Master of Science in International Journalism

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition, whereby autistic people experience and perceive the world differently to non-autistic people. Autistic individuals experience a constellation of different strengths and challenges, and autism is typically characterised by differences within social communication and social interaction, sensory sensitivities, focused interests and repetitive behaviours. Autism research has the potential to help us better understand and support autistic people and their families.

The MSc Autism Research is a unique course designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of both psychological research methods and current topics in autism research. You'll learn about key areas of theory, current debates and ethical practices within autism research. The course aims to give you the skills and knowledge needed to conduct high quality autism research, focused on the priorities of the autistic community.

Our innovative approach combines training and teaching in psychological research methods with hands-on experience during a practical placement in an autism-relevant context, and the opportunity to engage in an autism-based research project.

Masters students have their own dedicated MSc office and are integrated into the thriving research culture of the Psychology department.

As you study, you’ll use evidence and real-world applications to challenge economic theories and models. This approach is combined with finance theory and practice to gain a deep understanding of, and the capacity to analyse, financial markets, investment potentials and risks.

Combining practical economics with finance prepares students for professional roles in:

• The finance and banking sector
• Central banks
• Treasury offices
• Different offices at national, supranational and local government level around the world

An accounting degree empowers you 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 facts.

The ideal path to a career in accountancy combines a university degree with recognised professional qualifications. Our Accountancy programme has been created with this in mind, and successful completion of the course will ensure many professional bodies give you significant exemptions from their exams.

From a basic understanding of how to prepare financial statements, through to an in-depth knowledge of auditing, taxation and reporting, our Accountancy 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.

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.

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.

Our MSc Criminology course establishes clear connections between conceptual theories of crime and justice, and applied examples of how they affect contemporary societies. The course has an international focus that goes beyond UK or Scottish borders, making it appealing for a diverse student cohort.

The course content encourages the pursuit of innovative and socially just responses to the problem of crime, from crimes in the street or at home, to crimes of the powerful, crimes across borders, the much newer phenomenon of online crime, and the drug problem. Throughout the course, there's an emphasis on the need for a strong critical understanding of how research is framed, used and developed, which is delivered via modules in data analysis and research design, as well as criminological and socio-legal research methods. You’ll have the opportunity to explore concepts of criminal justice, the social contexts of crime, and a variety of criminological theoretical perspectives as well as applied insights.

With elective modules in specialist subjects you can acquire and develop a range of skills which will significantly enhance your confidence in criminology and your employability. Subjects include:

• Rehabilitation and criminal justice work
• Drug policy and interventions
• Criminalisation, social control and human rights

You’ll get the opportunity to specialise in particular areas with the selection of relevant modules and in your research project. Areas of potential specialisation include:

• Ecosystem services
• Environmental economics
• Conservation conflicts
• Habitat and biodiversity management
• Application of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing

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.

This course is relevant to both recent and mature graduates who are seeking a career in environmental management and conservation science, either in governmental or non-governmental organisations. Graduates from this course are knowledgeable in the broad field of conservation science. They have skills in collecting and analysing relevant data for sustainable decision-making, as well as transferable skills relevant to future employment at national and international level.

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

Our BSc (Hons) Sport Psychology degree will enable you to develop an in-depth understanding of the diverse, complex, and wide-ranging territory of the disciplines of psychology and sport and exercise psychology. The course will explore academic knowledge and practice associated with sport and exercise psychology, analyse psychological issues across a range of sport and exercise psychology settings (for example, from local communities to high performance settings), examine research evidence associated with sport and exercise psychology, and investigate a myriad of contemporary issues facing practitioners. The course will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to be a successful contributor to the disciplines of psychology, sport psychology, and exercise psychology at local, national, international and global levels. The course will also provide you with:

• Skills and abilities in critical thinking, problem solving and creativity, allowing you to apply these effectively in the sport and exercise psychology sectors.
• The ability to be an independent learner, capable of critical analysis and competent in communicating through a range of mediums to a range of audiences.
• Knowledge and understanding of the value of inclusion and diversity in sport.