Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mathematical, Statistical and Actuarial Sciences

at Heriot-Watt University - Edinburgh Campus United Kingdom

If you want to start your career with a year's work experience in hand, then you should consider this course. It combines the rigorous studies of the BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science with a year-long work placement in level 4. The work placement gives you experience of working in an organisation such as a life insurance company, a pension consultancy, an investment management firm or a bank. The Diploma in Industrial Training is gained through successful completion of this work placement. The work placement helps you to develop specific work-related skills, giving you the opportunity to apply and build upon the theory you learn in your studies. It allows you to take on real responsibilities, enhance your interpersonal skills through teamwork and communication and experience workplace culture.

The Diploma is available to all students, including those from overseas, as it does not require a work visa. If you are planning to come to the UK using a student visa you should check the Tier 4 Student Visa Policy Guidance to confirm you are permitted to undertake a work placement as part of your studies. It is your responsibility to find a suitable work placement; acceptance onto the course does not guarantee you a placement. If you are registered on the course and are unable to find a suitable work placement before the end of level 3 then you can transfer to the standard BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science degree. Organisations that recent students have secured placements with include Prudential, Aegon and Mercer.

Our Masters in International Business Management with Finance (MSc) programme is aimed at graduates who have little or no business or management background in their first degree and who wish to gain a broad based business qualification to enhance their future career prospects, or at those looking to develop business management knowledge and skills to allow them to change or further their careers.

This is a conversion MSc

MSc International Business Management with Finance is a conversion degree programme led by academics from Edinburgh Business School. It introduces the study of business to graduates and professionals from non-management backgrounds who wish to enhance their careers.

This degree introduces vital business and management knowledge to those with limited academic experience of the subject. It provides an opportunity to develop a set of versatile management skills in just one year of study. The modern management skills gained, coupled with specialist learning in the area of finance, will complement existing knowledge and prepare graduates for a career shift or management role.

This masters degree is designed to enhance your employment potential across international banking, accounting and finance functions of multinational organisations.

With a focus on the ever-changing global financial markets, this MSc in Accounting and Finance aims to equip graduates with highly employable expertise and a thorough understanding of current issues in global financial markets – both academically and professionally.

On this MSc you will take six main courses on the subject of international accounting and be offered a choice of one specialist per semester. These courses will give you an international perspective on accounting and help you understand things like national differences, harmonisation and the challenges and problems facing multinational companies.

You will have the opportunity to apply your newly acquired knowledge and expertise gained from courses in international banking, financial markets and accountancy to a subject of interest to you in your dissertation research project which is undertaken during the summer months.

Heriot-Watt University's Masters degree in Business Psychology is the most established of its kind in Europe. In this MSc, core modules from Business Psychology are blended with expertise from the field of Intercultural Communication.

Business Psychology with Intercultural Communication is a specialist Masters degree which offers professionals and graduates with backgrounds in Arts and Humanities, Business Management and Psychology the opportunity to gain a particularly employable skillset suited to working with multinational organisations.

This programme combines Business Psychology's specialist focus on leadership, diversity, change, and organisational culture, with Intercultural Communication’s focus on written and verbal communication in cross-cultural professional contexts. The development of these specialist skills will put graduates in the perfect position to make a positive impact on the performance, communication and culture of global organisations.

The Masters in Business Psychology at Heriot-Watt University is the most established MSc of its kind in Europe, enjoying a well-earned reputation for producing graduates who can improve the performance and behaviour of individuals and teams.

Business psychology is a discipline often referred to as occupational psychology and organisational psychology.

The MSc Business Psychology will give you an in-depth understanding of the psychological mechanisms that drive positive behaviours and performances in the workplace.

Whether you're coming from an industry position or directly from an undergraduate degree, this long-established programme of study will equip you with an effective blend of knowledge drawn from the specialist fields of psychology, management and leadership.

The content on this one-year masters degree programme has been tailored to meet the needs of those working towards a number of job roles, such as business psychology practitioner, human resources manager, organisational development manager, coaching consultant, management consultant or leadership consultant.

You will develop commercial awareness and an understanding of global organisations which will allow you to recognise the impact of the economy, politics, globalisation and the changing labour market on the psychology of a workplace and performance of individuals and teams.

Key skills for improving performance:

• During the MSc Business Psychology you will explore different aspects of the psychological mechanisms behind workplace behaviour and gain the managerial skills that will allow you to enhance and improve performance of teams and individuals. You will build expertise in:
• Coaching
• Leadership
• Diversity
• Employment legislation
• Organisational change
• Organisational culture
• Marketing and consumer behaviour.

You will study the areas of psychology that directly apply to business settings, and explore some of the key psychological research methods that can be practised in the workplace.

By viewing the workplace through a psychological perspective, and by developing your analytical, critical thinking, and reflection skills, you will learn to recognise and improve seemingly intangible aspects of the workplace which, when appropriately managed, can directly improve business performance in terms of:

• Job satisfaction
• Wellbeing
• Leadership
• Organisational commitment
• Organisational culture
• Performance and productivity.

Specifically-designed group tasks and presentations will allow you to develop your interpersonal and communication skills, giving you the platform to implement your expertise and directly improve the performance of diverse groups of individuals and teams at any level within an organisation. 

Throughout this programme you will learn from a unique blend of research-led academic teaching and industry-focused practical exercises. For example, on the Psychology of Coaching course you will develop knowledge in the theoretical frameworks of this area of psychology whilst gaining practical insights into the tools and techniques of lecturers who are experienced coaching practitioners and consultants.

The IT Management for Business Graduate Apprenticeship degree develops specific skills and knowledge of information technology, to enable the participants to play a key role in the management of ICT infrastructure, strategy, operations and projects of their organisation.

Key areas of the programme:
The primary focus of the IT Management for Business Graduate Apprenticeship Programme is on developing the knowledge, understanding and skills outcomes sought by employers.

• Business
• Technology
• Personal and interpersonal
• Software project and delivery management

Each of the four key content areas is combined to deliver a holistic learning experience.

Graduates’ skillset:
The IT Management for Business Graduate Apprenticeship programme aims to produce MA (Hons) graduates equipped with knowledge, understanding and skills in the following areas:

• A broad background of business operations, procedures and culture applicable to a career in IT in a business environment
• Sufficient technical knowledge to play a key role in an IT related environment
• Personal and interpersonal skills enabling them to work closely and communicate with employees in non-IT related areas of an organisation
• A set of problem-solving and modelling skills appropriate to IT related business operations
• Sufficient management and business knowledge to play a management role in an IT project
• Project delivery experience in a business oriented environment

Our MEng (Hons) Architectural Engineering covers a broad range of engineering-related disciplines including: mechanics, construction, energy, thermal performance, water and wastewater, acoustics, and human behaviour. The degree is designed to give you the knowledge and skills needed by industry to design buildings of the future that not only provide sustainable and low-energy built environments that have a positive influence on the health and wellbeing of the people who use them, but buildings that are also resilient and adaptable to future climate change. The later years of the degree focus on practical inter-disciplinary design and management skills, with an emphasis on your personal development as an Architectural Engineer within the professional environment.

The MEng (Hons) degree provides the opportunity for greater specialism in your preferred subject areas, plus enhanced practical experience of design management and problem solving with a 12-week industrial placement.

Our architectural engineering degrees are supported by the Architectural Engineering Industrial Advisory Board, which includes representatives from major multi-national employers, ensuring our degrees are exactly what industry needs.

The course covers basic knowledge, combined with recent developments in research. It’s designed to help you develop your advanced mathematical and statistical skills – giving you an understanding of their application to the formulation and solution of real-world problems. In essence, this degree in mathematics combines specialist knowledge with key transferable skills.

he MSc in International Marketing with Consumer Psychology provides insight into consumer behaviour against a background of international marketing concepts.

There are eight taught courses, divided equally over two semesters, followed by an international marketing with consumer psychology dissertation in semester 3.  Part-time students register for two courses per semester and progress to the dissertation at the end of their second year. Assessment is specifically designed to develop professional career readiness and includes several collaborative projects with industry partners.

There are two sets of mandatory courses.  The first set provides the foundation in international marketing concepts (International Strategic Marketing, Contemporary Consumer Behaviour, Marketing Metrics, Branding and Communications, Research Philosophy and Practice). The second set delivers insights into the application of psychology to marketing decision making (Introduction to Human Factors and Psychology for Marketing).

In Semester 3 the International Marketing with Consumer Psychology dissertation is the capstone course where students “deep-dive” into their chosen area of research.  Students will demonstrate their mastery of the subject area by developing new insight from analysis of valuable primary research.

Our MSc Information Technology (Business) offers analytical, practical and theoretical courses that combine study of business management and software engineering. They cover the design and development of IT systems, the management of data and IT, business organisation and strategy, project leadership and e-commerce.

The programme does not emphasise computer programming but instead seeks to develop graduates with well developed analytical and project management skills that help them become effective communicators / managers working between software developers and business strategists.

In some cases, the MSc project can be carried out in collaboration with an outside industrial or academic organisation.

Graduates from the programme would be suitable for employment with IT companies, company R&D divisions, financial services organisations, defence contractors or government IT agencies or could register for a PhD.