Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Politics and Sociology

at Aston University United Kingdom

Chemists and chemical engineers make products that we use in our everyday life, from vitamin C to chocolate, from creams to packaging, and from fuels to washing powders.  

You will study how to ensure the safe, sustainable and profitable production of chemicals and materials that will not only improve people’s quality of life but also contribute towards a better future for our planet.  

This programme is academically the same as the BSc (Hons) Chemistry but, as an applied chemist, you will undertake a final year research project under the supervision of one of our academic staff.?  
 
We cater for the needs of ‘pure’ chemists and provide the opportunity to explore the industrial, pharmaceutical, technological and commercial dimensions of chemistry. Business and other specialist topics are built into our courses enabling you to develop valuable management skills.

 What you’ll learn 

You’ll share your first year with chemical engineers, to ensure you have a good grounding in the subject before gaining a deeper insight into the industrial processes. 
 
Areas including sustainability and health and safety will be key to your learning, while more scientific and advanced modules will give you the technical skills you need for your career.  
 
You have the option to spend a year on placement in the

A Business Management and English Language degree from Aston gives you the chance to combine in-demand commercial and leadership skills, alongside theoretical knowledge and understanding of the English language, how it works in business, and its role in the workplace.

What you’ll learn
You will be taught by lecturers who are internationally recognized researchers in fields such as leadership communication, marketing, economic development, multi-national enterprises, forensic linguistics, language and gender, and TESOL.

With a professional placement year as one of its key features, the program is geared towards increasing your employability by providing you with the knowledge and skills required of professionals working in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Bridging the gap between health, medicine and engineering, studying biomedical engineering at Aston University gives you the hands-on skills, knowledge and experience to help create the healthcare practices of tomorrow.

As a biomedical engineer, you will have the skills, flexibility and knowledge to be involved in a wide number of activities such as developing innovative devices and delivering expert services directly to patients.

Through a combination of our deep links into industry and world-class, state-of-the-art facilities, Aston is the ideal place to prepare for a successful and enriching career that improves and saves lives.

Course outline

You will have access to the very best, innovative, hands-on teaching from academics active in the field, with strong links to UK and international biomedical industrial collaborators.

At Aston, we don’t just teach biomedical engineering, we’re actively involved in the field. As a department, we have generated three spin-out companies, are partners with several hospitals, industry consortia, and medical device forums, meaning you’ll have access to over 100 companies developing real world health products in an entrepreneurial environment.

The course will help you enhance the skills required for assessing, developing and critically evaluating entrepreneurial strategies. You will develop the ability to make strategic decisions by advancing your understanding and application of how business analytics methods can support interventions in the decision-making process of organisations. 

You’ll learn about intellectual property, emerging economies, international entrepreneurship and understand how to develop and deliver entrepreneurial strategies in a range of settings.

You’ll also develop the skills to use statistical techniques to communicate key information, how to use decision models, data mining, web and performance analytics, all of which will build on your analytical skills and ability to problem solve. You’ll get hands-on experience using specialist software and experience in using a range of data sets.

Study the BSc English Language degree course at Aston University to learn theoretical knowledge and cutting-edge linguistic skills for the explanation of language in applied contexts.

What you’ll learn
By studying English language in-depth, you will develop critical awareness and gain invaluable communication, analytical and critical skills for your future working life.

Your first year of studying English language at Aston will give you a broad introduction to language and meaning, to the influence of form and context and to the role of language in society.

In the second year, alongside core modules, you can pick the elective modules that interest you the most – such as Language in the News Media, the Language of the Law, Stylistics and Creative Writing. These modules are designed to equip you to describe the features of spoken and written language in technical detail, as well as collecting, managing and working with linguistic data.

Through practical sessions, you will develop the skills to teach English as a foreign language and understand the roles, techniques and dynamics of the classroom.

In the final year, you can choose from a wide range of elective modules to suit your interests and/or career plans, whether you see your future in education, business, law or elsewhere. You will also produce a substantial piece of individual work in the form of a dissertation on an agreed topic of your choice.

An optional placement year offers the chance to apply your learning in a work or study placement in the UK or overseas. Whether you choose to study abroad, work for a company or to teach, Aston’s links with employers, schools and universities around the world mean you will have a wide range of options to boost your employability. Finally, our versatile range of joint honours courses means you can pursue your passion for English alongside a wealth of language and social science options.

Study the Translating for Business and International Institutions MA course at Aston University to prepare for an exciting professional career in the global language industry and succeed in the translation market at an international level.

What you’ll learn
You will study the translation industry in-depth and gain a thorough understanding of translation theories and strategies so that you are able to take on an informed, critical approach to translation practice.

You will develop your technical skills and will become familiar with the most popular and cutting-edge computer-assisted translation tools in the market, including translation memories, machine translation, and localization tools, and develop expertise in multilingual specialized translation. You will also have the opportunity to work towards SDL Trados certification (the world's leading translation software solution).

You will gain language-independent translation principles to tackle the translation of highly specialized texts, as well as learning about text types and their relation to translation, terminology, and specialized language. The practical translation modules have a clear focus on translation for business, while the specialized translation modules will help you develop and improve the competencies that will allow you to produce high-quality translations in English.

The latest events such as Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed companies to look at their global operations and supply chains more strategically, including how to digitise their products, advance towards services, and produce more sustainably, and as a result global operations and service management have quickly become business-critical areas of expertise in modern business.

Our Masters in Global Operations and Service Management will prepare you for a global approach to business operations and the growing service sector. This includes rethinking the role of globalisation on multi-national business models, particularly when it comes to strategy, location, supply chains, logistics, sustainability, and product design and innovation.

What you’ll learn
You will study literature, culture and history and explore the style choices of films, digital fiction, Instapoetry and Twitterfiction, alongside more traditional modes of text. We will equip you to critically engage with a variety of texts across both literary genres and periods, and you’ll be able to develop your skills as a writer through our Creative Writing module.

At Aston University, sociology is about real-life, everyday experiences. Our research-led teaching brings social theory to the study of pressing issues in the modern age, such as migration, climate change, welfare, crime, health and sexuality. We focus on key contemporary issues, social policy and decision-making, global trends and international comparisons.

On the sociology strand of the course, you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of social processes, organisational dynamics and inter-group relationships. We explore the social constraints we encounter in our everyday lives and how they are reinforced by class, race, religion and gender. To understand how these issues perpetuate existing inequalities and unequal life chances, we analyse how politics is intertwined with the profit-making aims pursued by big corporations and how their combined interests dominate our social imaginations. When learning about contemporary topics such as inequality, racism, health, migration, sexuality, identity, education, the media, crime and climate change, you will be taught by experts in these fields.

Study the BSc (Hons) Politics and Social Policy degree course at Aston University to examine the major political, economic, and social issues facing governments and societies across the world, and how the policies they develop impact all our lives.

What you’ll learn
In this course, you’ll have the opportunity to explore political topics going beyond the UK and Europe, covering North America, South Asia, China, Japan, or the emerging global powers. You will not only study the traditional subjects of the discipline, such as security, political economy, or democratization but also have the chance to delve into ethics, sports, gender, protests, or religion.

On the social policy strand of the course, you’ll examine why governments take particular decisions in key policy areas and develop a detailed understanding of processes of policymaking at global, national, and local levels of government. We explore the social constraints we encounter in our everyday lives and how they are reinforced by class, race, religion, and gender. To understand how these issues perpetuate existing inequalities and unequal life chances, we analyze what impact official politics has on such processes, how politics is intertwined with the profit-making aims pursued by big corporations and how their combined interests dominate our social imaginations.

You will investigate the economic, social, and political forces which influence government decision-making and develop a detailed understanding of policy-making processes at global, national and local levels of government. You will also explore in-depth, the outcomes and consequences of various government policies on the economy and society. Studying the nature of policy delivery and management by various organizations, such as local governments, schools, and businesses will prepare you for a range of career paths.

Become a business leader of the future and get set for a rewarding career with our MSc Business and Management degree. Develop your management skills and techniques and gain an extensive understanding of how companies operate.

Suitable for graduates of all disciplines, this dynamic program is a fantastic platform to launch your career at a top business school. Aston Business School is part of an elite group of business schools thanks to our triple accreditation from AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA.

You’ll benefit from detailed insight into many areas of business, from strategy to operations and from marketing to people management. You’ll also gain key leadership and management skills. By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped to go into a variety of roles for a range of organizations, including international companies and those operating in the voluntary and community sectors.