Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Psychology and Sociology with International Year

at Keele University United Kingdom

Whether you want to understand Brexit, the crisis in the Middle East or climate change, you need to understand why governments make particular decisions and how different groups interact within states and across borders.

A degree in International Relations and Politics at Keele will equip you with the necessary tools to understand and explain how power operates and how we might begin to tackle the most pressing domestic and global challenges. You will study contemporary and policy-relevant issues such as democracy, global inequality, protest, globalisation, regime change, energy security, environmental sustainability, human rights, gender politics and terrorism.

You can underpin these issues through an in-depth study of particular countries such as Britain, the United States and Russia, as well as regions in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The MSc in Psychology and Health Inequalities has been designed to give you advanced training in psychological research methods and analysis, whilst also introducing advanced study of health inequalities from a wide range of perspectives, including psychological, sociological, linguistic, and epidemiological. In addition to your taught components, you will have the opportunity to undertake a dissertation project on a topic of your choice under the supervision of a research-active member of staff. 

Keele has a well-established and growing community of researchers in health inequalities. Recent research within the School of Psychology has considered health from the perspectives of older adults, LGBTQ communities, people with intellectual disabilities, gender, new mothers, and Eastern European migrants, amongst others. 

As a student on the programme, you will benefit from our research expertise and our links with industries that provide the foundation for work placement opportunities. All students on this MSc will undertake a 30 week placement with an industrial context, either in Keele University’s laboratories or at the industrial partner’s premises, which will ultimately boost your employability skills.

The focus of this master's degree is very much on each student acquiring the scientific knowledge, the technical skills and the wide range of professional skills to enable them to start their career working with confidence in an industrial or international laboratory context.

This one-year master’s programme (if full-time) aims to provide highly employable graduates who not only have a broad education in analytical sciences but also in the industrial context (commercial awareness and IP matters; science and technology transfer; entrepreneurship), together with a theoretical and practical understanding of the selected analytical techniques used in industry.

Our Medicinal Chemistry graduates have excellent employment prospects, whether at the cutting edge of drug discovery or in a wide range of related fields. You might go to work for a pharmaceutical company, either as a research scientist or in a more business related role. Alternatively, you might work in a different organisation as a development chemist, a research assistant, or a site chemist.

Modern industrial society depends on geologists to find natural resources such as minerals, hydrocarbons, metals, aggregates and water, for designing foundations, tunnels and other engineering projects, and environmental projects such as radioactive waste disposal or carbon dioxide sequestration. You will acquire a wide range of transferable skills, including communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills, and the ability to research, evaluate and synthesise information from diverse sources. You will develop subject specific-skills like the ability to manipulate, analyse and present geospatial data using industry standard GIS and drawing software. You might choose to work in geological, geophysical or environmental consultancy, in construction, mining, in the energy sector, planning or insurance. Many of our graduates go onto further study at Master's/PhD level.

You’ll learn to use technology to create new opportunities and to solve a wide range of problems, benefiting every aspect of society from the home to business, government and beyond.

Our teaching is informed by our cutting-edge research, and we also reflect what’s happening now in industry. There’s a strong emphasis on programming – but don’t worry if you don’t have Maths A-level, because the course covers what you need to know. You’ll have access to our own computing labs, based on Microsoft Windows and Linux, plus a wide range of software. Our excellent central location is ideal for industrial placements, with over 40 companies situated on the Keele Science Park alone.

Technical expertise allows developers to understand problem situations and undertake developments in these technical areas, however, to actually create high quality systems requires effective management of software engineering activities. The Software Engineering specialism therefore equips you with the techniques and processes to undertake team-based agile development of software systems, based on the needs of clients and users.

The MA/MRes in Politics and International Relations is distinctive as it is one of the most diverse collections of Masters pathways in the UK. The programme offers the possibility of developing an individual specialism as well as learning about broader issues in the pathway, and in wider fields of Politics and International Relations. You will gain a thorough grounding in the philosophical and practical issues underpinning study and research in Politics and International Relations. You will study 3 compulsory core taught modules, 4 optional modules and a dissertation over 12 months. 

Key benefits of studying for the MA/MRes in Politics and International Relations include; small class sizes, expert dissertation supervision on cutting-edge issues and debates, a dynamic academic community, strong student-staff relations and stimulating extra-curricular seminars and workshops. Staff and students regularly organise research events, which provide important opportunities for learning, networking and collegial debate on contemporary political and philosophical issues. For example, we host an annual Royal Institute of Philosophy lecture series, a bi-annual European Consortium on Political Research environmental politics PhD summer school, and in recent years have organised several ESRC-funded (Economic and Social Research Council) seminar series. 

Biology at Keele focuses on the amazing world of organisms – from how they’ve evolved to their relationships with the environment and each other. Keele takes a broad approach to biology, examining the diversity of life and its evolution from the geological past. You’ll consider a range of biological concepts which may include the complexity of biological processes and mechanisms at molecular, cellular, organismal and ecosystem levels, and the related philosophical and ethical issues.

You’ll engage in activities to strengthen your skillset which may include sampling, recording and analysing data in the field and in our well-equipped labs. Complete this course over three years, or it may be possible (subject combination dependant) to add an extra year with an applied life sciences work placement or a one year study abroad placement between the second and third year.

This degree is combined with the study of geology. Geology is a science fundamental to modern day living, with geologists discovering society’s major resource needs including metals, minerals, energy and groundwater. The combined honours geology course at Keele looks at rocks, minerals and fossils - how they were formed, how they might have been deformed or altered over geological time, and what they can tell us about the history of the Earth and its past environments.

This course will fully immerse you in the discipline of psychology by offering a personalised learning experience with abundant choice across compulsory and elective modules.

You will share closely the excitement of new discoveries in psychology working alongside academic staff on research projects from brain electrophysiology to studies on alcohol, and from conflict resolution and forgiveness to how young people respond to advertising.

Our students tell us how much they value the psychology-specific learning support on offer from our Academic Support Team, from essay writing workshops to support with project work and rapid response advice over email.

You will learn to apply psychology in situations ranging from negotiating personal relationships to influencing judgments about matters of global significance such as climate change. You will graduate ready to use your psychology skills and knowledge to make a real difference.

The Keele geology degree is broad-based and may examine the Earth, its structure, formation, composition, history, processes, hazards and materials. This course covers a range of topics which may include looking at rocks, minerals and fossils and geological processes. Beyond that, a range of optional modules allow you to tailor your degree towards your individual interests and/or career aspirations. Our courses are strongly aligned to the role of geoscience in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

You may investigate geological processes such as plate tectonics and explore geological resources such as oil, gas, metals and minerals. You also might have the opportunity to study broader subjects such as geoscience and society, forensic geoscience and Earth systems.

On this course, we aim to focus particularly on applied research skills which will encourage you to collect, analyse and interpret different types of geological data, and to carry out your own research using specialist software and equipment. Furthermore, you may have the oppportunity to complete a comprehensive and integrated fieldwork programme with no cost options.

You will acquire a wide range of transferable skills, including communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills, and the ability to research, evaluate and synthesise information from diverse sources. You will develop subject specific-skills like the ability to manipulate, analyse and present geospatial data using industry standard GIS and drawing software.

For society to tackle the environmental and sustainability problems we now face, we need people who can grapple with both the scientific and human aspects of those issues. That’s why this innovative course is taught across three different faculties, integrating a range of disciplines including the geo and environmental sciences, life sciences, chemical sciences, politics and international relations, management, and health amongst others. There is a strong emphasis on the development and application of skills, including practical fieldwork and engagement with professionals working in the environment and sustainability sector through work placement opportunities.

This course is accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES), meaning students can gain free membership of the IES to support their personal and professional development in the environmental sector. This programme is also accredited by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). Students on IEMA accredited programmes can apply for free Student Membership of the IEMA which provides a range of benefits.