Master of Engineering (Hons) in Civil Engineering (Placement year)

at Aston University United Kingdom

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.

Understand some of the biggest debates in society and gain an in-depth knowledge of social processes, organizational dynamics, and inter-group relationships that could make a difference to society in a range of careers.

What you’ll learn
Sociology at Aston is about real-life experiences and how they relate to bigger social problems. 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. We assess public policy responses and where they are problematic.

Our teaching is informed by our research. 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. Our teaching is constantly updated in light of our research findings.

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.

Electronic engineering impacts on so many areas of every day life so it is perhaps no surprise to find that it is the most extensive and pervasive of all the engineering disciplines.

Our courses are developed in collaboration with a wide range of industry sectors to give a broad but relevant degree so teaching won’t just be standard lectures and you’ll be encouraged to discover how science fiction becomes fact. Designing your own products and working with cutting-edge equipment will be a core part of the course. Our ground-breaking, fast-track, higher level Electrical and Electronic Engineering MEng course allows you to gain an MEng qualification in four years, rather than the traditional five years, making it a more time and cost-effective choice.

What you’ll learn

The first two years of the MEng are taught alongside the BEng degree. You’ll begin by covering the fundamental principles of the field, such as digital and analogue electronics, computing, mathematics and project management, rapidly developing the analytical skills to understand and begin designing electrical circuits and systems.

In the second and final years you’ll specialise by selecting from a broad range of career-focused options, including systems analysis, data acquisition and control, digital system design, telecommunications systems, optoelectronics and signal processing. The final year is taught alongside our masters programmes and you can choose to study a broad range of modules, or specialise in one particular area, such as communications, sensing, computing or electrical power. You will also undertake an in-depth project, based on your areas of specialism.

You’ll have access to an extensive network of computer facilities throughout your course, including high performance PCs for industrial standard ECAD, Unix workstations and a large number of embedded processors for lab work. These resources are complemented by specialist electronics, telecommunications and networked laboratories and research facilities.

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.

Develop an understanding of the global business environment, including shifting competitive advantages, which influence strategic business decisions. You’ll also gain the knowledge required for initiating and managing innovation-based business strategies.

The Strategy and Entrepreneurship MSc will develop your understanding and application of core theories in strategy, and you will learn how to apply the knowledge and skills required for assessing and developing business strategies and operations.

This course will develop your knowledge of theories, principles, and practices of management. It will teach you how to apply this understanding to entrepreneurial business models and processes in both national and international contexts.

This course aims to provide a program of study that meets your needs if you are a local, national or international student, enabling you to learn by the exchange of experience as well as formal academic study. It is designed for recent graduates and those already in employment.

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.

Our Biochemistry course is focused on preparing you for a future career that makes a big difference. Studying at Aston gives you unrivalled hands-on experience, world-class facilities and specialist teaching.

In addition, your integrated placement year will give you the opportunity to put your knowledge into practice. You can undertake placements in hospital, industrial or research laboratories, as well as non-laboratory settings.

As a biochemist, you’ll help to comprehend and resolve biological problems through the use of molecular expertise and processes. You will help to lead the way in developing new thinking, techniques and technology in the fields of:

• Medicine
• Pharmaceutics
• Biotechnology
• Agriculture
• Nutrition

Study a BSc (Hons) History and English Literature degree course at Aston University to grow your understanding of the world we live in and learn about the past to build a better future for all. Make the most of your potential by combining your studies in global contemporary history with English literature, and completing an integrated placement year for a flying start to your career.

What you’ll learn
Working closely with experienced historians, you’ll have opportunities to study topics such as nationalism, state-building and inter-state relations; the history of war and peace; religious and ethnic conflict; trauma and memory; and issues of globalisation in the present that can only be understood by looking to the past. For example, you’ll learn how the British Empire helped to create the NHS, why Britain voted to stay in the EU in 1975 and why Margaret Thatcher became the first pop star of British international relations.

Digital electronics and computer systems are significant in commerce, industry and the home, and have an ever increasing impact on the way we work and live. To gain the competitive edge over its global rivals, British industry and commerce needs trained computer systems engineers with skills in both hardware and software who can assess, harness and influence the growth of information technology.

Our Electrical and Electronic Engineering MEng course is designed to stretch our top students and includes a 12 month industrial placement. It gives you the opportunity to study electronics and computer science more deeply than at BEng level while also gaining valuable industry experience.

Our courses are developed in collaboration with a wide range of industry sectors to give a broad but relevant degree so teaching won’t just be standard lectures and you’ll be encouraged to discover how science fiction becomes fact. Designing your own products and working with cutting-edge equipment will be a core part of the course. The design of this innovative course emphasises ‘doing’ as well as ‘knowing’, helping you to develop essential practical, intellectual, business and communication skills. This ‘real world’ approach, combined with the beneficial experience you will gain during your placement, will give you a clear competitive edge in the search for graduate employment.

What you’ll learn
The first two years of the MEng are taught alongside the BEng degree and you’ll gain a solid grounding in software engineering and computing systems, complemented by engineering expertise in digital electronics and telecommunications. To build a bridge between hardware and software specialists you’ll study computing and electronics with single honours students from the electronic engineering and computer science subject groups.

In the second and final year, you’ll be able to choose options that enable you to specialise in preparation for your future career. These options include digital system design, telecommunications systems, optoelectronics and signal processing.