Master of Science in Physician Associate Studies (with placements)

at University of Plymouth United Kingdom

Do you want to understand how a computer really works? You'll gain technical skills in computational theory, software development on a variety of devices and platforms, database development, computer hardware and networking. In addition to the technical content, you'll acquire an awareness of social, legal and ethical aspects of the IT industry.

This degree has a strong emphasis on practical skills which are extremely useful in the workplace. This provides an opportunity to accelerate your career. An optional, but strongly recommended, placement year is an opportunity to gain industrial experience and enhance your CV. Recent placement providers for our students include: the BBC, the Met Office, Microsoft, the National Physical Laboratory and Nestlé.

Have you Considered

• BSc (Hons) Computing and Software Development
• BSc (Hons) Cyber Security
• BSc (Hons) Games Development Technologies

Key Features

• We have strong connections with industry, including links with Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Cisco, Intel, Apple, Nvidia and many more. We are a member of Microsoft Imagine (formerly DreamSpark) which enable our students to acquire free software to support their studies.
• Distinguish yourself with a degree that’s accredited by and entitles membership of the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT (Subject to approval). You may also gain registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP) and will partially meet the educational requirements for Chartered Engineering (CEng) registration.
• Be inspired by the creativity that our practical, hands-on course nurtures. Our ‘learning through doing’ ethos means you’ll quickly achieve expertise.
• Learn from dedicated teaching staff, who are engaged in internationally significant research, are actively creating and developing applications, and have a wealth of industry contacts.
• Lay strong foundations for a successful career, using our extensive industry links to secure a one-year work placement – giving you the vital industry experience and connections you’ll need when you graduate.
• Discover the many collaboration opportunities, which mirror the teamwork at the heart of the industry. In the second year, you’ll work in a team of developers on our integrating project, to create a complete system from concept to delivery – honing your professional and communication skills.
• Immerse yourself in our modern and well equipped labs, which run industry standard developer tools such as Microsoft Visual Studio, NetBeans, Android Studio, Apple X-Code (Apple labs only) and much more. The labs are regularly updated and refurbished and they all have free, unlimited and very fast Internet access.
• Benefit from our focused and relevant research, we work closely with our Big Data Group and our Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems, which conducts leading research reputation in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, big data and robotics.  You will be offered practical and theoretical modules ranging from Machine Learning, computational theory and AI through to computer vision and parallel computing. You will have access to current AI and robotics platforms for final year projects on topics such as deep learning, cognitive robotics and big data.
• Ensure you have the business, communication and personal skills employers are looking for, with our teaching programme that reflects the strong entrepreneurial spirit driving the computer industry.

Create truly unforgettable events. Our hands-on degree – developed with industry – gives you the insight, know-how and skills to become a critical, creative events professional. Study on a course where our students gave us a 95% satisfaction rate in the 2018 National Student Survey. Collaborate with a range of UK event companies – so you’re ready to impact the way events are produced and managed in the future.

Key Features

• Plan and deliver real, live events – including conferences, high-end banqueting, exhibitions and trade fairs. You’ll bid for the opportunity to manage your preferred event, and learn collaboration skills by working with your course mates on the delivery of all staged events.
• Be inspired by extra-curricular activity that helps you become a well-rounded events professional. Take part in team-building activities at Skern Lodge in Devon. Learn from guest speakers and attend event conferences. You’ll have the chance to acquire industry-related professional qualifications too.
• Expand your horizons with our international fieldwork. Build confidence, understand different cultures and get to grips with industry standards. In the past our students have visited event venues in Prague, attended a bespoke training session at Disneyland Paris and explored Amsterdam at night through a series of free events across the city.
• Lay strong foundations for a successful career using our extensive industry links to secure a one-year work placement in the UK or abroad. Gain vital industry experience – students have worked at international exhibitions, organised Christmas parties for over 900 guests, and taken part in marketing activities and corporate team building.
• Learn from the best – our teaching staff are all actively engaged in the research of industry leadership, employer needs, planning, communication, event innovation, evaluation and other management issues.
• Create a portfolio before you even graduate. Assessments are linked to real clients throughout the course, and you’ll have the chance to develop professional materials and presentations to explain your ideas. In previous years, clients have used winning ideas in their business operations.
• Future-proof your career and benefit from a course that views sustainability as a crucial factor in the events industry. You’ll examine the social, economic, political, cultural and environmental dimensions related to the issue of sustainability. 
• Seize the opportunity to learn a foreign language.
• Empower yourself with our unique course. Challenge normal thinking. Ask the difficult questions. Take the long view and become an advocate for better business practice. 
• In the 2019 National Student Survey, 91% of students were satisfied overall and 94% of graduates felt staff were good at explaining things.*

In this hands-on degree, one of the best in the UK and with an international reputation, you’ll explore the diversity of marine life from coastal margins to the deep sea and gain an in-depth understanding of the biology of marine organisms. Teaching takes advantage of the South Devon coast as well as some of Europe’s best marine facilities – so you’ll have the opportunity to not just experience marine biology but to practice it at the highest levels in both the laboratory and out in the field.

You'll gain an understanding of marine life at the level of the biology of organisms – ranging from microbes found on coral reefs, the physiology and behaviour of marine vertebrates, to the biology of the marine algae that underpin the vast majority of other marine life. The aim of the degree is not only to teach you about marine biology, but to equip you with the practical, intellectual and scientific skills to be a practising marine biologist.

Key Features

Set yourself up for a successful career in early years education, developing the professional skills you’ll need to teach in schools and other settings in this sector. Shaped by our own research expertise, this course supports you in the study of education throughout the primary phase, and specialising in different forms of education for children from three to seven years old.

Have you considered

• BEd (Hons) Primary (KS1/KS2 with QTS)
• BEd (Hons) Primary (Special Educational Needs with QTS)

Key Features

• Launch your career: obtaining integrated Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which means you can begin your teaching career immediately. Expand your horizons, enhance your practical experience and set yourself above the competition.
• FS/KS1 focus area: this degree will look at teaching the ages from 3–7 but also look at the way the Foundation Stage feeds into KS1 and KS2 preparing you to work with children from any phase of primary education.
• No exams: learn through interactive workshops and with no end-of-year/semester exams.
• Close links to the Master of Education (MA Ed): this link enables students to achieve enhanced career progression in a profession in which masters level attainment is increasingly valued.
• Work based learning opportunities: students benefit from a wide range of placement types within our partnership of over 500 schools and other settings, from single days to extended block placements to develop and consolidate QTS standards.
• Professional identity: from the very start of the programme you are considered as a teacher in development. The programme supports you as you develop your professional standards and identity.
• Research-informed teaching: not only are all modules enhanced by tutors’ active research interests but students are immersed in a research culture and benefit from learning about the advantages of researching their practice first hand.
• Student support: within the Plymouth Institute of Education there is a strong ethos of support for all students. Your professional tutor will actively engage with you throughout the BEd programme to offer guidance and support in both academic and pastoral terms.
• OfSTED recognised: recent inspection rated the Primary ITE provision at Plymouth as good in all aspects, with particular strengths in the partnership led elements of the programmes and the quality of the graduates

Deepen your knowledge of the business environment and your understanding how organisations operate. Discover how and why businesses innovate and why enterprise is critical in the marketplace. Prepare for a career in the world of business and improve your professional and business communication skills.

Designed as a one or two year top-up programme, BA (Hons) Business provides an opportunity for students some prior higher education or relevant work experience to be employable, enterprising and well equipped for lifelong learning and the professional world through a combination of academic analysis and the development of a broad range of key personal, cognitive/intellectual, transferable, practical and employment skills.

Key features

• Study this course over two years (Level 5 and 6) or one year (Level 6 only). Providing a route for students from a range of business foundation degrees (and equivalent) to top up to Honours. The two year programme offers students the opportunity to undertake a placement between their first and second year.   
• Our innovative one or two year course embraces a broad spectrum of industry relevant modules and is especially attractive to students who wish to build a career in business. We aim to provide students with the ability to exercise personal responsibility and decision-making in the competitive world of business.
• Develop an appreciation of the dynamic marketplace in which businesses operate and the implications of this for business decisions and organisational culture.
• All undergraduate modules within Plymouth Business School have integrated within them a CV building activity, for example, through micro-credentialing; real world problem-based learning; or embedded direct employer activity.
• Benefit from academic staff with strong relevant industrial and academic experience and tutors who not only provide excellent teaching but also great pastoral care.

Explore a range of subjects within British, European and world history, from the 15th century to the present day. Benefit from the History team's specialist knowledge and links across the global historical community and develop a deep and systematic understanding of historical research to excel in further studies, or begin your career with confidence thanks to the professional experience opportunities offered.

Key Features

• Designed for a range of applicants, including recent graduates, teachers looking to enhance professional qualifications, and those in the local community with a passion for history.
• Join a community of student-historians from a variety of backgrounds with a programme designed to appeal to a range of audiences, including recent graduates, teachers looking to enhance their professional qualifications and those in the local community with a long-standing passion for history.
• Explore history through a variety of means – with a combination of taught and self-led learning, regular research seminars run by University of Plymouth's Centre for Research in Humanities and Performing Arts, and access to The Arts Institute history lecture series featuring world-leading academics.
• Work alongside internationally recognised researchers* and experienced professionals as you develop the skills that will allow you to choose how you progress upon graduation: take your studies further with a PhD, or enter the workplace with the confidence and skills to fast-track your career.
• Plot your own course through the centuries as you take the lead in your masters dissertation research project, and choose areas of study from the history team’s range of research specialisms.
• Explore history with your friends and colleagues by joining the History Society, a lively and supportive community hosting educational and social events.
• Discover the most up-to-date ways of studying history through our online resources including a vast eBook library and digital archives. Build links with local record offices and archives, accessing opportunities to develop your expertise in the local and regional history of Plymouth and the South West.

Are you ready to make the difference? Discover the formula to teaching mathematics with our expert staff and world leading researchers. You’ll gain a solid foundation in mathematical and statistical modules, while the final year combines educational theory and school experience. Time spent in the classroom will give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to progress to a teacher training course such as a PGCE, or move into one of many careers where high-level mathematical skills are essential.

Key Features

• Gain classroom experience in a placement module, supporting mathematics teaching in a secondary or primary school for one morning a week throughout your final year. This will help you become an effective communicator.
• Dr Jenny Sharp who leads the Education modules has worked with schools in many different capacities, and is regularly invited to run workshops and masterclasses all around the country, including at the Royal Institution, other universities and in schools.
• An in-depth individual project gives you an introduction to mathematical educational theory, an ideal preparation for teacher training courses.
• Help others and gain hands on expertise by taking part in our Mathematics Enrichment Programme activities. You can gradually develop a workshop for a Mathematics masterclass.
• Gain high level understanding of modern pure and applied mathematics, and statistics; this knowledge base opens up many mathematical careers to you.

Geography explores the relationships between people, places and the environment. Our diverse degree has a strong emphasis on applied skills and career development. You can choose to specialise or maintain a broad range of interests, and an optional placement year offers work experience. You learn from expert, accessible, supportive staff who are skilled researchers in their field. Plymouth is the ideal setting as a vibrant urban environment surrounded by iconic rural and coastal landscapes.

Our geography degrees make the most of geography’s strengths in tackling head on the biggest global challenges we face. Modules have been designed to address many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – developed by the UN as the 'blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all' – all of our degrees are fully accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Key Features

• Our newly designed curriculum places sustainability challenges at the centre, with modules designed to help address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• Choose from a range of physical and/or human geography choice modules so that you determine your degree pathway.
• Our supportive staff are expert researchers and many are world leaders in their field.
• Teaching is innovative and student-centred. You will learn through lectures, seminars, practicals, national and international residential fieldwork, tutorials and one-to-one dissertation support.
• Learn to use Geographical Information Systems to analyse and communicate complex spatial data.
• Take the opportunity to spend your second year studying abroad in Europe, Canada, Australia, USA or elsewhere through our bilateral and ISEP exchange programmes.
• Study on a course designed with a focus on employability and applied geography, supporting a range of career opportunities such as environmental consultancy, conservation and biogeography, earth science and hazard management, expedition work, and catchment management.
• Experience a valuable work placement programme, opening up a range of career opportunities.
• 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.
• Benefit from our unique location, in the heart of the historical city of Plymouth, bordered by Dartmoor National Park as well as the Tamar Valley and South Hams Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Devon and Cornwall have glorious beaches, coasts, rivers and estuaries.Choose from a range of human, physical and environmental geography modules – our stimulating programme of geographical studies includes theory and practical elements.

Mental health nurses have a unique and profound impact on the lives of the people they care for, building and maintaining therapeutic relationships across all aspects of people’s lives. You'll gain the clinical and communication skills required to support the individual within their own recovery process. You'll develop the knowledge and experience to work within community, primary and acute care settings, and gain the confidence to help clients take the first steps to changing their lives.

Alongside preparing you to be an expert mental health nurse, our program recognises that all nurses need to be able to work with people suffering from physical health conditions and learning disabilities across the lifespan. We will give you a broad range of knowledge and skills pertinent to all the fields of nursing. This will include detailed knowledge of physical health care and essential physical nursing procedures as well as the skills to work with people who have learning disabilities.

Four year MNurs Degrees
Our four year MNurs programme allows you to study at masters level and choose two fields of nursing to register within

• MNurs (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health and Child Health)
• MNurs (Hons) Nursing (Adult Health and Mental Health) 
• MNurs (Hons) Nursing (Child Health and Mental Health)

Key Features
Achieve a bachelors honours degree and register as a nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council in mental health enabling you to progress on to a rewarding career and work in a range of healthcare settings nationally or internationally. You’ll have a balanced learning experience with a wide and innovative range of teaching and assessment methods both in academic study and in practice. Your time with us will enable you to work with a range of allied health professions and other fields of nursing.

• Experience a course that teaches contemporary and innovative mental health practice.
• Focus on developing your interpersonal skills and the importance of building therapeutic relationships.
• Equip yourself with the knowledge and confidence to graduate with professional status as a registered mental health nurse.
• Qualify with outstanding employment opportunities in a profession that offers excellent career progression.
• Enjoy an accessible approach to your theoretical studies, with the option of studying in Plymouth, our Knowledge Spa campus in Truro or at our new University of Plymouth School of Nursing in Exeter.
• Experience clinical placements across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, designed to maximise your range of experiences and clinical skills.

Our interior design course focuses on how design responds to the surrounding environment. We explore design interventions in existing buildings and neglected spaces with a hands-on approach to crafting their interiors. We study the space between object and architecture and promote an adaptive re-use approach to shaping the world around us with human, social, economic and environmental sustainability embedded in our process.

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 Product and Furniture 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) Interior Design: is professionally accredited by the Chartered Society of Designers.