Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Sociology and Social Policy (with integrated placement year)

at Aston University United Kingdom

From the gene to the cell, to the whole person; if you have a passion for exploring how the human body works, study Biological Sciences BSc at Aston University, Birmingham.

In its attempt to answer these questions, biology encompasses many areas of scientific study such as living organisms, life cycles, adaptations, and the environment. Biological science also incorporates a wealth of exciting and diverse topics from biochemistry and biotechnology to genetics, microbiology, and physiology.

Biological Sciences at Aston offers you an incredible mix of top-quality teaching, world-class research, and the opportunity to gain real-world experience with our optional placement year. For those who achieve the required grades in the second year, you will be given the option to enhance your learning by transferring onto our integrated masters MBiol program; giving you the platform to be a research and development leader and innovator of the future.

If you answered yes, would like to work in an innovative and enterprising sector and gain the skills necessary to create user-centred design, this could be the course for you.

You’ll benefit from practical, hands-on experience, learning from visiting designer practitioners, working on live projects, and ensuring your products are technically and commercially feasible, while also being environmentally responsible. We’ll support you to develop an underpinning skillset of engineering principles and technology and work with you to ensure you’re prepared for whatever future you have in mind, whether that’s in-house design or setting up your own business.

What you’ll learn
In the first year, you’ll get a grounding in product design principles and the opportunity to begin to develop your design specialism.

In the second and final year, you’ll take a common core of five design modules to support your projects, integrating your design specialism with the core aspects of product design. Your final year will culminate in the opportunity to display your work as part of the Aston Inspired final year design show.

We aim to provide you with knowledge of materials, production processes, and technology as well as skills in aesthetics, ergonomics, and management to enable you to develop a successful career in design.

We teach using a hands-on framework called CDIO - Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate – supported by 50 of the world’s top technical institutions. This enables you to apply real-world skills as you learn, enabling you to maximize your learning. You’ll do your learning in our state-of-the-art facilities, which include advanced 3D printing facilitates and a dedicated design studio with specialist equipment designed just for you.

We’ll support you to find a paid, professional placement of direct relevance to your studies. This placement will give you invaluable practical experience in a real work environment and will further enhance your career prospects.

You’ll also have the opportunity to network with employers and showcase your work as part of the Mechanical Engineering and Design Industry Club, where you’ll be given opportunities to meet employers

Study a BSc (Hons) Economics and Politics degree course at Aston University and tackle some of the most challenging, controversial and real-world issues facing governments, business and the wider society today.

What you’ll learn
On this degree 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 acquire the ability to analyse and understand political problems, socio-cultural change and political institutions and structures.

On the economics side, you’ll develop an ability to investigate a range of political and economic issues, and gain a sound understanding of how economic and political issues are often closely interrelated in today’s globalised mass society. You’ll become familiar with a range of tools needed to solve a variety of complex economic problems, and develop research and analytical skills, equipping you with highly relevant, adaptable skills that are transferable across whatever career path you choose.

An integrated placement year offers the chance to apply your learning in a work placement in the UK or overseas. Whether you choose to focus on politics or economics, Aston’s strong links with employers around the world mean you will have a wide range of options to boost your employability and explore the world of work. Unlike some other universities, the placement year at Aston is not a ‘bolt-on’ year, it is an integral part of your degree and in your second year we’ll make sure you’re ready to get the most from this opportunity. You'll receive plenty of help and advice in finding your placement and specialist support and supervision from the University during your placement.

You will also have the opportunity to produce a substantial piece of individual work in the form of a dissertation on an agreed topic of your choice.

Mechanical engineers are innovators, building machines, structures and devices of all sizes and for all uses. Study Mechanical Engineering at Aston and we’ll equip you with the tools you need to bring your ideas to life, helping to solve the world’s problems for generations to come. Our Mechanical Engineering degree course offers highly relevant modules in sought-after engineering and scientific subjects.?It is driven by the demands of industry to produce graduates with extremely strong engineering and scientific skills. We also support you to develop strong project management and teamwork skills, as well as commercial awareness.

What you’ll learn
In your first year, you’ll cover fundamental disciplines of mechanical engineering, through academic classes in engineering, science, and maths. You’ll also take on large, integrated projects in practical settings, and we’ll help you to understand new technology and concepts. The course reflects industry practice, as you work in groups to take products from initial concepts through to built and tested prototypes.

During your second year, you’ll begin to develop the skills and technical knowledge you need to become a professional engineer. Then, in your third year, you’ll undertake a major project, involving design, experimental or analytical work that can be tailored to suit your own interests or to suit your target vocation.?

If you choose to spend a year in industry during your degree, we’ll support you to find a paid, professional placement of direct relevance to your studies. This placement will give you invaluable practical experience in a real work environment and will further enhance your career prospects.

In the final year, you will study advanced-level science and applied maths and exploit this knowledge in a major project, involving design, experimental or analytical work. This allows you to demonstrate your skills, knowledge, and abilities to potential employers through independently tackling a significant engineering challenge.

 What you’ll learn 

You’ll gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and?applied perspectives of supply chain management and logistics. The program has a particular focus on the effective deployment of advanced technology in environmentally sustainable and globally connected supply chains. You'll also have the opportunity to develop your areas of interest through a range of specialist modules and the completion of a major project. 
 
You’ll undertake real-life projects throughout your course with modules taught using industry-related case studies and current research in the field. We're uniquely positioned, in the heart of the UK supply chain, to be able to welcome guest speakers from leading companies to share their experiences with you. Field trips to local businesses such as Jaguar Land Rover will give you a real insight into the industry. 

Study MSc Business Enterprise Development at Aston University and unleash your entrepreneurial potential. 

Develop entrepreneurial competencies and practice through learning by doing, and working with others to create and run a productive organization.

Supported by a select group of team coaches, including academics, successful entrepreneurs, and prestigious Aston alumni, you will gain valuable experiences and practical learning in a supportive environment.

Study our innovative MSc Business Enterprise Development degree at Aston University to give yourself the best start to learning about how to develop, sustain and grow a business. 

Think you know about chemical engineering? Join our course here at Aston to learn how chemical engineers shape the world and get ready for a career in this exciting industry.

What you’ll learn
This course is designed to develop your engineering skills, in the context of a firm grounding in chemistry.?To ensure this, you will share your first year with chemists, giving you a good grounding in the subject before gaining a deeper insight into the industrial processes.

In later years you will specialize at a more advanced level in the core engineering topics as well as studying business, management, and sustainability, designed to further develop your problem-solving skills.?There will also be a focus on computer modeling skills with a strong emphasis on process simulation.

You have the option to spend a year on placement in the industry in your third year.?Many students take advantage of this option and find the experience extremely beneficial both for their development as an engineer and their final year performance.

Study business alongside International Relations to learn more about contemporary issues in global politics, with an integrated placement year to give your career prospects a real boost.

What you’ll learn
As a business student at Aston, you’ll study the theories, principles, and underlying concepts of management and develop a strong understanding of business models and processes. You’ll examine how strategic decision-making within organizations takes place, and develop the ability to recognize and analyze the economic, technical, financial, social, and organizational parameters within which modern managers make decisions, providing you with a solid starting point for your future career.

On the international relations strand of the course, you’ll get an introduction to the international state system and to the structure and purpose of international organizations, such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), and NATO. You will develop a knowledge and understanding of the nature between states and also of the roles played by international institutions, other intergovernmental organizations, multinational corporations, and NGOs.

When you study economics at Aston, you will be looking at some of the most challenging and controversial issues facing society today, including the gender pay gap and how human behaviour is linked to global warming.

What you’ll learn
You will learn about economic theories and build on your analytical and mathematical skills in order to understand how economics is used to solve a breadth of issues in business and wider society.

You’ll learn about the principles of micro and macroeconomics, mathematics and statistics in economics, econometrics and competition policy, as well select modules to tailor your learning to your areas of interest.

Through case studies, real-world examples and challenges, you’ll explore economics in an applied context and your placement year gives you an opportunity to develop your employability skills. 

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.