Master of Law in Law and Society

at Keele University United Kingdom

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.

Our Environmental Science with Work Placement Year course at Keele draws on the expertise of scientists within the disciplines of life sciences, chemical sciences and geosciences. The course emphasises the role and importance of scientific understanding and practical skills in the analysis and management of environmental problems; targeting and encouraging employment in the environmental sector.

Alongside studying topical global environmental issues, you will have the opportunity to develop a broad range of practical, laboratory and field-based skills to take into future employment. You’ll also have the opportunity to do fieldwork in the UK and gain valuable work experience or study abroad at one of our partner institutions. 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. The course is also accredited by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).

Studying Single Honours Psychology and Education is perfect if you are interested in the social and cognitive aspects of learning and studying.

While the Psychology modules focus on cognitive, developmental and social psychology, Education modules complement this by emphasising their policy or school-based applications. You will be able to study both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Together these subjects provide a great opportunity to gain in-depth understanding of psychology in action, in a vitally important aspect of life and society.

On this course you will study a range of educational topics which may include the nature of learning, childhood and educational inclusion, as well as the history of education. You will also explore a range of psychology topics concerned with the systematic investigation of mind and behaviour. Many areas in psychology are relevant to education including developmental psychology, social psychology, cognitive psychology and applied psychology. This course is informed by cutting-edge research and will develop your own critical thinking and research skills. 

On this course you will follow the Single Honours Psychology course structure, however you will take a year out to work within a psychology setting between level 5 and 6. This could be adult mental health, learning difficulties or a research environment, allowing you to apply your psychological knowledge and skills in a practical setting relevant to developing a professional psychology career.

During your time studying at Keele you will be fully immersed in the subject with abundant choice across compulsory and elective modules in psychology. You will share the excitement of discovering new psychological knowledge working alongside our enthusiastic and supportive academic staff. You will also benefit from the psychology-specific learning support on offer from our Academic Support Team. You will graduate ready to use your psychology skills and knowledge to make a real difference.

Our law degree examines law in its social, political, ethical, historical and international contexts. You’ll explore core legal subjects such as crime, torts, contract, land, equity and public law, developing your understanding of the rules which structure relationships between governments and citizens, and between private individuals. You’ll study principles and doctrines of English, European and International law and have plenty of opportunities to develop your practical skills. You can take part in both internal and external competitions in mooting (practising oral arguments), client interviewing, negotiation and could volunteer (subject to a selection process) as a Community Legal Companion, within the innovative CLOCK programme or in our Divorce or Commercial Law Legal Advice Clinics. 

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.

As a History and International Relations student you will develop an understanding of the different approaches to both disciplines and the range of theories and methods used. The programme encompasses a broad range of topics, from societies in the very distant past to contemporary migration, conflict, gender, security, and the EU, in order to understand how social and political organisation today comes from that of yesterday.

The History element of the degree will carry you chronologically from the medieval period to the present, and span the globe. You will be introduced to a wide range of history – from political, social, economic and cultural history to the history of gender, health, sexuality and religion. Throughout your first year, you may engage in modules that encourage you to explore topics such as how European rulers tried to strengthen their authority with the increase of military power between the late fifteenth and late seventeenth centuries, or some of the key defining moments in History which may include the 1720 South Sea Bubble in Britain, the 1791 Haitian Revolution or the 1933 Bauhaus movement.  

Additionally, throughout the International Relations element of the programme, you will study more than just current events - you will explore how history, structures, ideas, power, people and politics all come together to shape and direct the world that we live in. International Relations is everywhere around us, from what we see on the nightly news to the films we watch. It is an interdisciplinary subject that draws on an almost inexhaustable list of disciplines, such as history, politics, sociology, cultural studies, regional studies, anthropology, economics, business, philosophy and gender studies. 

The current uncertainty about the social and political future has led to the emergence of new forms of post-truth and conspiratorial politics, which make it extremely difficult for people to make reasonable decisions about their lives. In this context, one of the key purposes of the Social and Political Sciences programme is to equip students with the rigorous methodological, theoretical, and analytic skills that underpin the social and political sciences in order to identify real world problems, collect information about them, and produce analyses designed to suggest workable solutions moving forward into an uncertain future.

Given the situation of the contemporary world in the middle of a period of enormous transformation, these skills will be essential for students concerned with equipping themselves for employment in a rapidly changing world, but also vital for people who want to contribute to social and political transformation for the better.

Working with published writers from within and outside the University, the Keele Writing MA offers participants an opportunity to improve their writing and to bring it up to publishable standard while learning more about the critical and intellectual context in which their work is situated.

Students on the Keele Writing MA also participate directly in the development and maintenance of the events, publications, workshops and short courses which constitute Keele's vibrant writing culture - typically through opting to gain experience in one of the areas in which writers often establish a secondary income – reviewing, editing and teaching.

You can study full-time or part-time for this MA. It is also possible to take short courses in Creative Writing, delivered as part of our MA programme, as well as Certificate and Diploma-level courses in the subject.

The LLM combines a set of foundational core modules in law and society with a flexible choice of electives. Studying the LLM supports a deep understanding of the relationship between law and society, provides training in innovative methods and the acquisition of transferable skills, and promotes genuine interdisciplinarity.