Master of Science in Digital Media and Communication

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

The Stirling Centre for International Publishing and Communication at the University of Stirling is a world-leading centre for postgraduate publishing studies, offering a comprehensive and coherent approach to all forms of publishing.

You’ll develop expert knowledge of the entire publishing process in both print and digital environments – from planning, editing and production, to marketing and publication management. We update the content of this course every year to reflect the rapid changes that transform the industry, so you’ll graduate with cutting-edge skills and knowledge of current publishing industry practice and standards.

This course is demanding, stimulating and enjoyable – which is why many publishers now consider it equivalent to a year’s worth of experience at a publishing company. Our graduates occupy senior positions in both commercial and not-for-profit publication organisations across the world.

We have excellent links with publishing businesses, and a finger on the pulse of the industry and its changing needs. That means our teaching team will equip you with all the intellectual and practical qualities needed for a successful working life in publishing and related organisations.

The growing pressure on natural resources has prompted a search for new and renewable energy forms. Alongside other significant impacts upon the environment, energy production, distribution and use have become a priority area for governments, businesses and non-governmental organisations across the world. With a growing demand for employees with specialised global legal knowledge in energy and environmental law, we’ve designed this course specifically to meet that need.

On this Masters course, you’ll explore the intersections between energy, environment and regulation. Expert staff have come together to provide graduates with an in-depth understanding of international energy and environmental law, as well as of key areas of energy management, environmental policy and economics.

You’ll be taught by expert staff in law, politics, economics and environmental science. They’ll give you clear insight into the relevant legal, political and economic issues related to energy and environmental law at the national, regional and, particularly, the international level.

Scotland is internationally recognised for its crucial contributions in drug discovery and development, medical technologies, stem cells, bio-manufacturing and bioinformatics.

We’ve worked with Forth Valley College and business to develop a fully integrated degree course in Applied Biological Sciences. Our course is making a difference by solving the problem of skills shortages in life sciences. We’ll give you technical expertise and proficiency in the vital practical and research skills sought-after by employers.

The degree is taught jointly at Forth Valley College and the University of Stirling and also receives input from employers across the Scottish life sciences community. 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.

Your study will begin with fundamental science and laboratory skills before focusing on the cellular and molecular aspects of biological sciences.

Your final year will focus on proteomic and genomic aspects of biological sciences, plus your research project. Our research-led teaching, together with the experience and insight gained by your work placements, will make you work-ready for a modern career in biosciences.

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.

Attracting students from all over the world, this unique course is designed to meet the sport sector’s need for well-qualified managers who can combine management and financial skills with a specialist knowledge of sport and its unique institutional nature. You’ll learn how to apply your insights to the inherent challenges of sport management – from conducting research into event planning, to advising organisations on the impact of policy changes.

The course is taught by leading experts in the subject, whose research helps to ensure you’re being taught about the most up-to-date industry trends. You’ll also have invaluable opportunities to undertake a period of professional practice with a sporting organisation, either virtually or in person, and be involved in organising a sports event with our industry partners. By the time you graduate, you’ll be well equipped to turn your passion for sport into your profession.

Our BA Hons Finance is the first undergraduate degree in Scotland to have Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Affiliation Program status, underlining the embedded employability skills that students develop, as well as our cutting edge syllabus.

Rooted in international research and shaped by the latest developments in finance theory and practice, this course will give you a comprehensive understanding of how stock markets work, how companies reduce foreign exchange risk, why corporate governance matters and why financial crises occur. As you study, you’ll gain a thorough grounding in the theoretical and analytical skills needed for a career in corporate finance, investment management or financial services.

Your studies in Finance can also be combined with one of four complementary subjects, including our professionally-accredited Accountancy course. Graduating with an Accountancy and Finance degree from Stirling means you’ll be granted significant exemptions from professional exams when you begin your career.

Finance at Stirling is ranked among the best courses of its kind in the country and has an 87% student satisfaction rating, in the top 10 in the UK (National Student Survey 2021), making it the perfect starting point for a world of exciting opportunities.

If you’re contemplating a future in the world of international politics, you’ll need to understand issues of power, alliances, conflict and peace on a global scale.

The University of Stirling will help you build a confident and well-rounded knowledge of all these issues and more – from the decision-making processes of influential organisations, through to the question of how international society is shaped. You’ll be learning in a research-led environment, where the latest political events are dissected by recognised experts. You’ll also benefit from our career-focused approach, which enables you to pick up the practical and analytical skills employers are looking for.

To further enhance your international outlook, you’ll have a chance to spend a semester abroad studying International Politics at one of our partner institutions. You can also combine International Politics with French or Spanish to add another valuable facet to everything you’re leaning.

Guest lecturers give you real insights into the professional applications of an International Politics degree. Our alumni include a former Secretary of State for Defence and Member of Parliament, and there really is no limit to where in the world a degree in International Politics can take you.

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.

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.

Our Masters degree will give you a solid grounding in the scientific principles that underpin Environmental Management. We cover topics including the ecological, economic, social, political and legal aspects of environmental management. We give comprehensive training in quantitative, theoretical, analytical and practical skills.

Environmental managers play a vital role in the protection and sustainable use of resources. You’ll learn to address issues such as adaptation to climate change, biodiversity and sustainable energy management. At the local level, Environmental Management focuses on conservation and protection of land and water resources and natural habitats.  

You’ll also benefit from employability skills training, a residential field skills course and the chance to carry out an environmental management related dissertation project which may include working collaboratively with a business.