Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Religion

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

If you’re planning a career in the legal profession, our LLB degree provides a well-rounded qualification that can be your first step towards becoming a Scots lawyer or entering other prestigious sectors.

The University of Stirling LLB offers in-depth knowledge and understanding of legal principles, theories, institutions and rules – as well as the wider social and political context in which law operates. You’ll benefit from the knowledge of our expert teaching staff, whose own legal research is widely published and feeds back into the LLB programme. You can also rest assured that everything you’re learning is in line with the highest professional standards, as our LLB Hons is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland and recognised by the Faculty of Advocates.

Field trips give you an opportunity to experience how courts function in practice, while the opportunity to apply for a work placement in a legal organisation will equip you with a comprehensive understanding of what professional life is like. Our LLB graduates have gone on to a wide range of successful careers, and our LLB is a rigorous degree that develops important intellectual and personal skills. That’s why our graduates are attractive to employers both in the legal profession and beyond.

Our course will teach you the full scope of life through multiple biological disciplines: from bacteria to blue whales, from enzymes to ecosystems. For the first two years you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of the general processes that govern life on Earth, before specialising according to your interests in the latter half of the degree programme. As you develop your practical skills you’ll become involved with research, giving you the opportunity to contribute to biological discoveries.

Big data is increasingly important in today’s commercial landscape. As a data scientist specialising in big data, you’ll help companies make sense of large amounts of structured and unstructured data, providing rapid insights that enable them to make better, quicker decisions.

The MSc Big Data is a taught advanced Masters degree covering the technology of Big Data and the science of data analytics. You’ll gain practical skills in big data technology, advanced analytics and industrial and scientific applications.

The course will teach you how to collect, manage and analyse big, fast moving data for science or commerce. You’ll learn skills in cutting-edge technology such as Data Analytics, R, Hadoop, NoSQL and Machine Learning. At the same time, you’ll delve into important maths and computing theory, and learn the advanced computational techniques you need to develop your career in data science.

Our MSc has been developed in partnership with global and local companies who employ data scientists. Since the course was launched in 2012 we have developed a great relationship with employers who are looking for the skills that we teach.

Our MSc Criminology course establishes clear connections between conceptual theories of crime and justice, and applied examples of how they affect contemporary societies. The course has an international focus that goes beyond UK or Scottish borders, making it appealing for a diverse student cohort.

The course content encourages the pursuit of innovative and socially just responses to the problem of crime, from crimes in the street or at home, to crimes of the powerful, crimes across borders, the much newer phenomenon of online crime, and the drug problem. Throughout the course, there's an emphasis on the need for a strong critical understanding of how research is framed, used and developed, which is delivered via modules in data analysis and research design, as well as criminological and socio-legal research methods. You’ll have the opportunity to explore concepts of criminal justice, the social contexts of crime, and a variety of criminological theoretical perspectives as well as applied insights.

With elective modules in specialist subjects you can acquire and develop a range of skills which will significantly enhance your confidence in criminology and your employability. Subjects include:

• Rehabilitation and criminal justice work
• Drug policy and interventions
• Criminalisation, social control and human rights

Cell Biology is key to understanding how organisms develop, how they respond to their environment and how the diseased state differs from the healthy state.

Recent advances in cell biology are enabling cell biologists to:

• understand the basis of diseases in humans, animals and plants
• develop novel treatments and therapies for diseases
• explore the processes associated with ageing
• improve the quality and quantity of important food crops
• develop novel and sustainable fuels
• assess the impacts of environmental changes on biological systems

Our course offers you unique and flexible interdisciplinary training from staff whose knowledge is constantly refreshed by their active research work.

As you study, you will develop a thorough understanding of Cell Biology that will give you the choice to progress to more advanced and specialised topics. You will be given the support and encouragement to develop your passion and ideas for your research project where previous Stirling students have excelled in producing high-quality work. We will also make sure you will have the skills and work-placement experience to kick-start your career in Cell Biology.

Our Psychological Research Methods course combines training in psychological theory with practical skills development - a modern approach to studying mind and behaviour preparing you for a future career in psychology. You’ll gain a thorough introduction to quantitative and qualitative research, the analysis and interpretation of data, and a critical, sceptical approach to psychological science.

The unique feature of this course is flexibility - you’re free to investigate a wide range of topics across the discipline while maintaining a high standard of training. This encourages an understanding of different methods and perspectives within the field of Psychology helping you make choices which will benefit your future career.

There are a number of degree pathways available:

• Child Development
• Cognition and Neuropsychology
• Evolutionary Psychology

Opportunities for practical hands-on skills development are built in, ranging from low-tech observational assessment to high-tech eye-tracking. You’ll carry out a work placement, typically in an external company, charity or third sector organisation. This provides you with a fantastic opportunity to develop relevant work-based employment skills, and to develop a network of contacts relevant to your future career goals. Students benefit hugely from this experience, combining skills and experience with personal and professional development.

You’ll be based in a dedicated MSc office, or within an appropriate research group, and allocated a peer mentor. You’ll also have an academic supervisor in Psychology who supports and guides your development, including your research dissertation project.

The Master of Science in Historical Research is a one-year research preparation course intended to prepare postgraduates for a research-based career and enable specialisation in social and/or economic history.

The MSc is designed to:

• train historians in social research methods
• demonstrate your ability to undertake interdisciplinary research to doctoral level at Stirling; or other universities in Britain and overseas
• provide a foundation for applications to research councils (AHRC, ESRC) and doctoral training partnerships (including SGSAH) that fund PhD research
• specifically prepare graduates to apply to the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science for PhD studentship funding in social and economic history (see below under professional accreditation)
• enhance career prospects and career development

These aims are achieved through the completion of independent study modules, taught modules in applied social research, optional study modules appropriate to your field of study, and skills training conducted under supervision. You’ll be allocated an individual supervisor to direct your dissertation and plan your programme.

Our course prepares you for further research by:

• compulsory taught modules in project design, qualitative and quantitative data analysis
• directed independent study in the historiography of a research topic
• skills development in statistical and database packages
• self-directed skills training
• practical experience in applying research methods to interrogate primary sources and datasets in the dissertation
• developing written and verbal critical analysis

This interdisciplinary Masters degree is jointly taught by leading academics in media and social science research. You’ll gain both a theoretical and practical understanding of social science research methods, and learn how to apply these to the media and cultural industries. Covering social sciences and humanities approaches, our Masters will give you solid, extensive training in advanced media research methods. You’ll be encouraged to explore your own research interests, gain real-world experience of research and develop your own approach to research throughout the course.

The degree is primarily targeted at anyone needing research training before embarking on a higher research degree, such as a PhD. The course also offers an excellent grounding in social science methods, which are transferable to media research for industry, journalism, marketing and advertising research, production research and wider aspects of social research consultancy.

Enhancing your employability is one of our top priorities. That’s why all MRes students are given the opportunity for a research placement as part of our course where you can apply your learning to the real world.

The course provides a thorough grounding in the latest theory and analytical techniques used by finance professionals, allowing you to understand how money influences the world we live in.

You’ll gain hands-on experience of the process of financial decision-making and practical knowledge of the workings and role of financial markets in the allocation of capital. The course also gives you an understanding of the qualitative and quantitative techniques needed to interpret market reactions to geopolitical events such as Coronavirus, Brexit, oil-price shocks and financial crises.

Our Masters degree will give you a solid grounding in the scientific principles that underpin Environmental Management. We cover topics including the ecological, economic, social, political and legal aspects of environmental management. We give comprehensive training in quantitative, theoretical, analytical and practical skills.

Environmental managers play a vital role in the protection and sustainable use of resources. You’ll learn to address issues such as adaptation to climate change, biodiversity and sustainable energy management. At the local level, Environmental Management focuses on conservation and protection of land and water resources and natural habitats.  

You’ll also benefit from employability skills training, a residential field skills course and the chance to carry out an environmental management related dissertation project which may include working collaboratively with a business.