Bachelor of Science in Social and Political Sciences with International or Placement Year

at Keele University United Kingdom

Keele’s Biochemistry programmes offer broad and stimulating coverage of modern biochemistry. You’ll be studying life at the molecular level, investigating the most exciting areas of contemporary life science and medical research. You might explore the secrets of the human genome, or the individually tailored molecular therapies of the future. You will explore a range of areas of biochemistry which may include human and mammalian biochemistry relating to health and disease.

This combined honours degree includes Neuroscience, where you will explore the mystery of the human brain: the central nervous system, the impact of drugs upon it, and the molecular biology of diseases and disorders of the brain.

Studying Neuroscience, you’ll explore topics which may include how we learn and remember, how the brain controls the body, and how the brain can be targeted by disease but in some instances can repair itself. Within the course are interesting related disciplines such as neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology and neuropathology. 

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.

You will learn to harness the concepts and debates in organisational behaviour and management, including the diversity in decision making across the private and public sectors.  You may explore topics, such as: markets and consumers, their behaviours and how to understand and communicate with them and gain an appreciation of contemporary issues facing marketers and managers, such as ethics and sustainability. You may also examine contemporary digital marketing, where skill requirements evolve rapidly and employer demand is high. The variety of optional modules available on this course will also enable you to further develop your skills and insights. 

On our exciting new flagship MSc, you’ll interact with entrepreneurs and start-ups, working on real-life business projects while you learn to give you the skills, knowledge and versatility to create and lead change with confidence in dynamic, unpredictable, complex and diverse environments.

Capitalising on Keele Business School’s co-location with the Smart Innovation Hub, you’ll engage not only with leading academics but with start-ups and entrepreneurs to gain a thorough grounding in current theories and concepts of enterprise and innovation, while watching entrepreneurs in action.

Thanks to our involvement in the EU-funded Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP), you’ll be able to experience the challenges business managers face first hand, giving you a unique insight into broader business operations and the technological, legal, financial, ethical and economic constraints in developing new products, processes or services. To date, we’ve helped over 200 small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

Team building, group work, research, presentations and projects will help you develop vital management skills, such as business planning, decision-making, problem-solving, communication, delegation and time management.

You will learn a range of analytical and quantitative skills including practical experience using professional software such as Bloomberg and Stata. You will explore the economic behaviour of households, businesses and governments, the functioning of markets and the effects of fiscal and monetary policies. You will examine topics like, the behaviour of financial institutions, such as banks, hedge funds and portfolio managers, their instruments and how they interact in markets. Wider contemporary issues such as the ethics of banking and lending markets will also be analysed.

The course will equip you with a range of skills and capabilities, both subject-related and more general lifelong skills of analytical ability, critical thinking and advanced numeracy. You will develop an awareness in using professional software tools, such as Bloomberg and Stata. These tools will enable you to analyse and interpret economic and financial data.

For the Medicinal Chemistry element of the course, you'll develop deep understanding of the complex chemical and biological processes involved in the design and manufacture of drugs and other therapies for treating disease. This course prepares you to help solve problems at the intersection of chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and pharmacology.

The goal of medicinal chemistry is to support the search for new drugs to treat conditions such as heart disease and cancer. You’ll work in well-equipped laboratories, and learn to conduct effective independent research. You’ll develop valuable skills for employment, such as problem solving, presentation and communication.

For the Neuroscience element of course, you will explore a range of topics which may include the mystery of the human brain: the central nervous system, the impact of drugs upon it, and the molecular biology of diseases and disorders of the brain. You’ll consider areas such as how we learn and remember, how our brains control our body, and how the brain regenerates and repairs itself.

You could study interesting disciplines such as neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology and neuropathology. Working in diverse ways, including in our superb labs, you’ll develop your independent research skills as you learn to acquire, interpret and analyse data from multiple sources. You’ll also understand how neuroscience can help us understand medical problems and improve the quality of life.

The Sociology course involves a mix of compulsory and research-led modules to enable you to think independently, critically, and imaginatively about the issues that shape our everyday lives and our futures. Through a mix of lectures, seminars, and workshops you will study societies, social problems, and how they impact upon the lives of individuals.

We will consider how our lives are shaped by relationships with other people, institutions, habits, and ways of thinking that make up the complex societies in which we live. You will be encouraged to develop sociological explanations for the wide-ranging changes taking place in the contemporary world and think about potential solutions to social problems. In the final year of your studies, you will receive individual supervision to carry out your own piece of social research.

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 (full-time) or 24 months (part-time). 

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. 

Film and Media Studies are the study of screen art and communication forms that have become central to every aspect of contemporary life. Alongside the detailed analytical and historical study of film, you will analyse diverse cultural texts such as television, photography, advertisements, magazines, digital media and news. You will investigate the relationship between historical and cultural movements and media and film production, exploring how these forms are products of their time and place. You will also combine the analytical and technical study of film and media with the opportunity to produce work of your own, ranging from photography and video to magazines online.