Master of Science in Strategic Public Relations and Communication Management

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

Marine Biology is the study of specialised plants and animals and how they’ve adapted to the challenges of living in a marine environment. It’s also concerned with the impact human activity has on the health of the oceans and their sustainable management, directly addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life below Water.

Our course is truly multi-disciplinary. It draws on other Biology disciplines, including Ecology and the physical and environmental sciences, to understand a habitat that covers around 71 per cent of the earth’s surface.

We teach you the dynamics of aquatic systems and the biology of their organisms. You’ll learn about the science of diving and other underwater techniques. Our mix of practical work, fieldwork and research projects will ensure that you’ll be ready for your career working with the oceans.

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.

Britain seeks to be a world leader in renewable energies and its generating potential is recognised globally, but it is equally renowned for the quality of its natural environment. This creates the potential for conflict. As a result, we need to better understand the various environmental costs associated with 21st-century energy technologies, whether renewable or non-renewable, and how these costs can be evaluated, managed and mitigated.

Our Masters course in Environmental Management (Energy) builds on the success of our respected and long-running Environmental Management course, which has over 600 graduates. The course draws on our existing expertise and research strengths in environmental impact assessment, carbon trading, planning and impacts of wind, hydro and nuclear power, as well as our expertise in energy management and environmental economics.

The division of Biological and Environmental Sciences, which runs this course, specialises in studies of human interactions with the environment. Their key strengths are in environmental assessment and management.

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.

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.

The field of Data Science has seen rapid growth in recent years, with vast amounts of data now being generated by major companies and service providers.

Yet, there is a recognised shortage of qualified analysts, both in the UK and globally, to make the most of this data and to meet the demands of industry. In particular, the demand is for graduates who can both manage the data (the computing skills), and analyse the data to extract patterns, build models and make predictions (the mathematics skills). It is only with these analytical skills can the full value of data be extracted.

Launching in 2018, our MSc is one of the first courses to link these two key areas, making it uniquely positioned to help you meet this demand. The course focusses on the application rather than pure theory of mathematics and is assessed primarily through coursework, developing those skills which are in high demand by the data industry.

The course will provide you with a strong foundation in the mathematical analysis of data-driven systems and help you develop your computing skills, from programming Python and R, to advanced techniques including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, to applying the techniques you learn on a large scale. You will learn the techniques used to approach data and build models using computational analysis and understand the mathematics underpinning these techniques.

Fintech is taking over the banking and finance industry. The way we handle money is changing and the whole industry is taking note - from international banks to backroom start-ups. To do well in fintech, you need to understand technology, finance and business creation.

Our MSc Financial Technology (Fintech) provides a solid foundation in computing technology, financial theory, ethical and regulatory constraints, and business skills. It’s an innovative course designed for those looking to enter a career in the fintech industry.

Fintech includes the technology from big data and analytics, mobile computing and modern financial services. Some of the activity in the sector is being carried out by the large, existing financial institutions, but the majority comes from small companies who are developing disruptive technologies.

The course covers:

• Manipulating data and scripting in Python
• An introduction to blockchain
• Cybersecurity and data protection
• Bank Theory, Operations and Strategy
• An introduction to corporate finance
• Data analytics and machine learning
• Fintech app development
• Investment regulation and ethics
• Heuristics and bias in behavioural finance
• Innovation management and disruptive technology
• Business startup planning
• Professionalism, regulation and ethics in banking

Health psychology is the study of psychological and behavioural processes in health, illness, and healthcare. It is concerned with understanding how psychological, behavioural, and cultural factors contribute to physical health and illness.

Health Psychologists promote healthier lifestyles. They try to find ways to encourage people to improve their health and also to improve the healthcare system as a whole. For example, helping people to lose weight or stop smoking, or advising doctors on better ways to communicate with their patients.

You’ll learn to use your knowledge of psychology to promote general wellbeing and understand physical illness. We will teach you the skills needed to help people deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of health and illness, and to support people who are chronically ill.

Our MSc Health Psychology has a strong experiential focus and emphasises the application of health psychology to real world settings. The course includes contributions from healthcare practitioners. You will carry out a brief placement in a healthcare setting, which can include the NHS, third sector (charities) or industry, and you’ll usually arrange this placement yourself with support from the course team. You are encouraged to carry out research in healthcare contexts where possible.

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.

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.

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.