Master of Research in Business and Management

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

Politics permeates every aspect of our lives – shaping our opinions, informing our decisions and helping us to understand what motivates people.

When you study Politics at the University of Stirling, you’ll increase your awareness of the different political systems, ideologies and policies that impact people’s lives regionally, nationally and globally. We’re ranked among the best universities for Politics in Scotland, and are highly regarded for our strong, research-led approach to teaching.

A Politics degree helps you develop the intellectual, communication and analytical skills employers are looking for. You’ll open the door to a wide range of career opportunities – from politics itself, to connected arenas such as commerce, civil service, journalism, law and teaching. There are also plenty of opportunities to broaden your horizons by studying abroad during your course, including through our Politics-specific partnership with the Universities og Gothenburg in Sweden.

Enhance your understanding of how the world works, and gain the skills you need to play your part in shaping it with a Politics degree from the University of Stirling.

Are you fascinated by the creative possibilities of technology and software? Do you love solving complex problems as part of a team? If yes, software engineering could be the career for you. You’ll be in high demand for developing the systems that are the foundation and glue of our modern world, and that transform our experiences in communications, business, entertainment, gaming and healthcare.

Our degree will teach you creativity, logical analysis, problem-solving and how teamwork builds complex systems. You’ll study practice and techniques for real-world software design and associated programming technologies, gaining practical experience in software development.

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. To help you build strong links with industry, we offer three-month summer placements and one-year placements with local SMEs and large corporates. Students also have the opportunity to engage with an international teaching environment through our exchange programmes.

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.

Merging creative thinking with strategic analysis, marketing is the vital connection between any organisation and its potential consumer base. With more marketing platforms than ever before and boundless avenues for creative communication, good marketing skills have never been more in demand or more vital to an organisation’s success.

You’ll also have the freedom to take Marketing as a combined honours course with one of 11 other subjects – creating a tailored degree that will give you an edge in the field you’re most passionate about. With a 95% student satisfaction rate* and graduates working for organisations like Adidas, the BBC and Next, Marketing at Stirling is all about ensuring you can truly be the difference in this diverse, fast-paced and infinitely-relevant arena.

There is an increasing global demand for nations, organisations and communities to increase their resilience to potential crises and disasters. Most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the impact that a global pandemic can have on humanity and the economy. You will acquire the skills to engage with the problems facing those working in disaster interventions, including family reunification, safeguarding children, adults and other vulnerable groups and rebuilding sustainable, resilient communities post disaster. This includes exploring disaster mitigation, preparation and prevention strategies within a community engagement and coproduction framework to create new, long-term responses owned and endorsed by communities.

You will be encouraged to learn from each other and innovate in disaster responses by exploring complex disaster issues in the safety of the classroom using videos, simulations and small group exercises. Your skills will be enhanced further through participation in a field-based learning opportunity involving a period of shadowing practitioners within humanitarian agencies, emergency responders and government departments responsible for deploying emergency personnel. Here, you will learn about agency policy, procedures and practices during deployment.

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.

With the rise of new communication channels, predominantly online, and the ability of consumers to impact on brand perception, more businesses than ever are identifying value in effective brand management strategies to protect and enhance their brand reputation. It’s reported that job opportunities in brand management were expected to grow by 14% in 2020 as a result (fastcompany.com).

The MSc Marketing and Brand Management course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). CIM accreditation means that when you successfully complete the course, it's easier to gain a Professional Diploma in Marketing. Two of the Diploma modules will be waived and to gain the CIM Professional Diploma you will only need to undertake two CIM modules rather than the usual four, giving you a competitive edge in your career.

Our Masters in Marketing and Brand Management gives you a thorough and in-depth understanding of marketing and brand management within commercial and non-commercial organisations. You will learn about the practice and theory of sustainable marketing, strategic brand management and digital marketing and advertising. Our course also gives the choice to further explore the role of brands and branding in specialist marketing areas such as supply chain marketing, retailing, or social marketing.

Our research-led teaching combined with a focus on practical applications is a key strength of this course and you will be taught by top researchers. In addition to consistently engaging in academic literature through weekly readings and module assessments, the course gives you opportunities to apply concepts, theories and frameworks to practical aspects. You will collaborate during your studies with a wide variety of organisations including not-for-profit, third sector and small and medium sized enterprises.

Our postgraduate Human Resource Management (HRM) course builds on core human resource management theory and practice to examine the range of people management challenges which organisations face. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

To study with us you don't need to have previous work or study experience in the field of Human Resource Management. As part of the course we deliver teaching in the key concepts and practices of HRM, alongside developing the practical skills you need to become a successful HRM professional. In your final semester you'll also have the opportunity to do a consultancy case study, acting as a HR consultant to fictional companies, while solving realistic HR problems.

We teach you the need for thoughtful and ethical management practice, and this course is no exception. Ethics and considerate practice should be the focus of organisations and is the foundation for our course.

We have a number of internationally recognised academics teaching on this course and available to help you during your studies. We offer a collaborative learning process and encourage you to talk about your work experiences, about what you believe good people management to involve, and where work practices need to be legislated.

Mathematics is about profound beauty, the rush-like excitement of the 'ah ha' moment and finding elegant solutions. It’s the relationship in patterns, systems, big data, technologies and science.

Mathematical training develops specific skills and broad analytical expertise, which are valued across all professions. There is also a particular demand for graduates who not only have quantitative skills, but also know how to use them.

This course delivers that sought-after combination – through our teaching style, and our focus on real-world applications of both mathematical and statistical techniques. For example, you'll use the mathematics computing laboratories as an integral part of your learning process, making your study as much experimental as theoretical.

Our Computing Science and Mathematics division provides a stimulating and supportive learning environment, and we have a strong and active research group. Its primary interest is the application of mathematics to biology, economics and life sciences.

We also offer you the choice and flexibility to study Mathematics in combination with subjects such as Accountancy, Computing or Finance.

Economics is the study of how people interact with others and their surroundings, and here at Stirling we look at Economics in a rich and varied way: from artificial intelligence in the labour market to addressing climate change, and from behavioural economic insights in decision making to tackling global poverty and inequality. An Economics degree from Stirling empowers you with sharp analytical tools, from experts in their field, with an ever-present emphasis on intellectual curiosity.

Our introductory teaching is delivered in a revolutionary new way of learning Economics through our commitment to the CORE Project – “Economics for a Changing World”. In using real-world data to answer real-world questions from the very beginning of your studies, you will understand global issues with historical and philosophical context.

• We focus on real-world theory instead of textbook-simple theory, which is rigorously challenged with data and evidence.
• Our specialisms of environmental economics, behavioural economics, and public policy analysis are embedded throughout the course.
• The internationally-renowned Behavioural Science Centre within the Economics Division contributes two modules in behavioural and experimental economics to our degree.
• Strategic thinking is one of the central pillars of the course, and you will be introduced to decision and game theory as part of this through a bespoke module in year three.
• The course includes a dissertation, which arms students with cutting-edge research methods, and challenges you to produce publication-quality research. The best pieces are published in our in-house journal, the Stirling Student Economic Review.
• We foster a strong staff/student community, emphasising collaboration and ensuring you’re a name and not a number from the outset.

Our expert staff will give you an insight into professional practices through their cutting-edge research, teaching practice, and links to industry. You’re also free to combine your studies with one of eight other courses, sharpening your focus on a specific area that complements your growing knowledge of economics.