Master of Science in Political Communication

at Brunel University London United Kingdom

Our global temperature has increased to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. What is the impact of this and what will happen if it continues to rise? Studying Environmental Sciences at Brunel will give you the foundation you need to pursue a career that makes a difference to our planet.

At Brunel you’ll develop your scientific skills in the classroom, laboratory and through field work. You’ll attend residential field trips in the UK and abroad. Our current trips take students to Dorset and Tenerife.

Your first year will bring together many different disciplines. You’ll use physical, chemical and biological knowledge to develop an understanding of the Earth’s environment.

Your course is based on the 15 “most wanted skills” identified from a national employer’s survey by the Natural Environment Research Council. This means that in addition to studying scientific topics, you’ll learn to use computer programs such as GIS, you’ll perform data analysis and be trained in areas such as public engagement, communication, leadership and teamwork.

You'll also have the option to carry out a placement as part of your degree, giving you the experience to create a stand-out CV. The Environmental Sciences BSc offers a unique compressed degree where you can carry out two placements within your three year degree during summer vacations, where you’ll earn a graduate level salary. You can also carry out a one year placement between years two and three, as part of a four year degree.

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.

Over the last ten years, global aspirations to reduce the suffering of the ‘bottom billion’ have led to unprecedented attention on international development. International agencies, governments and NGOs are working more intensely than ever before to deliver appropriate policies and interventions.

Anthropology has played a key role in the emergence of new perspectives on humanitarian assistance and the livelihoods of populations caught up in extreme circumstances such as famines, natural disasters and wars.

On the one hand, this has led to a radical re-thinking of what has been happening, but on the other hand, it has led to anthropologists sometimes playing controversial roles in agendas associated with the ‘war on terror’.

This course will provide you with insight into contemporary issues and debates and explores their implications. It also sets them in the context of anthropology as a discipline.

The course will appeal to graduates from a variety of backgrounds, including anthropology, sociology, economics, politics, geography, law and development studies. It is suited for those interested in critically assessing the policies and practices of international development and humanitarian assistance to war-affected regions from an anthropological perspective.

Anthropology at Brunel is well-known for its focus on ethnographic fieldwork. As well as undertaking rigorous intellectual training, you will be expected to get out of the library and undertake your own, original research – whether in the UK or overseas – and to present your findings in a dissertation.

In recent years, Brunel students have undertaken fieldwork in locations across the world, including India, Mexico, Bolivia, Papua New Guinea, China, Nepal, Peru, Morocco, and New Zealand as well as within the UK and the rest of Europe.

The Brunel Law with Criminal Justice LLB gives students the opportunity to earn a qualifying law degree with specialist knowledge in the field of criminal law and criminal justice.

Along with the requirements of the traditional LLB degree you’ll learn substantive criminal law and how the criminal justice system works in practice and procedure.

Importantly, you’ll be encouraged to use this knowledge to think critically about crime: its origins, its impact on society and the most effective strategies to combat it.

We offer two study options. You can choose three years full-time, or four years full-time with a professional placement year between years two and three that will give you hands-on experience working in a legal practice.

Our Law with Criminal Justice LLB undergraduate degree is accredited by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA), meaning that you will gain the necessary knowledge and skills required to go on to be a practising solicitor.  Please note, from October 2019, rather than accrediting LLB Degrees, the Bar Standard Board requires law degrees to cover the seven legal foundation subjects and the skills associated with graduate legal work in order to meet the requirements of the Academic Component of becoming a barrister. Brunel Law School's LLB Degrees fully meet these requirements.

All of our students have careers advisers who you can discuss career ideas with and who can offer guidance on placements and further study options throughout the duration of your time with us.

If you’re keen to develop the knowledge and skills to make the world a better place, this newly established degree could help you to make a real difference as it has been developed for innovators – those who are passionate about introducing change for good.

On the Global Innovations pathway, you’ll acquire knowledge about the causes and effects of real-world problems and will learn key skills to develop innovative and sustainable products and solutions that could change lives.

Within the core spine of your Global Challenges degree, you will take an in-depth look at issues such as climate change, sustainable development, migration, terrorism, aging inequality and poverty and how they affect the world we live in, which will be backed up by the focus on generating possible solutions through the Global Innovation pathway.

Well-designed innovations are needed to improve the world we live in, but real-world issues cannot be solved by technology alone. Your degree will cover a combination of sciences, social sciences and the humanities as different disciplines are woven together to give you a comprehensive understanding of how change happens and what factors determine success.

Hands-on learning is a strong focus of this degree, allowing you to develop skills which you can take to your future career. A large part of the course will be learning how to put your ideas through a process of investigations to test their viability in relation to the challenge you want to address. You will also look at the concepts, theories and history behind innovation.

You will learn how to take a product through important development phases by learning the basics in design, solid body mechanics and electronic systems which will allow you to bring your product ideas to life and will give you a portfolio of practical work to add to your CV.

A third year Enterprise Project will help to bring skills in project management, working to a brief and presenting together as you work on a group project with an external company to help solve a specific challenge.

You have the option to apply for an internship at the end of your first year and can take a one-year placement between years two and three, giving you valuable work experience and a step ahead for your career when you graduate.

The Brunel Management MSc offers students a critically aware understanding of management and organisations relevant to their career path. This is achieved through the study of organisations, their management and the changing contexts in which they operate.

You will gain an advanced and applied understanding of contextual forces on organisations – be they legal, ethical, economic, environmental, social and technological; together with business strategy, markets and customers, financial management, and the management and development of people.

Career progression and finding suitable jobs are key for our students, so employment experience is part of the degree course with the option of a six to twelve week or yearlong work placement. From your placement you identify a project, linked to the dissertation, and produce an internal consultancy report for the company. 

The Brunel Management MSc allows you to study general business management or to select a specialist pathway which reflects your strengths and interests.

If you start your course in September you can study one year full-time,16 months full-time (with a 6-12 weeks placement), or two years full-time (with one year's placement). If you start your course in January, you can study 15 months full-time, 19 months full-time (with 6-12 weeks placement), or 27 months (with one year's placement).

The four pathways for the Management MSc are:

Management (General Management) MSc
Develop a generalised knowledge of theory and its practical applications to business, public sector and third sector organisations.

Management (Marketing and Brand Management) MSc
A mix of general management study with specialism in marketing and branding issues followed by a related dissertation topic.

Management (Technology and Innovation Management) MSc
Combine a study of general management with technology and innovation issues followed by a related dissertation topic.

Management (Digital Entrepreneurship and Creativity Management) MSc
Gain knowledge of general management while studying issues related to the media industry and media management followed by a related dissertation topic.

You will be given the opportunity to choose your specialist Management MSc degree pathway in induction week, and to choose elective modules during the first two weeks of your course. You can attend different pathway-related and elective classes, in order to help you make your choice by the end of the two-week period.

If you are late to enrol, you will be given information on arrival relating to your pathway and elective options. However, you will be expected to make your final choices within 48 hours of enrolment.

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

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.

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.

Our Aerospace Engineering MSc degree is a specialist, accredited course that has been developed to equip you with advanced technical knowledge and management skills to meet the needs and current challenges facing the ever-growing aerospace engineering industry.

Through theoretical study and hands-on practice, you will gain an in-depth understanding of key aerospace disciplines covering aerodynamics, propulsion systems, and space mechanics. You’ll deepen your knowledge of aerospace structures, and the design and analysis of aerospace vehicles, and also acquire specialist knowledge on current aerospace engineering topics concerning flight safety, environmental impact, and fuel efficiency.

You’ll have access to a range of technical facilities including our aerospace/aviation laboratory, full-motion engineering flight simulator, supersonic and subsonic wind tunnels, materials and structure testing laboratory, anechoic chamber for aero-acoustic experiments, and 3D printing in the digital fabrication workshop. Industry standard specialist software for aircraft design is available for you to use 24 hours a day in high-performance computing clusters.

During your time at Brunel, you will benefit from guest lectures delivered by industry professionals who present a valuable insight into current, challenging topics in the field of aerospace. There are also planned visits to engineering and manufacturing companies where you’ll see first-hand the latest breakthroughs in development and technology for future aerospace systems. In addition, you have the advantage of Brunel’s close location to London’s Heathrow Airport for site visits as well as project and employment opportunities.

Our MSc aerospace engineering course is accredited by both the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). These professional bodies ensure that your engineering degree meets the academic requirement to qualify as a professional engineer. This accredited MSc degree in aerospace engineering fully meets the educational requirement for progression to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. It is studied full-time over one year.

Brunel Engineers is an annual exhibition that showcases our engineering talent at its finest. It’s a great way for you to network with leading aerospace engineering experts and show them the innovative, creative and enterprising work you have produced during your time at Brunel.

As an extracurricular activity, there is also the opportunity to be part of a student-led initiative involving the design and build of an unmanned aircraft vehicle and participating in the IMechE industry-sponsored UAS Challenge (Unmanned Aircraft Systems Challenge).

Our Music BA degree has been designed to develop your particular interests in music-making. It aims to equip you with a solid grounding in the craft of creativity which reflects the diversity of musical styles and genre in today’s world.

In your first year you will gain a strong understanding of composition, performance and musicology. You will also be introduced to sonic arts and sound recording. Your peer group of musicians will discuss, review and give you constructive feedback on your musical activities.

You can choose from a range of optional modules in your second year and final year. This means you develop your own bespoke pathway during your music course, and this prepares you for your chosen career in the music world. Examples of specialist options you could choose include orchestration and arrangement, and taking sonic art to the stage, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

You will be taught by some of the leading figures in today’s contemporary music comprising composers, performers and musicologists. They are performing, composing and writing books, and have strong connections with the music community in London, the UK and in Europe. This opens up opportunities for you to collaborate with them and work together on installation projects and a huge variety of creative projects.

Our music facilities include a fully sound-proofed recording studio for rehearsals, and performance spaces and practice rooms equipped with grand pianos, drum kits and amps. Access is available to an editing suite with Mac computer workstations where you’ll work on your music using industry standard music making software.

During your time at Brunel, you’ll benefit from guest lectures delivered by leading figures in the music industry who give advice on music promotion and how to get a gig. In addition, you have the advantage of Brunel’s close location to London’s exciting music scene for planned trips to music concerts, festivals, galleries, and museums.

Our music undergraduate degree can be studied full-time over three years, four years with a placement year, or part-time over six years.

We encourage the placement year option. This time in the music industry helps you to further prepare for the world of work and you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience when you graduate. If you decide to go on a music work placement year, you could find yourself working at record companies, TV companies, or teaching music in a school.

You’ll have the opportunity to showcase your musical talent before you graduate alongside external musicians. There are a variety of performances hosted by Brunel including concerts, recitals and ensembles where you’ll be able to network and gain feedback on your creativity from the visiting music artists.