Master of Arts (Hons) in Economics and Business Management

at Heriot-Watt University - Edinburgh Campus United Kingdom

This is one of the few dedicated Applied Mathematics MSc programmes in the UK. For over 40 years Heriot-Watt has been exceptionally strong in Applied Mathematics and we have world-leading researchers in many related areas and very good links with industry.

Our flexible programme is designed to equip students with the modern, transferrable mathematical and statistical skills to prepare them for careers in industry and research.

Students will gain a solid, theoretical and practical foundation through a diverse range of taught courses and applications oriented projects.

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) Computer Science (Data Science) with a year of work placement in level 4. Good performance means 12 months experience of working in an organisation in the computing sector. The Diploma in Industrial Training is gained through successful completion of the 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’ve learned. This course aims to give a well-integrated balance of theoretical underpinnings and practical experience, strongly informed by the research expertise of our academic staff.

Our Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying course is designed to meet the needs of the financial management and quantity surveying sectors. The degree offers a solid theoretical base, combined with a strong focus on industrial relevance. This means that you’ll quickly be able to make a positive contribution to the success of your working environment, and the development of your own professional careers. Our students are often recruited by international construction and quantity surveying practices. Graduates also develop careers across different sectors of industry and commerce.

This course is delivered by the Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Design, a leading body recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering. This is one of four such centres established at UK universities that jointly form a national network to demonstrate and exchange best practice in teaching and research for the sustainable built environment.

Data Science, as a discipline, sits at the intersection between Computer Science (including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning), Mathematics (including Advanced Statistical methods) and selected areas of Engineering. The proposed programme aims to combine core elements of all these areas. Successful completion of this programme will allow the graduate to become a graduate data science engineer, enabling their company or employer to benefit from up to date knowledge in this area.

Key areas of the programme:

• The primary focus of the Data Science Graduate Apprenticeship programme is on developing the knowledge, understanding and skills outcomes sought by employers.

The world relies on digital technology more than ever before. As a result, today the prevention of cyberattacks, data breaches and identity theft are a priority for individuals, businesses and governments alike.

In order to target this growing requirement within industry and society, Heriot-Watt has designed a brand new programme for 2020: BSc Computer Science (Cyber Security). This undergraduate programme will provide students with a sound foundation and applied skills in computer science with focus on cyber security, in addition to other professional skills, enabling them to succeed in meeting the cyber security challenges facing modern organisations today.

In this programme you will learn about the foundations of networks and computer systems, thereby allowing you to understand how communications can be probed and altered, and systems can be forensically analysed. You’ll also learn about techniques for secure programming and how real-world networks and systems are protected with fundamental techniques such as access control, encryption and intrusion detection.

In each of the first three years of the programme, students take eight mandatory courses, and in Year 4 they take five mandatory courses and three optional ones.

Climate change is recognised as having potentially huge impacts on the environment and on human society. This programme is designed to give students an understanding of climate change causes, impacts, mitigation and adaptation measures from a life science perspective. Students will also develop a wide variety of mathematical modelling skills that can be used to investigate the impacts of climate change.

The programme closely follows the structure of our Applied Mathematical Sciences MSc. Two of the mandatory courses will specifically focus on the issues related to climate change and are taught by expert staff from the University's School of Life Sciences.

The International Master in Industrial Management (IMIM) is a unique multi-site masters programme offered through a strategic partnership of leading universities in the area of industrial management.

This 24-month programme is studied at Heriot-Watt University (HWU) Edinburgh for Semester 1, then Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) for Semester 2, then your choice of Politecnico di Torino, Northwestern Polytechnical University of Xi’an, Tecnológico de Monterrey, or Heriot-Watt Dubai for Semester 3.

Semester 4, the Master Thesis, can be studied 'anywhere in the world' at a university with links to the IMIM Consortium or other industrial or public organisations - it is organised for you as part of the programme and gives you the opportunity to put your learning into practice.

The overall aim of the program is to provide students from a scientific or engineering-based background with business skills relevant for pursuing managerial careers in internationally orientated manufacturing and service industries.

Following completion of this degree, you will be able to design and manage complex organisations and industrial endeavours, in particular those where technology plays a key role. You will be able to diagnose problematic situations in those organisations and then conceive, and put into practice, alternative solutions and processes of continuous improvement.

We have designed this degree to address the challenges of globalisation in an increasingly digital world. We've created a program structure that offers a coherent but also diverse set of pathways beginning with the principles of management in today’s world through to the value chain and the operations within it. In addition, you are able to specialise in one of three key fields of management – innovation in industry and services; technology and entrepreneurship; or the challenge of execution.

Another key feature of the program is its integrative teaching approach aimed at developing the ability of students to tackle managerial issues in an interdisciplinary manner. The fourth semester is entirely devoted to industry-related project work in close collaboration with companies, forming the basis for a master thesis to be submitted towards the end of the semester.

The international education of IMIM students is a valuable asset to be spent in global companies and makes it easier for our graduates to find a job in one of the 27 EU Member Countries, or outside Europe in companies linked with Europe. IMIM alumni are developing their careers in different functional roles, different industries and different geographical locations.

Successful candidates will achieve both an MSc in Industrial Management (International) from Heriot Watt University and an International Master in Industrial Management from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

This MSc in Logistics with Green and Sustainable Supply Chain Management from the Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University provides in-depth understanding of current practices, trends and issues in logistics and supply chain with a key focus on sustainability and green logistics.

It examines the impact of logistics on the environment along with ways of mitigating environmental damage, and considers the differences between the strategic, tactical and operational aspects of green logistics management.

Business Management at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Business School was ranked 3rd in Scotland and top 10 in the UK in the Guardian University League Tables 2018. It also achieved the 7th highest level of student satisfaction in the UK in the National Student Survey 2018.

This accelerated degree, MA (Hons) International Business Management, puts specialist business theory through a real-world filter. It develops the knowledge and interpersonal skills you will need to thrive in the positions, organisations and industries of the future. Our respected faculty use their industry experience and research-led knowledge to bring courses to life with a dynamic mix of lectures, tutorials, interactive workshops and case study-informed learning.

As your studies progress through Years 1, 2 and 3 of this accelerated MA (Hons) programme you will study an increasing number of specialist business management courses. In addition to specialist business knowledge, you will develop important transferable skills, such as: critical thinking, problem solving, communication and team working, as well as creativity, confidence and research abilities – these skills will help you succeed in your career and personal life.

Economics at the Edinburgh Business School:

• At Heriot-Watt University, the study of Economics is conducted in the Edinburgh Business School and is underpinned by the work of globally active researchers. This accelerated 3-year degree focuses on making a difference in the real world and has the 3rd highest level of Student Satisfaction in the UK (NSS2019).

Ask the big questions:

• Economics is the study of how individuals, firms and governments make choices, and how these choices determine the way in which resources are distributed across society. It helps us understand and improve decision-making for ourselves, organisations and societies, and it throws light on issues as diverse as the environment, unemployment, inflation, poverty, globalisation and trade. This degree will give you the skills to investigate, analyse and answer such questions.

Real-world focus:

• Your learning will be underpinned by the knowledge of highly respected economists who design and teach our courses with a global outlook and real-world focus, stemming directly from their research into global economic issues. Study begins at an introductory level so you do not need to have previous knowledge of economics in order to study the programme.