Master of Research in Humanities

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

Our MSc Business and Management course gives you the knowledge and skills you need to be an inspiring, effective and resilient manager. We combine management theory with development of practical skills, and our course is taught by internationally recognised subject experts.

The course focuses on operations and strategic management, and explores the need for managing limited resources effectively, with maximum business impact. This is the ideal Masters if you're looking to take your first steps into management. We cover the major functions of organisations – accounting, marketing, operations, people and talent management. Finance and economics are integrated through our strategic orientation.

We aim to create industry leaders, managers and entrepreneurs, who're confident in the use of business analytics tools and critical thinking abilities. This allows for better and informed decision making in your management career. There’s an emphasis on entrepreneurship, innovation and strategic management. You’ll also develop an appreciation of corporate social responsibility, ethical decision making and managing change.

If you’re planning a career in accountancy or the financial sector, studying at the University of Stirling is the perfect starting point. Stirling ranks among the top 20 institutions to study Accountancy and Finance in the UK (The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022), boasting top class teaching and multiple industry accreditation.

Studying Accountancy and Finance gives you the capability to prepare, present and interpret financial information for a wide range of organisations, and the skills you learn will enable investors, lenders, management and others to make key decisions based on financial details. Our combined Accountancy and Finance course includes content specifically geared towards entering the banking and investment industries.   

The ideal path to a career in accountancy combines a university degree with recognised professional qualifications. The BAcc Hons Accountancy and Finance at Stirling has been created with this in mind, and successful completion of the course will result in many professional bodies giving you significant exemptions from their exams.

From a basic understanding of how to analyse financial statements, through to an in-depth knowledge of economics, taxation and reporting, our Accountancy and Finance degree covers everything you’ll need to know to join the thousands of Stirling graduates who have successfully transitioned from this course into the professional world.

Our Masters in Public Policy allows you to develop the conceptual, analytical and practical skills you’ll need to flourish in the world of policymaking. We prepare you for a career in vocations that make a contribution to the development or delivery of public policy.

This course is extremely flexible, and you can tailor it to fit your particular interests. Core modules on Policy Theory and Practice are combined with optional modules in Social Research and policy-relevant disciplines. If you want to pursue an interest in other policy-relevant disciplines, you can also combine a focus on policy and research with options in areas such as:

• Law
• Economics and behavioural science
• Strategic communications
• International politics

You can also use this degree as a pathway to pursue research to PhD level by taking three modules in Applied Social Research.

As part of the Masters course, you must complete a dissertation. You’ll also have the potential to gain practical experience by pursuing a placement with a relevant organisation (with our help) – allowing you to tailor your research to a policymaker or policy-influencer audience.

As the speed of change in the media continues to accelerate, the demand for graduates able to embrace new technologies and innovative methods of content delivery is also growing. The University of Stirling’s Digital Media course meets this demand head-on, and is shaped by the same expert teaching and research that has made our media courses among the best in the UK. Our Digital Media course is a fully integrated degree taught in conjunction with Forth Valley College, and you'll spend the first two years studying at the college and the final two studying at the University of Stirling campus.

The course will provide you with practical training in the tools, applications and possibilities of the digital environment – from the creation of journalistic and multimedia content to its effective use across television, film, online channels, radio and beyond. The overarching aim of the course is to make sure you’re work-ready and equipped with a broad range of mass media skills.

Every business, organisation and media outlet relies on digital communications to get their message out there. With the skills to produce creative digital content that helps them stand out in a saturated market, you’ll be opening the door to a world of exciting opportunities.

The University of Stirling MBA (accredited by the Chartered Management Institute) is designed to transform capable managers into successful business and organisational leaders. Our MBA qualification is unique in the way it focuses on the practices, processes and outcomes of managing in a range of contexts, from large multinationals to small and medium sized enterprises. There is an emphasis on personal development, responsible business, strategy and how to effectively manage limited resources with maximum impact. These are supported by the professional and personal development modules that are designed to help each individual focus on developing current skills as well as identifying and developing new skills.

This sought-after qualification will give you a thorough understanding of the functional areas of business and management including:

• Accounting and finance
• Marketing
• Operations management
• Human resource management

By completing this course, you'll gain the confidence and resilience to respond to continually developing circumstances, the skills to build and lead a team, and the theoretical knowledge and its link to practice to successfully manage the challenges of the modern business environments.

Choose our Criminology and Sociology degree and you’ll benefit from studying two closely related disciplines; with training both in criminology and the theory and methods of applied social science. Learn how to ‘think like a criminologist’ and apply criminology to the context of modern life, social diversity and inequalities in society. Criminologists are interested in how activities are defined as criminal, explanations for crime and social reactions to crime.

You’ll explore fascinating questions surrounding the criminal justice system, the social contexts of crime, and the relationship between behaviour and punishment. Why and how do people break the law? How can the criminal justice system define this, and how do we police, prosecute and punish people?

Our Criminology and Sociology course reflects the latest developments in social research and is taught by experts in their fields.

At the University of Stirling, our innovative Law courses give you an opportunity to study a range of subjects that reflect the importance of law in every area of society. We offer two BA (Hons) courses – in Law and Business Law –which can kick-start a career in the modern legal market, such as legal analyst roles or jobs in a host of business settings.

Throughout your course, you’ll be taught by leading academics who helped write the textbooks you’re studying. At Stirling, their expertise comes to you first-hand, and you’ll be part of a close-knit legal department dedicated to providing a rich, enjoyable student experience. From Contract and Criminal Law to International Human Rights and Private International Law, you’ll gain a firm grounding in essential subjects and enjoy the freedom to specialise in areas that interest you most. You can also broaden your career possibilities by combining Law with one of 11 other complementary courses that include Accountancy, Marketing and modern languages.

In addition, we make sure you graduate with the communication, organisational and personal skills prospective employers are looking for – qualities that you can refine further by spending a semester studying abroad or undertaking a work placement. Our graduates are working as everything from trainee solicitors to business development managers, highlighting the diverse opportunities a BA in Law from the University of Stirling opens up.

Our Masters in Sustainable Aquaculture explores the principles of aquaculture and the key factors influencing the viability of aquatic animal farming and food production systems. You’ll develop an understanding of aquatic animal biology, environmental issues, nutrition, reproduction and genetics, disease and health management.

With practical application at the core of your studies, you can choose to focus on specific aspects of sustainable aquaculture, including:

• Advanced broodstock management
• Aquaculture policy and planning
• Livelihood analysis
• Environmental management and biodiversity
• Feed formulation and resources
• Aquatic animal health control
• Epidemiology
• Ecotoxicology

You can also explore the commercial business of sustainable aquaculture, with optional modules covering marketing, business studies and economics. You’ll learn the skills necessary to establish, manage and appraise aquaculture enterprises and development projects from within the industry or public sector.

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.

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.