Master of Science in Future Media with Professional Placement

at Birmingham City University - City Centre Campus United Kingdom

Our MA Black Studies course aims to build on the success of this pivotal course. Since its emergence Black Studies at BCU has been one of the most high profile and successful research activities since 2014 in the faculty. We have produced highly rated and world-leading research, secured research funding and hosted some foundational research activities.

This course will be well suited to those already in employment as well as those wanting to develop specialist knowledge and build on transferable skill sets which will boost their employability and career options to working within education, local and national government, criminal justice, media, the arts and advocacy organizations. We have links with the public, private and voluntary sector organizations in local community, national and international settings. Engagement with stakeholders is a fundamental part of the final project; which further enhances students’ personal and professional development and networking skills.

Looking for a security studies Master’s in Birmingham? Our MA Security Studies is open to graduates from all subjects.

The subject of security has considerable contemporary relevance, both nationally and internationally. A long and diverse list of issues have been characterised as security threats from warfare to global warming.

On this Master's you will consider events such as these across a range of different perspectives discussing their implications for security at the international, national and local levels as well as their relevance to different actors such as the state and the individual.

For example, the ongoing Syrian civil war and the breakdown of the Syrian state may represent a security risk for the UK by giving groups likes ISIS the space to operate and potentially attack the West. However, if we alter our focus we quickly become aware of a range of different insecurities felt by civilians displaced from their homes and struggling to survive as a result of the conflict.

Professional Placement option

For our MA Security Studies degree, you will have the opportunity to take the Professional Placement version of the course, which is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course.

This will allow you to complete a credit-bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability and transferable skills. The placement experience will allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.

The MSc Big Data Analytics course will provide you with an insight into areas of data mining, big data management, and advanced statistics. You will develop in-depth practical skills through using tools and techniques from the forefront of the emerging field of data analytics. You will use these to effectively model complex organisational requirements and propose suitable solutions.

What's covered in the course?

The demand for big data analysis and management is continually increasing in business and computer science. For companies it can provide valuable insights, and results such as increased market share, profitability, possible cost savings and procedural efficiency. This course will equip you with the necessary skills to exploit big data tools and methods in order to drive innovation and growth in modern global organizations and society.

The learning activities on this Masters in Data Analytics degree are designed to encourage and facilitate your ability to gain employment and sustain a professional career in data analytics - by building your confidence and skills through hands-on experience and structured feedback. The course combines formal lectures and tutor-led workshops with independent study. You will develop key analytical and problem-solving skills, and will gain an aptitude for research, academic writing, and time management.

Technology-enhanced learning will be used through the provision of online resources and discussion forums. Teaching will be conducted in a work-related context: you will work collaboratively with tutors, researchers, and businesses to prepare you for employment. Potential careers for Big Data Analytics graduates include roles in data science, data warehousing, consultancy, data security and data administration.

Professional Placement option

The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit-bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market.  Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.

The MSc Advanced Computer Networks is the ideal course for those who intend to pursue/progress in the computer networks / network security industry. Whether you are looking to start a career in networking or to progress in your current career, we have designed this course with the most relevant and state of the art developments to give you practical technical experience in the domain of enterprise network design, penetration testing, network automation and more.

We have also taken an applied approach to incorporating research as part of the course, so for those interested in research careers and PhD studentships, this would be a strong stepping-stone. Throughout the course, you will have access to our advanced labs with racks of networking devices as well as our online NetLab system which gives you the ability to access real networking hardware from anywhere via internet. This gives you flexibility to work and practice around your own schedule.

We take pride in having close links with our industry partners and this course was designed to address the gap between academia and industry when it comes to required technical skills. While on the course, you will have access to a wealth of knowledge base and will have the opportunity to benefit from certification courses such as Cisco CCNA, CCNP, DevNet, JUNOS, PaloAlto PCNSA and many more which are all included as part of our academy courses.

Professional Placement option

The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit bearing, 20 week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.

You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.

Whether you're a recent graduate or returning to study after a break, our postgraduate courses in Instrumental Performance provide you with advanced-level training in your principal study area, preparing you for a solo, chamber or orchestral career, alongside excellent opportunities to develop other skills relevant to a future career in the music profession.

These courses are open to students pursuing orchestral instruments, keyboard instruments and other solo instruments such as recorder, guitar and saxophone. There is also a Chamber Music route for string ensembles.

We also offer a 'multi-instrument' specialism for woodwind players who do not wish to follow the traditional orchestral route, but would prefer to pursue a career as a multi-instrumentalist in musical theatre. All principal study woodwinds instruments welcome but aimed primarily at saxophone, flute and clarinet players, this course will train multi-instrumentalists to a professional level.

The MA in Data Journalism is a cutting-edge course designed to give you the interactive storytelling skills needed to work within a growing number of jobs in the media and beyond.

The course has relationships with Huffpost and the BBC, as well as a number of other organisations covering broadcast, online and print data journalism, all of which are keen to bring in the skills that you will be developing on the course. You should indicate on your application in you wish to be considered for opportunities with those organisations during the course.

Studying under internationally renowned course leaders in a city with a vibrant cultural sector, and with access to a range of media organizations, you’ll learn exciting new skills in data journalism and interactive storytelling across a range of contexts, from mobile-first data journalism on social platforms to practising data-driven journalism within online and broadcast newsroom contexts. Partnerships with newspaper, magazine, online and broadcast organisations provide unique opportunities for students to build contacts and experience, and work on live projects.

The MSc Big Data Analytics course will provide you with an insight into areas of data mining, big data management, and advanced statistics. You will develop in-depth practical skills through using tools and techniques from the forefront of the emerging field of data analytics. You will use these to effectively model complex organisational requirements and propose suitable solutions.

What's covered in the course?

The demand for big data analysis and management is continually increasing in business and computer science. For companies it can provide valuable insights, and results such as increased market share, profitability, possible cost savings and procedural efficiency. This course will equip you with the necessary skills to exploit big data tools and methods in order to drive innovation and growth in modern global organizations and society.

The learning activities on this Masters in Data Analytics degree are designed to encourage and facilitate your ability to gain employment and sustain a professional career in data analytics - by building your confidence and skills through hands-on experience and structured feedback. The course combines formal lectures and tutor-led workshops with independent study. You will develop key analytical and problem-solving skills, and will gain an aptitude for research, academic writing, and time management.

Technology-enhanced learning will be used through the provision of online resources and discussion forums. Teaching will be conducted in a work-related context: you will work collaboratively with tutors, researchers, and businesses to prepare you for employment. Potential careers for Big Data Analytics graduates include roles in data science, data warehousing, consultancy, data security and data administration.

This course will create graduates with a sound understanding of the theory and practice of AI in industry. As a conversion course we will assume all students are starting fresh with no experience of computer programming and little experience of using mathematics or statistics in their undergraduate programs or in work.

What's covered in this course?

We will begin by creating a foundation in programming and mathematics upon which we will build the expertise in several key areas of artificial intelligence, going from your first Python code and basic algebra right through to Deep Learning. The core applied areas of data science that will be taught will include:

• Data Visualisation and Interpretation - Analysis that can’t be properly interpreted, explained and understood is a waste of time from a commercial point of view. We will teach you how to generate attractive and interpretable visualizations and tell the story of whatever data you’re working with to a range of audiences.
• Image Analysis - Machine learning has shown incredible results recently in understanding the themes of images and video which are being applied in a range of commercial settings; from security and driverless cars, to online clothes shopping.
• Natural Language Processing - Being able to understand speech and text is one of the cornerstones of artificial intelligence systems. Chatbots built on AI are appearing all over the internet, but more than this technology giants are searching for ways that machines can have detailed conversations with one-another and to be able to read and understand text documents.
• Time Series - Dealing with dynamic data is vital to AI systems in finance, AI and defence; whether predicting the future of stock prices to predicting patient outcomes in ICU and how a virus outbreak will permeate through a population.

Professional Placement option

The Professional Placement option will allow you to complete a credit-bearing, 20-week Professional Placement as an integral part of your Master’s Degree. The purpose of the Professional Placement is to improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.

You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.

Our diverse and exciting BA Graphic Communication degree course is a must for anyone passionate about graphic design and looking to pursue a career in the creative industries.

Thanks to established links with major advertising agencies, publishing houses and interactive design groups, the course is structured to provide you with industry-relevant skills in the fields of communication, branding, strategy, creative advertising and design, in still and moving images, both in print and online.

Lecturers are well placed to give commercially relevant guidance based on current trends and historical contexts.

Collaboration with other disciplines is encouraged, developing new ideas and connections with subjects such as illustration, photography and film and animation.

Through the skilful manipulation of materials, processes and ideas artists are able to offer creative insights which shape who we are and how we exist in the world around us. These are valuable skills in the fast-changing and interconnected web of ecological, political and socio-economic and philosophical contexts.

Our BA (Hons) Fine Art course embraces important traditional making skills such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, digital media and performance, and places an emphasis on the fusion with new developments in creative practice framed within a professional working context to improve employability. This hybrid approach, coupled with discipline-specific studios and specialist workshops, will equip you to navigate the growing and changing face of the Creative Industries into the future.