Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Joint Honours in History and Politics

at Manchester Metropolitan University United Kingdom

Understanding the power play of international relations is the key to unlocking the secrets of success on the global stage. In addition, studying history will help you to understand how the past affects every aspect of our lives - from the language we speak, to the politics of race, gender, religion and identity.

This Joint Honours degree will provide you with the skills to explore the social and political landscape of human consciousness throughout time and place. You will discover how people lived, and how they perceived and interacted with the world around them. Investigating past events, you will encounter war, injustice, new frontiers, political upheaval, ancient civilisations, invasions, conspiracies, catastrophes and revolutions. You will gain a firm grasp of the core theories of International Relations and their underlying methods. You will get a broad grounding in contemporary government and world politics, including the changing nature of the modern state system.

A wide variety of optional units means that you can pursue your own interests – with units becoming increasingly flexible as you progress through the course. With practical skills training, including advanced analytical approaches, and all the experience that brings – this degree opens up doors to a range of interesting and rewarding career possibilities and provides the skills to progress to higher research programs.

In French and Spanish, emphasis is placed on communicating effectively and developing transferable skills such as translating, interpreting, and interview techniques. Practical language classes embrace speaking, listening, reading and writing. We offer a wide choice of subjects, which may include society, cinema, culture and linguistics.

Both languages can be studied post A2 level. You can study either French or Spanish from beginners level in the first year by taking a fast track option (please note, you cannot do beginners level for both languages).

The course is taken as an equal honours route. You will have the opportunity to spend your third year abroad in France and Spain. The experience of being immersed in another culture for several months is one our students find both beneficial and rewarding. They return having made new friends, experienced new places and have grown in confidence. After this year, you return to the University to study for your final year.

Placement options

• You will have the opportunity to spend your third year in France and Spain or Latin America, and we will assist you in choosing from a wide choice of partner universities where you can study.

How might modern-day pressures be impacting on children’s mental health? How do our individual experiences of childhood influence our views and perspectives? How can children and young people participate in society and how can this contribute to changes in policy and practice?

From exploring feminism and queer theory to analysing the thinking of key philosophers, on this course you’ll study the complex factors that affect children’s lives and explore ways to positively shape and influence their futures.

In each year of the course, you’ll learn about the different elements that impact on a child’s development. Studying subjects drawn from a range of disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, philosophy, and criminology, you’ll consider ethics, welfare, and the importance of policy and legislation relating to children, such as the Human Rights Act (1998). You’ll also learn about how childhood has changed over time both in the UK and globally and consider alternative perspectives relating to child development, including post-structuralism, socio-cultural theory and creative play.

You’ll reflect on your own experience of childhood and explore how it was shaped by society. You’ll also consider the diverse experiences of children, young people, families and communities and how policy on local, national and international levels affects children’s lives.

This course will give you the opportunity to study for an Early Years Education Level 3 qualification alongside your degree. When you graduate you will receive a degree, and a Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification which meets the national requirements set by Ofqual.

With a strong focus on employability and social responsibility, MSc International Fashion Business Management is aimed at applicants from a variety of backgrounds who want to gain a professional understanding of the fashion industry.  

The program structure allows fashion creatives to continue their creative practice whilst gaining a sound knowledge of international fashion business, as well as applicants who would like to establish their own fashion brand or business in this competitive globalised industry. This course will equip graduates with the key skills required to help evolve the fashion industry to become more ethically conscious, socially progressive and environmentally sustainable.

Students will gain experience in both the strategic and creative aspects of fashion, business and management. They will develop knowledge of business, environmental, social and cultural contexts, underpinning the strategic and creative process with theoretical knowledge in an ever-changing global market.

The character and culture of Manchester is embedded in this course. As an international city that attracts global brands and has a flourishing independent fashion economy, students can avail of a range of different learning experiences. Through a range of live project briefs and opportunities for collaboration, students are encouraged to challenge the status quo and produce a creative industry portfolio that demonstrates their distinct skills and experience to prospective employers.

Through this one-year course, you’ll develop the skills and knowledge to work as a nutritionist in both the health and food sectors.

You’ll study the theory behind nutritional sciences, exploring topics from food guidelines to biochemistry to the distribution and control of disease. You’ll also have sessions in our laboratories where you’ll complete practical evaluations.

During practical sessions, we’ll help you to understand the assessments you might conduct as a nutritionist. We use patient case studies, so you might complete a nutritional assessment for a patient with Crohn’s disease or diabetes, or perhaps analyse a person’s diet.

Many of our students complete public health nutrition-based projects for their dissertations, focusing on areas they’re hoping to develop a career in. Recent topics include exploring the foodscape and health at population level, how calorie intake might affect the efficacy of chemotherapy treatment, and exercise barriers for young women.

Our MSc Human Nutrition course is an Association for Nutrition (AfN) accredited course. This means that when you graduate, you're eligible to apply for direct entry to the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) Register as a Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr).

Our BSc (Hons) Zoology degree offers an interdisciplinary approach for studying the subject. You’ll cover a wide range of different issues and topics, examining the molecular biology, genetics and physiology of animals, while discovering the ways these areas have shaped animal evolution and behaviour and how systems biology brings together these areas.

Whether you pursue areas like animal evolution and behaviour, movement physiology and ecology, the genetics of animal populations, or population biology of tropical animals, you’ll find a practical focus to your studies. You’ll learn a wide range of field, laboratory and analytical skills, which are not only vital for the study of zoology, but will prove invaluable for your future career.

And, while our laboratories and equipment are excellent, we know that there’s no substitute for learning in the field – so you may have the opportunity to take part in field courses and project work in Europe, Africa and South America.

Our zoology degree also provides the option of spending an extra year expanding your horizons, either studying with one of our partner universities overseas, or working on a placement with a business or non-governmental organisation.

Placement options

The four-year placement route gives you the opportunity to spend your third year on a placement with a relevant employer, such as a conservation or environmental body, zoo or animal welfare organisation, or with local government or a molecular diagnostics company. It’s a great chance to gain experience, build your network and develop transferable skills – all of which can boost your career prospects.

The four-year study abroad route gives you the opportunity to study overseas during your third year in Europe, North America or Australasia.

MA Fine Art provides a stimulating environment in which you will be guided to develop your creative aspirations, reach a critical maturity, and gain the self-confidence and skills that will enable you to work as a successful artist.

The course is studio practice-driven and relies on experimentation and critical reflection supported by individualized mentoring, lectures, seminars and group critiques. It emphasizes the articulation of ideas, development of working methods and the realisation of independent work. Seminars are structured to investigate a broad range of themes relevant to the practicing artist and provide a rich diet of inspiration.

Our BA (Hons) Product Design and Craft course has a material-led, experimental philosophy that pursues a thinking through making approach to design, supporting the development of personal creative agendas. Through a program of study that explores our understanding of the material world, you will learn how to be a designer and maker of objects that enhance our daily interactions. You will develop essential skills in creative thinking and design strategy, and then apply these to challenge how you design for product and for craft.

You will discover how to design and produce objects that embrace both traditional handmade approaches and contemporary machine and digital manufacturing. Through creative experimentation, we strive to give ideas a material voice, as the thinking behind an object and its material execution are of equal importance. Your design work will also look to address a diverse range of areas including social issues, global awareness and local demand by considering the objects you design and the materials and processes you use. This course will enable you to explore strategies, materials and processes so you can develop creative and professional skills to support a sustainable career in design and craft making.

This course takes an innovative, modern approach to literature, focusing on drama, prose, fiction and poetry from the 17th century to the present – balancing the traditional with the modern.

Flexibility is key to our approach and as your course progresses you’ll be able to choose course units to suit your own particular interests, such as creative writing, film and cultural theory. Or why not focus geographically and culturally on writing from the USA, Ireland, Africa, India and the Caribbean?

Our placement route offers you the opportunity to spend your third year on an industry placement, allowing you to apply university-based knowledge, skills and understanding to the world of work, and giving you an advantage when you begin looking for your first job after graduation. Or you may have the opportunity to spend a year expanding your horizons, studying with one of our partner universities overseas. In your final year, you’ll get a chance to explore your interests in-depth with a substantial piece of project work presented in a thesis, building on the knowledge and skills you’ve been developing over previous years.

Our lively department is home to internationally renowned writers and critics, and there’s a strong research culture, creating a learning environment that is both supportive and intellectually challenging. And with our extensive cultural links both in Manchester and further afield, you’ll be in the right place to begin building a creative network for your future.

Product designers at Manchester Met explore why, examine how, and ask ‘what if?’ We are investigative and critically responsive to human and global needs, developing innovative design-led solutions that connect the consumer experience of products, systems and services. As a product design student, you will be creative with purpose, gaining critical understanding of the emergent issues affecting design across society and culture, learning how to be a designer of products that enhance functionality, interactions and relationships with people and the places we inhabit.

 You will develop essential skills in creative methods, research, design thinking, prototyping and design strategy, applying design intelligence to the creation of new product opportunities and solutions. You will discover how to design products that embrace both traditional and contemporary approaches to production and manufacturing, generating value through the application of materials, processes, and technologies. This course will enable you to produce innovative crafted design solutions and develop the creative and professional skills required to support a sustainable career in product design.

Product Design at Manchester Met builds on the success of our previous programme, BA Three Dimensional Design, which has produced influential and award-winning graduates including designer and architect Thomas Heatherwick, jeweller Ruth Tomlinson and ceramicist Joe Hartley.