Master in Public Policy

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

We'll teach you how to apply behavioural science in practice. Our recent students have worked on projects with Siemens, Tesco, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Volunteer Scotland, and Iceland’s Cancer Detection Clinic.
 
Our course motivates you to apply behavioural science to answer some of the biggest questions facing society – for example, ‘how can we improve people’s wellbeing?’, ‘how can we help people save more for the future?’, and ‘how can we foster more effective environmental behaviours?’. In addition, each year we award the Keep Scotland Beautiful Prize for Best Research in Behavioural Science relating to the Environment.
 
We have a regular series of seminars and events where students have an opportunity to chat to leading practitioners and researchers. Each year we host a conference focusing on an aspect of Behavioural Science. In the past these have focused on the ethics of behavioural science, behavioural science and health, and behavioural science in workplace.

The University of Stirling Management School is the perfect place to sharpen your leadership skills and gain insight into today’s business landscape.

Our expert staff have a track record of preparing graduates for roles at some of the world’s best-known companies, and everything we do is designed to equip you with the practical knowledge you need to become an effective manager. You’ll learn how to solve complex problems through analytical decision-making, explore organisational structures, and develop personal skills in critical thinking, teamwork and leadership.

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.

How are our minds related to our bodies? Do we really have free will? What can we truly know about the world around us, about other people or about ourselves?

These questions lie at the heart of philosophy – and if you seriously want to search for the answers, this is the course for you. Our Philosophy BA will challenge you to develop a strong set of critical, imaginative and informed reasoning skills. It will also deepen your understanding of the nature of the human mind, language, morality and politics, art, science and logic. We offer breadth and variety – from modules focused on individual philosophers, to others built around specific topics such as metaphysics, moral philosophy and environmental ethics.

You’ll be introduced to key philosophical issues in your first two years, before focusing in on the areas that interest you most. Along the way, you’ll benefit from the expert insights of your lecturers and tutors, whose own cutting-edge research feeds into course content and keeps you on the frontline of academic thinking.

Our Philosophy course has consistently achieved top marks for student satisfaction, and your studies will play out in a supportive, vibrant environment with an extremely active Student Philosophy Society. If you want to investigate the burning questions that shape humanity while gaining vital employability skills, choosing Philosophy at the University of Stirling is the perfect starting point.

Our Sociology and Social Policy course will let you understand the way society works and the processes and outcomes of social welfare. You’ll explore social differentiation and contemporary social issues, as well as looking at historical and theoretical perspectives on welfare. You’ll also be introduced to the development of social theory and get lots of practical experience in methods of social research and analysis.

Our modern world works because of computer scientists. It’s a world where the vast majority of global money exists only on computers and a computer can tell a fake smile from a real one. By 2020, an estimated 31 billion devices will be connected to the internet.

This course has a practical, problem solving approach. You’re taught how to design effective solutions to complex problems. Not only will this course give you the theory, but you’ll get lots of practical experience in how to design, build and analyse computer systems. You’ll also develop a firm understanding of how computers work as well as effective computer programming.

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 graduates are highly sought-after. We’ll help you build strong links within the industry and give you the opportunity to take part in a three-month summer placement or a one-year placement. You’ll also have the chance to experience diverse international teaching methods if you choose to study abroad.

Here at Stirling, you can enjoy access to a vibrant community with an active Computer Club that supports projects and activities for those interested in Computer Sciences, including the organisation of a Hackathon.

Delivered by our experienced practitioners and leading scholars, our Masters degree in International Conflict and Cooperation prepares you to address a variety of challenges facing states and international organisations today. This course looks at the dynamics of international conflict and cooperation in light of major events such as the end of the Cold War, the 9/11 terror attacks, the Arab Spring and the COVID-19 pandemic.

We take a thematic approach to conflict resolution and the role of international organisations in order to focus on conflict prevention and management in specific geographical areas. The course also explores the development and regulation of conflict in relation to factors like natural resources and migration.

Contemporary dilemmas surrounding the politics of climate change negotiations, environmental and resource conflicts, civil war and ethnic tensions, human rights, international terrorism and humanitarian intervention provide some of the raw material for this MSc, which are studied in-depth over the course of the academic year.

If you want a science degree in Environmental Geography  that also provides you with outdoor teaching and guiding activities, this unique degree has been designed for you.

Our course blends the academic foundation of our Environmental Geography degree with practical teaching on leading and guiding groups outdoors, and providing educational activities with a geographical and environmental emphasis. You’ll explore core issues in geography, human impacts on our planet, biogeography and practical scientific techniques. Our field courses and practical teaching will give you further valuable hands-on experience.

Our leading mountaineering instructors and outdoor specialists will teach you outdoor leadership, mountain skills and environmental education. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to complete a work placement module and gain the Mountain Leader Award, endorsed by the Mountain Training Association. This is a physically demanding degree, requiring a certain level of health, fitness and mobility.

On this Masters course, you’ll learn to produce fine, nuanced writing and a body of work in either poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction. We combine intensive writers’ workshops, technique-focused classes and one-to-one tuition by distinguished writers, along with fascinating and useful visits from authors, agents and publishers to help you on your creative journey.

The course is designed to develop your writing talent. It allows you to intensively focus on a project while engaging with a range of genres and working practices that draw upon our rich expertise in contemporary literature, publishing, film, media and journalism. You’ll also develop skills in listening, editing and peer feedback.

Our course is open to all, whether you’re already well established in your career, starting out on your creative journey or want to take our MLitt later in life to enhance your skills and explore new creative prospects.

This course offers Spanish for all – from complete beginners to advanced speakers – and equips you to read, write and speak the language on an advanced level appropriate for the demands of today’s job market. You will also have the chance to acquire a critical awareness of the societies and cultures of Spain and Latin America, as well as transferrable skills that can be applied in a number of professional and academic settings.

In order to truly immerse yourself in Spanish and Latin American culture, you will spend an extended period studying abroad in Spain, Mexico, Chile or Argentina. This opportunity to refine your language skills will be enhanced by the research-led teaching you will enjoy in Stirling.

If you would like to explore multiple subjects, Spanish and Latin American Studies can be combined with a number of other courses. From Education or Business Studies to Law and Journalism, each combination is designed to help you work towards your vision for the future right from the outset of your studies.