Bachelor of Science in Communication and Media Studies

at Brunel University London United Kingdom

The Brunel Sport, Health and Exercise MSc is aimed at graduates with a background in sports science who want to build on their existing knowledge with advanced study in the specialist areas of human performance and sports psychology.

Our selection of optional modules, covering the range of physiological, biomechanical and psychological factors governing how the human body works, allows you to tailor your course to your interests and objectives.

You can choose, for example, to concentrate on the mechanics of optimal performance, with a focus on developing your practical and analytical skills of accessing and enhancing a person’s strength, flexibility, stamina and athletic technique. Alternatively, you might examine the key psychological factors that impact on sports performance such as anxiety, motivation, concentration and confidence, and learn strategies that help athletes to overcome inhibitions and achieve peak performance.

Your course will include two compulsory modules. One investigates contemporary issues related to physical activity and health such as the effects of ageing, injury rehabilitation, obesity, and cardiac health. The other looks at research methods and data analysis, tools that will prepare you for higher, research-related degrees.    

Throughout your studies you’ll be able to take advantage of our modern physiology and biomechanics laboratories and some of the best sports facilities in the UK.

From elite performance to personal fitness to community-based sport activity, sport is an ever-expanding, global industry. The expert knowledge and practical skills you’ll gain from your Brunel master’s will boost your employment prospects in the lab, on the training field or with sporting bodies.

Psychology is an exciting subject to study as we are still looking for answers to questions about the human mind and consciousness. At Brunel, you will have the chance to immerse yourself in the accepted theories of psychology as well as the latest research that is expanding our knowledge.

Our Psychology degree is accredited by The British Psychological Society and can be studied full-time over three years. We also offer it as a four year course which is unique in offering two six-month work placements or you can carry out a one year placement within a single environment.

Work experience while studying is a great asset, whether you choose to continue your studies in psychology or seek employment. You will know what it’s like to apply your skills in the workplace, which builds confidence and is attractive to employers. Recent placements have included the Institute of Psychiatry, Royal Free Hospital and Holloway Prison.

The course will help you to develop specific skills and practical methods before allowing you to tailor your studies to your own interests in the final year by selecting modules and writing a dissertation. This prepares you for the more self-directed study of a masters and specialisation in a particular field should you choose to pursue it.

Brunel offers access to extensive laboratory and technical facilities including brain imaging facilities (fMRI, EEG), psychophysics, and eye tracking. A good understanding of the equipment you may use in your work placement or in research is a useful skill to have for the future.

As an accredited psychology course, should you graduate with a 2:2 grade or higher, you will be eligible to apply for graduate membership of the British Psychological Society. Membership will be key if you choose to pursue postgraduate training and become a psychologist.

If you have a passion for theatre and would like to learn how to bring your ideas to life on stage, Brunel’s Theatre course will equip you with specialist skills in a range of performance genres while you grow your knowledge of theatre history and theory.

Blended learning is a feature of the course which includes a mix of theatre making practical classes together with theoretically focussed content to help inform your artistic choices.

Alongside developing your analytical and study skills, you’ll discover ways of expressing yourself and building your confidence along the way.

The course has compulsory modules and numerous optional modules that you can choose from within the Theatre degree. You can opt for a wide selection of modules on the main degree or focus your studies through a specialised degree pathway in Acting, Musical Theatre or Physical Theatre.

Please click below for more information on modules offered throughout the course for each pathway.

Theatre BA pathway module table
You will be supported by a personal tutor who is also your academic seminar tutor and you will be taught by staff who are cutting edge academics and industry specialists. You’ll learn in our Antonin Artaud Performance Centre which includes a main theatre and two studio theatres, in addition to a suite of rehearsal and recording studios.

As we’re close to central London, we regularly organise trips to see productions at places such as the Barbican, the National Theatre, the Royal Court, and Sadler’s Wells and participate in workshops with ground-breaking theatre companies all as part of your course.

The Brunel Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences (Physical Education, Coaching and Social Issues) BSc is for students who are interested in working in physical education or youth sport, developing sport in communities, helping individuals fulfil their potential in sport and health, as well as those seeking to gain a strong understanding and application of sports coaching principles and practices.

You'll explore the sociological, political, pedagogical and psychological factors that influence participation in physical education and sport, and how these relate to sports performance, physical activity, health and wellbeing. You'll learn how to plan, deliver, manage and evaluate high-quality activities and events aimed at encouraging and enabling people to get involved in sport and physical activity, from grassroots to elite level.

You’ll also explore social issues in physical education such as gender, race and religion and inclusive practice. In addition, you'll learn historical and philosophical aspects related to PE.

Your studies will be supported by some of the best teaching and sports facilities in the UK that include our:

• State-of-the-art physiology, biomechanics and psychology laboratories
• World-class indoor athletics centre
• International-standard 400m six-lane athletics track with full field event facilities
• Large indoor netball hall
• Multi-use sports centre equipped with squash, basketball and netball courts, as well as a superb climbing wall.
• Members-only fitness suite featuring treadmills, cycles and rowing machines
• A weight-training area with free and fixed weights
• Grass and third-generation (3G) all-weather pitches
• Outdoor tennis courts

You'll also have the opportunity to carry out a placement as part of your degree. This will give you the type of experience that will enable you to create a standout CV. Our Sport, Health and Exercise Sciences (Physical Education, Coaching and Social Issues) BSc offers two placement options: you can choose to carry out two placements during the summer vacations within the three year degree, or a one year placement between years two and three, as part of a four year degree.

International relations is an area of politics that largely focuses on how two or more nations interact with each other. As an introduction to the course you will study the evolution of international relations theory – for example how international relations relates to problems of anarchy, sovereignty, order, justice and solutions.  

Early on in the course, you will have a choice between two topics: International Security which will look at the main concepts and models within the subject as well as its issues and policies, or International Political Economy which considers topics like globalisation, financial liberation and economic growth.

Once your knowledge, understanding and analytical skills have grown in international relations, you will choose a further two additional optional modules which cover democracy, migrant law, post-war world affairs, security in the middle east, and geopolitics. Finally, a research project of your choice under the guidance of a dissertation supervisor completes the course.

In keeping with the importance Brunel places on getting you ready for work, this degree includes the rare option of a work placement – 6-12 weeks of professional practice that takes place between May and September in an organisation with an international dimension to its mission.

Other opportunities to network and build knowledge include the option to take up membership with Chatham House, the leading British think tank on international affairs. Benefits include access to library and archive materials as well as regular events.

In fact, Brunel’s proximity to central London’s world-class research facilities, Westminster and Whitehall means you couldn’t be better placed to immerse yourself in an established political area.

Graduates of the International Relations MA, go to pursue careers in a wide range of organisations, including government, international institutions, non-governmental organisations, business, research institutes and security, or further study at doctoral level.

This course has a professional practice option. Find out more about work placements available.

On Brunel’s Computer Science BSc course, we’ll help you gain the ability to develop software solutions to business problems. You’ll learn to specify, design, code, modify and test different types of software, from web-based systems to mobile solutions, in a contemporary programming paradigm. All of this will be done using an appropriate commercial grade development environment and associated database tools.

In addition, you’ll acquire in-depth knowledge of algorithms, design, programming and testing techniques. By the end of the course, you’ll have confidence in your knowledge of common system and network architectures and system development approaches, requirements capture, design methods, models, tools, and techniques.

You’ll become well-versed in implementing and testing systems and software maintenance. Key to this course is cultivating a reflective approach to project management issues arising from team-based software development.

This exciting degree course is also increasingly using technologies such as drones and robots in coursework and projects.

Our course is designed for flexibility, so if you’re not sure which route you want to go, you can select modules and specialise gradually during your time with us. You can transfer between Computer Science and Business Computing up to the start of Level 2, then, should you wish, to choose a specialism up to the start of Level 3.

We know that when you graduate, you’ll be working on large projects. That’s why one third of each year of our programmes is project-based. On Levels 1 and 2, you’ll build a software solution in a team, and in your final year you’ll carry out an individual project. You’ll also have the opportunity to showcase your projects at the annual  Made in Brunel (Software Innovation) event, with awards presented by the likes of Cisco, Sky and Xerox.

As part of your degree course, you’ll have the chance to take a year-long work placement between your second year and third year. We’ll support you in finding that all-important paid professional experience, in the UK or abroad. The feedback we’ve received is that those who have taken a placement are much more likely to find a job for which their degree was a formal requirement as it gives you a competitive advantage. Recent graduates have gone on to work for well-known names such as Accenture, Toshiba, Microsoft, British Airways, O2, and Barclays.

Our programmes are accredited by the British Computer Society, the Chartered Institute for IT, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP), and on behalf of the Engineering Council, for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer (CEng). 

The accreditation also allows you to apply for professional membership of the BCS after you have successfully completed your degree.

The department has been awarded an Athena SWAN Bronze, recognising our dedication to the advancement of gender equality in STEM subjects. We now have an ongoing three-year action plan to further implement strategies and improve our practices. As part of this endeavour, Brunel’s  Women in Engineering and Computing mentoring scheme provides our female students with invaluable help and support from the industry.

The Theatre and Creative Writing BA is ideal if you want learn more about the richness of theatre past and present while incorporating your passion for creative writing.

Within the theatre side of your degree, you’ll develop creative skills in a number of practical ways: acting, directing, applied drama, physical theatre, digital performance, musical theatre and playwriting.

On the creative writing side of the course, you’ll get to explore a number of writing styles including journalism,screenwriting, comedy writing, short stories and the contemporary novel.

You’ll also grow your knowledge through an understanding of the concepts and models used in the practice and study of theatre, together with the themes and techniques used by historic and contemporary authors.

Study at Brunel and you’ll become part a rich community of creative students, artists and academics with a variety of opportunities to collaborate through acting, directing, playwriting and production.

You’ll learn in Brunel’s purpose-built Antonin Artaud Performance Centre (AA), which is rather like being in drama school with its main theatre, two studio spaces, rehearsal rooms and recording studios.

AA facilities regularly host Arts@Artaud nights showcasing new music, film, creative writing and drama presented by Brunel students.

Established links with the creative industries offer plenty of opportunities to hear from guest speakers and alumni on campus. Off campus, Brunel’s easy access to central London helps to facilitate regular class trips to see West End productions and other events.

For your professional development, the option of a work placement year is an unmissable opportunity to find out where your interests lie and to increase your attractiveness to future employers.

Students from the course have completed placements in a variety of organisations including the London’s Park Theatre, Rose Wisksteed Casting, The Vaults, Unicorn Theatre, Icarus Theatre Company, and the Grieg City Academy.

The human body is amazing but when things go wrong, either mentally or physically, people often aren’t able to do activities that matter to them. What are the barriers to activity? Are there ways to overcome these barriers? These are the questions you’ll be finding the answers to as an Occupational Therapist.

At Brunel you’ll be integrating theory with practice. You’ll learn to examine the physical, psychological and contextual aspects of a patient. This can be from the acute stage through to the general rehabilitation in the community. You’re encouraged to be creative in your approach and to develop ways to solve their problems. For instance you could be helping someone who has had an amputation to use a wheelchair and identifying ways to have their kitchen adapted. On the course you’ll be encouraged to use your own skills and hobbies to aid rehabilitation. This can be anything from art or music to hair braiding.

You’ll learn to use research and literature and to look at evidence to help your understanding of a patient’s condition. Eventually you’ll learn the skills to create your own research.

Brunel is ranked first in London for Occupational Therapy in The Complete University Guide 2019. If you’re positive, a motivator, good at coming up with solutions to problems and looking for a career that’s rewarding and really makes a difference to people’s lives then this is the course for you.

NHS Values

Patients, public and staff have helped develop this expression of values that inspire passion in the NHS and that should underpin everything it does. Individual organisations will develop and build upon these values, tailoring them to their local needs. The NHS values provide common ground for co-operation to achieve shared aspirations, at all levels of the NHS.

Our Design and Branding Strategy MA degree focuses on using design to address key issues in branding. It examines how design thinking can develop a new brand, or improve or expand an existing brand and enhance customer engagement. It aims to produce master’s qualified creative design management graduates capable of making a major contribution to the use of design in branding practices in organisations, both large and small.

You’ll have access to modern teaching and learning facilities, including a dedicated master’s design studio. Here you can discuss and exchange ideas with other students passionate about design management and design-led branding strategy.

Our popular, annual Design Master’s: Industry Student Review Evening is a great opportunity for you to connect with experts from design, brand and business. Their professional and practical perspective will help you to build a strong and clear direction for your research projects and dissertation.

And there’s Made in Brunel - a unique, student-led initiative that showcases our design talent at its finest. Each year our students run a series of industry and community events leading up to the Made in Brunel exhibition. This annual showcase is a highlight of the London design calendar and promotes the incredible work our students produce to the creative community, and is your chance to network with key design professionals.

The human body runs on complex internal processes, with cells and organs functioning in incredible ways to make us who we are. But, what happens when our health is compromised? This dynamic biomedical sciences degree is perfect for those with a fascination of how we work and how we treat human diseases.

At Brunel, we understand that your interest in biomedical sciences at this stage may be very broad and perhaps you're not ready to specialise. For this reason, we have made our Biomedical Sciences BSc flexible. As you continue through your degree, you can pick your own options and tailor your course to fit your interests. You can even switch over to a specialist pathway in the second year so there's no need to feel pressurised to commit to a specialist area yet.

The Royal Society of Biology has awarded its accreditation to all of Brunel’s biomedical sciences undergraduate programmes. This means you can be confident that our Biomedical Sciences BSc will prepare you for the working world – and your prospective employers will know this too. You'll receive a one year’s membership as an Associate Member once you graduate, integrating you into the sector with access to key contacts and up-to-date knowledge.

In your final year you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to our research programmes in cellular and biochemical pathways, the regulation of gene expression, DNA repair and immunological responses to microbial infection. This will give you first-hand experience of real-world laboratory research and prepare you for your future career.

This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.

Graduate with the confidence and experience you need to make a great start in your career by choosing to do a biomedical sciences placement.

• A placement lets you gain valuable experience that will put you ahead of the rest when you’re looking for employment. Like some of our former students, you can potentially spend a year working at some top companies such as Mars, Parexel and Astra Zeneca.
• If you’re looking for the experience of working further afield in biomedical sciences, there are also opportunities to work abroad where you can flourish in an exciting new culture. Recent opportunities our students have benefited from have included laboratory work in Sicily, a cytogenetics company close to Milan or working for Bayer in Berlin.
• The opportunities are endless and the experience you’ll get will be enlightening as well as rewarding