Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences

at Brunel University London United Kingdom

Statistics is the study of the collection, analysis, interpretation, presentation and organisation of data. Statistical analysis and data analytics is listed as one of the highly desirable skills employers are looking for, and with data becoming an ever increasing part of modern life, the talent to extract information and value from complex data is scarce.

The new Statistics and Data Analytics MSc is designed to train the next generation of statisticians with a focus on the field of data analytics. Employers expect skills in both statistics and computing. This master’s programme will provide a unique and coherent blend of modern statistical methods together with the associated computational skills that are essential for handling large quantities of unstructured data. This programme offers training in modern statistical methodology, computational statistics and data analysis from a wide variety of fields, including financial and health sectors.

Networks are what make up much of the modern-day working world as we become more connected both as individuals and as organisations. But with network connectivity (including cloud computing) comes a heightened requirement for security and privacy. On the Computer Science (Network Computing) BSc degree course, you’ll gain a good understanding of computer science and a grasp of the important elements of a computer system before specialising in network computing.

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.

Network computing graduates have a wide range of careers open to them. Perhaps you’ll start by becoming a general analyst or programmer in a consultancy firm. This is often just the first step towards setting up your own business.

Our course is designed for flexibility, so if you’re not sure which route you want to take, 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.

Mechanical engineering covers the design, development and manufacture of mechanical objects – from large-scale industrial machinery to trains, planes and automobiles to medical devices, mobile phones, bicycles, even chairs.

In fact, every product, technology or system has probably been touched by a mechanical engineer.   

The Brunel Mechanical Engineering BEng will give you the specialist knowledge and skills needed to get started on a lucrative career in this diverse and challenging profession.

You’ll get a solid grounding in the core principles of engineering science including solid body mechanics, thermodynamics and materials science as well as in the fundamentals of design and manufacturing.

You’ll also get training in related disciplines integral to mechanical engineering such as computing – used in modelling and predicting outcomes; electrical engineering – to gage how much energy is needed to run a machine and how it can be generated and controlled; and electronics - because parts in many machines are electronic as well as mechanical.

And, as mechanical engineers not only design many exciting products but venture into managing projects and companies, you’ll study elements of management, ethics, finance and law.

Throughout your studies you’ll have use of our modern, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and 24-hour access to industry standard engineering design software at dedicated computer clusters on campus, so you’ll have the opportunity and equipment to explore ideas and tackle problems.

Our mechanical engineering BEng course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).We offer two study options. You can choose three years full-time or four years full-time with a one-year work placement between years two and three that will give you the chance to apply what you’ve learned to real-life situations.

If you start on the full-time course, you can transfer to the professional development option at any time before the end of Level 2.

In a global economy where progress depends heavily on technological innovation, graduates with the knowledge and skills to design, develop and improve the machines and processes fuelling growth are in demand. Your Brunel BEng will give you that expertise and help open doors to a career in engineering.

The results of unsustainable human development in the 21st century are evident as climate change, species extinction, pollution, poverty and inequality become inescapable global realities. The next big challenge for society is to transform our economy to incorporate the principles of sustainability. This presents an exciting opportunity to rethink, redesign and rebuild a positive future for business practice.

The global market for environmental products and services is projected to double from USD 1,370 billion per year to USD 2,740 billion by 2020. Half of this market is in energy efficiency and the balance in sustainable transport, water supply, sanitation and waste management. 2.3 million people have in recent years found new jobs in the renewable energy sector alone. Employment in alternative energies may rise to 2.1 million in wind and 6.3 million in solar power by 2030.

This course will provide you with the skills across the disciplines of science, engineering design and business to be a part of this market and to become leaders and innovators in the context of environmental awareness.

The Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design MSc (with Professional Development) is a 21 month programme – 12 months of study at Brunel, followed by a short break while you await your dissertation grade, to allow you to finalise your placement. Once you've passed your dissertation, you'll complete a six month professional development phase. There is an option to complete the Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Design MSc in 12 months without the professional development phase but we’d advise considering the professional development option to achieve the maximum from the programme and to enhance your future career prospects.

Brunel University also offers the Graduate Entrepreneur Scheme (Start-up Visa), which represents a perfect opportunity for our international graduates to apply their new skills in the UK following graduation.

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

Storytelling is part of every culture and reveals much about a person’s lived experience, values and aspirations within a given time.

Studying the English Literature MA at Brunel gives you the opportunity to uncover the richness of the history of English Literature – through selected periods, genres and diverse storytellers – through a set of underlying themes that act as windows into deeper understanding.

Whether your purpose is to explore a long held interest, build on previous studies or to benefit your career, studying a literature degree at Brunel will keep you close the one of the key literary capitals of the world.

Your journey will commence with an introductory module on ‘Reading, Writing and Research’ to help equip you with the required skills and competencies relevant to literary studies, so you will have the confidence to pursue self-directed study on any given topic.

You will then study four additional modules including ‘Authors’, where you will study one author or a well-recognised group of authors from a list that includes: John Keats and P.B. Shelley; the Brontes; Charles Dickens, or selected modernist authors such as Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield or postmodernist and experimental writers, B.S. Johnson and J.G. Ballard.

‘A British Literary Decade’ will immerse you in the literary and cultural aspects of one nominated decade from a range including the 1850s, 1890s, 1920s, 1930s, 1960s, 1970s or 1980s, crossing into neighbouring disciplines like history and politics along the way.

You will also have the opportunity to cover more contemporary works in ‘Postmillennial Literature’ including texts from a selected field, which includes:  Anglophile writing post 9/11; science fiction and fantasy; LGBT writing, or experimental fiction.

Finally, after a series of planning and skills workshops to prepare topic, under the guidance of a nominated supervisor, you will undertake critical reading towards a 15,000 word dissertation on an agreed area of English post-1789 literature.

Outside your classroom, you can look forward to a calendar of events and activities organised by the Brunel Centre for Contemporary Writing, including the annual Hillingdon Literary Festival: a free weekend of literary performances from internationally renowned authors, writing workshops and lively debates right here on the Brunel campus.

The way we do business is changing, particularly how and why we carry out transactions. Decision times are increasingly based upon user-friendliness via mobile and social media, and improving these channels is reliant upon data and analytics. The Business Intelligence and Social Media MScis a new multi-disciplinary course which explores developments in technology for businesses such as social media, business intelligence, and mobile and cloud services.

There is a worldwide shortage of qualified managers with the skills needed for new jobs being created in this area, particularly in the emerging economies. Companies that are actively seeking candidates include tech sector businesses, but also banking, insurance, retail and education. In fact, it’s expected that virtually all business sectors will need to address big data and will need skilled people to manage development. 

Developing sound knowledge and understanding of digital business practices, you will learn the importance of data, information, and mass communication technologies to business.

You will be encouraged to reflect on the relevance of these new concepts to business and apply your newly developed skills in advanced research or via professional practice in collaboration with an industry partner.

Digital service design is the art of building customer experiences with a strong digital element. The Digital Service Design MSc is a new multidisciplinary course which has been specifically created to help graduates develop exceptional user experience design for digital products and services.

The course has been designed in collaboration with Wilson Fletcher, a leading digital design studio, to closely mirror current professional practices. In so doing, the course will help you develop a deep knowledge of both design theory and practice as well as equip you for employment in the digital sector.

You’ll work on a number of individual and group projects based on real-world briefs, which will help you develop the technical, interpersonal, creative and strategic skills needed to succeed in the digital service design industry.

You’ll be able to explore areas of design and rapid prototyping, innovation methodologies, interview and workshop facilitation, journey mapping, customer research methodologies, project management, how to develop and present actionable recommendations, and much more.

By the end of the course you’ll be able to: 

• Generate ideas and turn them into viable concepts and working prototypes
• Work in multidisciplinary teams in a studio setting and take responsibility for your work
• Problem-solve and design for both user and business needs
• Understand the skills, tools and methodologies necessary to develop compelling strategies, products and services
• Design and develop experiences, products and services of high quality with digital media at their core
• Demonstrate a critical and practical understanding of the issues relevant to digital service design and their use in the context of modern industry and commercial environments
• Have a thorough and clear understanding of the methodologies and professional skills necessary for effective digital service design in a business environment
• Reflect – critically and in-depth – on relevant aspects of the state-of the art of both the practice and theory of digital service design

Selected students may have the opportunity for a company-sponsored dissertation project.

Graduates will be equipped to work in leading digital design agencies and consultancies as well as innovative blue-chip companies that have design departments. Fields you might go into after this course include app development, copywriting and content design, digital design, digital product design, digital project management, front-end development, information architecture, interaction design, product management, research, service design, strategy, user experience design, UX architecture. 

Brunel’s Women in Engineering and Computing mentoring scheme provides our female students with invaluable help and support from their industry mentors.

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.

Do you want to report on news from the most interesting and important parts of the world? Are you committed to a career in journalism but need the professional skills? If so, this one-year journalism postgraduate course provides excellent preparation for working across all platforms.

From the moment you start Brunel’s International Journalism degree, you will learn to deliver high-quality video, audio, online and print journalism geared towards global audiences.

Course content is designed to equip you with digital, multi-platform journalism skills and advanced understanding of the context of journalism in the fast-changing world of news media.

You will study a synthesis of practical and theoretical skills modules contextualising different forms of journalistic practice, within a framework of technological, political and cultural change. This is challenging, employment-orientated study on a leading journalism course at a London university that focusses on international reporting.

You will benefit greatly from our academic’s research strengths and excellent links with the journalism, broadcasting and publishing industries, with the option to seek a work placement during your time on the course.

Additionally, alumni and industry guest speakers will bring further insight and inspiration about what it means to work within global media.  

You will also get plenty of hands-on training and practice in the University’s well-equipped media suite that mimics the recording and broadcast facilities used within the industry.

International Journalism MA will appeal to a broad range of candidates with an interest in journalism across all sectors, including print journalism, online journalism, radio journalism, TV journalism and especially in areas of convergence.

Often credited as the ‘father of immunology’ Edward Jenner is said to have saved more lives than any other human being through his discovery of the smallpox vaccine. Modern study of immunology is an exciting and fast moving area of biomedicine and remains an extremely rewarding one to be part of.

At Brunel, we understand that your specialist knowledge should be built on a sound grounding of all the areas of biomedical sciences. This means that your first year will cover areas such as the human body, biochemistry and research skills. As you continue through your degree, you'll study specialist areas that will give you a greater understanding of the role of the immune system. You’ll learn about how the human defence system helps to prevent disease and you’ll focus on how this can fail through deficiencies in immunity.

And if you change your mind about your specialist area, don’t worry. The flexibility of our course at Brunel means that you can switch to another specialist pathway in the second year or even take the general Biomedical Sciences BSc.

The Royal Society of Biology has awarded its accreditation to all of Brunel’s undergraduate Biomedical Sciences courses. This means you can be confident that your degree 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.