Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Sociology and Social Policy

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

This is the only Human Rights and Diplomacy programme in the world taught in partnership with the leading training body of the United Nations: the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

This is an interdisciplinary course that combines Law, Philosophy and Politics of human rights.

You’ll learn about the practice and theory of human rights laws and politics, the UN human rights institutions, their history and their philosophical foundations. You’ll be taught by top human rights researchers and will be given practical training from experienced UN personnel in negotiating draft documents, and learning how to make a difference.

The course includes a 5-day study visit to Geneva for all students, to observe the Human Rights Council in session. Additionally, for the final three months of the course, if your profile is strong enough then you’ll have the opportunity to apply for a highly desirable internship, or else to pursue projects with human rights organisations or to tackle a traditional dissertation.

Business Analytics focuses on understanding the data generated by individual organisations, and how it can be used to improve business practices.

As a conversion course developed in close partnership with industry, we welcome students from any academic discipline and you will learn to use powerful visual programming and scripting tools, such as Orange, R, Power-BI and Python. These tools will enable you to learn how to deploy statistical analysis, predictive analytics, text analytics and data-mining tools to provide clear actionable solutions for business leaders and influence business strategy.

BSc (Hons) Education (Secondary) degree and learn from world-leading academics and outstanding teachers who have strong partnerships with local schools. This gives you access to cutting-edge practice and research throughout your secondary teaching degree.

Our pioneering approach to professional education gives you time to develop as a secondary school teacher. With our four year teaching degree, you’ll be able to grow in confidence and critically reflect on your skills. The course gives you a more personalised learning experience than the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) route of only one year.

Retailers are having to adapt to a new competitive reality. Actions by governments and the consumer response to the Covid-19 crisis has required retailers to alter how they operate, resulting in a different retail experience.

Our Retail Marketing course provides a solid grounding in the principles of retail business, including store operations, marketing and consumer behaviour. You’ll have the opportunity to develop an understanding of human resource management, international business, logistics and merchandising. Our staff are high-profile academics with excellent international reputations, and our teaching reflects the very latest research and industry thinking. You’ll also benefit from our extensive contacts with leading retailers, which open the door to invaluable field trips and guest lectures.

The challenges of the rapidly-evolving retail sector mean companies covet skilled, knowledgeable managers who can put theory into practice. With a Retail Marketing degree from the University of Stirling, you could be the difference they’re looking for.

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

The history of the Scottish nation is dramatic, surprising and an infinite source of inspiration in popular culture. Studying at the University of Stirling will place you right at the heart of that history, with some of the most significant locations in Scotland’s past located right on your doorstep.

On this course, you’ll explore both the myths and the realities of Scottish History, unpicking the events that shaped a nation – from the wars of William Wallace to Scotland’s unprecedented impact on the wider world. You can expect in-depth insight into every aspect of Scottish History - political, social, environmental and economic – all of which will deepen your understanding of present-day Scotland at the same time.

History at the University of Stirling is highly regarded. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework, 98% of our research was classed as either world-leading or internationally excellent. That expertise feeds directly back into our teaching, ensuring you gain unique insights into Scottish History from some of its most respected scholars. Every step of the way, your employability will be a top priority - with career-focused modules, field trips and guest lecturers all designed to get you ready for the world of work. Our location in the shadow of so many famous Scottish events helps to distinguish your studies from other Scottish History courses.

Religion spans history, influences cultures and plays a major role in shaping today’s political landscape. It’s a subject that remains in the news constantly – in contexts ranging from discussions about marriage and gender identity to concerns about immigration and terrorist attacks. With all this in mind, it has never been more important to explore the many facets of religion, and understand the term’s meaning in a range of cultural contexts.

Studying Religion at the University of Stirling gives you a chance to do all this. You’ll explore how the meaning of “Religion” differs around the world, and take a positive approach to considering how the term might be re-interpreted. Our teaching team is dedicated to carrying out cutting-edge research into religion, and they feed their findings back into new books and papers – as well as your coursework. Through your studies, you’ll develop a critically analytical mind, as well as the valuable ability to understand other people’s point-of-view and understanding of the world.

We are committed to equipping you with transferrable skills that will make you a valuable asset to a range of employers. Join us and benefit from a fresh, innovative approach to studying one of the world’s most foundational topics.

Our Strategic Public Relations and Communication Management course gives you the chance to develop a critical appreciation of the role of public relations in contemporary societies, as well as key analytical, management and communication skills you'll need for a successful career in communications and public relations. You’ll gain a solid understanding of the theory behind public relations and communications, and have many opportunities to apply this theory to everyday communications and public relations practice, experience and phenomena.

By the end of your studies, you’ll have the necessary skills to work at managerial level in public relations. You’ll be able to analyse environments, issues, organisational cultures and relationships – as well as set objectives, and design and implement public relations and communication strategies.

We’re continually updating this well-established course in line with new advances in theory and practice, including how communication campaigns may successfully integrate digital media. Field trips and guest lectures offer opportunities to discuss strategic communication issues with leading practitioners. These also give you networking opportunities and an understanding of current best practice.

This course was established in 1988 and was the first degree in public relations in the UK and one of the first in Europe. Several prominent public relations academics and practitioners have completed their education at Stirling.

We’ve developed our BSc (Hons) Software Development with Cyber Security course with our business partners in the IT sector to help solve their skills shortages and address the industry’s needs. According to the 2020 ScotlandIS Scottish Technology Industry survey, about 100,000 people are working in digital technologies professions. This is a growth of 9% since 2016. The growth has been strongest in web design and development, IT business analysts, architects and systems designers, programmers and software development professionals. Our computing graduates have an excellent track record in finding well-paid jobs because of our focus on in-depth practical expertise.

As you study, you’ll progress from the fundamentals of computer systems and software development to advanced knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Security. You’ll learn everything you need to become a highly employable and sought after software development graduate.

We deliver our BSc (Hons) Software Development with Cyber Security in partnership with Forth Valley College to combine the strengths from both sites. Classes for the first two years will be delivered at Forth Valley College’s campus in Falkirk. Classes for the last two years will be delivered at the University of Stirling campus. Our staff are active in research and work with industry to help the course evolve according to the needs of the ICT sector, both in Scotland and across the world.

This intensive Masters Psychology conversion course is aimed at students who have a degree in another subject and would like to 'convert' to Psychology.

Our course is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and sits at the cutting edge of inter-disciplinary scientific research. After introducing Psychology to you as a biological and social science, we will cover topics as diverse as brain functioning, child development, and social behaviour. You will also develop your research skills with our specifically designed modules in research methods. You will get hands-on experience designing and conducting experiments, working in high-end specialist labs and in our on-site kindergarten, the only such facility in the UK. You will develop a deep knowledge and understanding of mind and behaviour, coupled with excellent practical and transferable skills, all of which will offer you a wide and diverse choice of careers.

The course is delivered by what the British Psychological Society (BPS) commended as a proactive, approachable, and engaged programme team. The BPS also recognised not only our approach to teaching, which help students’ personal and professional development, but also our personalised system of student support and feedback, which helps to nurture a close-knit academic community.