working alongside world-leading academics.

Have you Considered

• BSc (Hons) Computer Science
• BSc (Hons) Computing and Software Development
• BSc (Hons) Games Development Technologies

Key Features

• Make use of our links to professional and industry bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Information Security Academic Partnership
• Pursue industry-recognised professional certifications, such as the EC-Council’s Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), forensics ACE (AccessData Certified Examiner).
• Access a wide variety of specialist software and up-to-date facilities, including a dedicated security and forensics lab.
• Enhance your knowledge of a variety of computing disciplines, including programming, networking, databases, data centres and defensive coding.
• Benefit from specialised course material covering the legal and regulatory aspects of cyber security.
• Seeking accreditation by BCS for 2020.
• Academic Partner status by the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISec).
• Hone your research skills - we work closely with our Centre for Security, Communications and Network Research