Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computing Science

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

Humans share this planet with other animals and our interactions are at the core of our everyday lives. We farm and eat animals, we keep them as companions and for work, as models for humans in laboratory research, in animal-assisted interventions for positive behaviour change, and in education, entertainment and ecotourism. Depending upon our perceptions and attitudes towards animals, and in relation to the impact they have on us and the environment, we may actively attempt to conserve them, domesticate them or eradicate them.

In this Masters in Human-Animal Interaction you will learn interdisciplinary approaches and a diverse range of methods used to research our relationships with other species. The Masters covers a broad range of topics and looks at human–animal interactions across a wide range of contexts – from pet owning to animal-assisted interventions, zoos, farms and conservation.

You'll learn about the importance of both human and animal behaviour in shaping human animal interaction, and the associated ethical issues, as well as learning to critically evaluate methods for measuring attitudes, interactions and their outcomes.

You'll carry out a practical placement and research project to get direct experience tailored to your individual career goals. You will also learn from our recognised experts in human–animal interaction, whose specialisms include:

• The study of animal behaviour and animal welfare
• Animal-assisted activities and interventions
• Human and animal coexistence

If you really want to understand the modern world, it’s essential to unlock the patterns of the past. History courses can help you do exactly that – and here at the University of Stirling, we take an innovative approach to guiding you through the major events and periods that have shaped us all.

Our History degree will equip you with a wide range of intellectual and personal skills. You’ll gain an awareness of how different societies across the world have changed over time, by exploring areas such as Scottish, British, European, American and African history. You’ll also engage with different types of history, including political, social, cultural, gender, race, computer and environmental.

History lecturers and staff at Stirling are leaders in their field. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework assessment, 98% of our research in history was classed as world-leading or internationally excellent. That expertise and passion feeds into every aspect of your course to ensure you reach your final year of study functioning as a fully-fledged historian in your own right. Along the way, you’ll enjoy the freedom to not only focus in on specialty areas of history that interest you most, but also to combine your studies with one of 16 other subjects that broaden your professional possibilities – from journalism to teaching, politics and sociology.

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

If you have aspirations of working in the heritage, conservation or tourism sectors, our dedicated Heritage and Tourism degree is the perfect starting point. This course is a fully integrated degree taught in conjunction with Forth Valley College. You'll spend the first two years studying at the college and the final two studying at the University of Stirling campus, whilst benefitting from dual registration and the full range of their combined resources and facilities.

The course is supported and shaped by leading organisations such as Historic Environment Scotland, VisitScotland and Scottish Canals, and delivered jointly by the University of Stirling and Forth Valley College. Your studies will reflect the importance of combining academic knowledge with a firm grasp of management and business. You’ll learn about heritage, tourism, history, exhibition design, sociology, marketing and environmental studies – as well as the challenges facing the management and promotion of historic and natural environments in Scotland and beyond.

Every aspect of the course is informed by the internationally-recognised expertise of our academic staff and their extensive networks with professional partners, helping to distinguish our programme from other heritage and tourism courses. You can be confident that everything you’re learning is rooted in the latest academic and applied industry thinking, and designed to prepare you for a career in the heritage and tourism sectors. You’ll also apply your skills in real-world settings while you study – further sharpening the skills you’ll put to use when you transition into the exciting professional world of heritage and tourism.

Choose a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at the University of Stirling, and we’ll equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to start a career in one of the most rewarding professions.

We’ll prepare you to teach across the whole curriculum and primary age range, and also enable you to develop a specialism in a particular area. You can choose from these subject specialisms:

• Early Years
• The Environment
• Modern Languages
• Inclusive Practice
• Literacy
• Numeracy

You’ll be taught by world-leading academics and outstanding teachers who have strong partnerships with local schools. This ensures you can access cutting-edge practice and research throughout your primary teaching degree. Our pioneering approach of studying education with a subject specialism, gives you the time to excel in teaching, critically reflect and grow in confidence.

Choose a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at the University of Stirling, and we’ll equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills to start a career in one of the most rewarding professions.

We’ll prepare you to teach across the whole curriculum and primary age range, and also enable you to develop a specialism in a particular area. You can choose from these subject specialisms:

• Early Years
• The Environment
• Modern Languages
• Inclusive Practice
• Literacy
• Numeracy

You’ll be taught by world-leading academics and outstanding teachers who have strong partnerships with local schools. This ensures you can access cutting-edge practice and research throughout your primary teaching degree. Our pioneering approach of studying education with a subject specialism, gives you the time to excel in teaching, critically reflect and grow in confidence.

Sport is a global phenomenon that captivates audiences and transcends boundaries. Underpinning it all, the business side of sports is a dynamic, competitive industry in its own right, involving instantly recognisable brands and hugely popular products, services and events.

Our Sport Business Management course equips you to meet the industry’s need for technically competent, customer-oriented and commercially-minded practitioners who can apply their knowledge across the domestic and international sports markets. You’ll graduate with core management skills and an understanding of key contemporary issues in sport business – from marketing and branding, to sponsorship, event management and corporate social responsibility.

Everything you study will be rooted in the needs of industry, and you’ll be taught in realistic, sports-based working environments. As a top sports university, Stirling provides a unique context for your studies: a place where Olympians train combined with one of the best 25 business and management schools in the UK for research impact. Your career in the sports business starts here. 

As you study, you’ll develop core skills in finance, investments and data analytics – all of which can be applied in a final dissertation on a finance-related topic of your choice. You’ll also be taught how to use programming languages (e.g. Python, R) to analyse data and get a thorough understanding of core financial theory and investment practices. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to use professional financial databases, such as Bloomberg, Eikon and S&P Capital IQ.

Our Masters in Education is designed for established educationalists, aiming to advance their understanding of education, as well as those looking to convert their career to this field.

The University of Stirling has a strong reputation for the study of Education and we hold expertise in Digital Pedagogies, Leadership and Curriculum. Throughout this course, international scholarly perspectives are incorporated within learning and teaching, including blended learning and the inclusion of multilingual and translanguaging pedagogical practices.

The course will give you the opportunity to specialise in some of the most important fields in education: digital pedagogies, curriculum and leadership. You’ll be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to make identifiable contributions to public and private education spaces, including international government, research and practice.

You will study a compulsory diet of education philosophy, social justice, and policy, alongside research methods in the social sciences. You will also choose a modular pathway in either digital education, curriculum or leadership, or a combination of two modules from these pathways, completing your studies with a dissertation in a related topic of your choice.

The quality learning experiences offered by the MSc in Education are underpinned by international scholarly perspectives and approaches that enable you to facilitate and assimilate knowledge via your own and others’ cultural lenses and language practices.

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.