Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Writing and Journalism

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

This course examines key issues of media and communication, introducing principles of cultural theories and media research methods, providing a broader understanding of how different aspects of the media interconnect.

Why choose this course?

• Project Management Units covers a wide range of Project functional areas so that you become knowledgeable and effective managers

More than ever before our lives are defined by the spaces in which we live, work and play, and interior architects are ground-breakers when it comes to creating experimental, imaginative and stimulating environments. This course will fire your imagination while giving you the skills and knowledge you need to follow this exciting career path.

Nowadays, people actively want the spaces they inhabit to serve their needs, reflect their personality, and offer ergonomic and environmental innovation. On this course, you explore the relationship between interior spaces, architectural forms and human experience and interaction, considering such aspects as space planning, scale, structure, colour, texture, lighting, branding and user experience.

The remit of a professional interior architect is wide so, while studying, you are encouraged to develop unique proposals for a range of environments, from bars, restaurants and theatres to workplaces, retail spaces and exhibitions. You focus on a number of commission areas including refurbishment, film and exhibition design, and virtual environments.

Where possible, design briefs are collaborative, with real sites, real clients and opportunities to network with professional practitioners, building your practical skills and giving you valuable experience in preparation for a career in the field.

Why choose this course?

• Develop a creative and critical understanding of building structure and fabric while studying the design of interior environments in urban, suburban and rural contexts
• Be able to interpret the different ways in which people, activities and places relate to and with each other
• Learn about the latest innovations used to solve contemporary design problems
• Explore specific specialist areas of the field such as anthropometrics, ergonomics, environmental control and sustainability, and orthographic representation
• Benefit from project-based teaching that covers 2D and 3D computer-aided design, digital image creation and manipulation, and video production and editing
• You have the option to take the course over four years and include a fee-free professional placement (see below) which will give you relevant experience, build your CV and offer networking opportunities for the future

This course examines the problem of crime, why people offend and how crime is controlled. It also gives you the practical skills you need and the confidence to apply theories of criminology in real-world settings.

Through the course, you develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the criminal mind, criminal justice system, the modern criminological environment and principles around the rehabilitation of the offender.

There is a choice of optional units for those with individual interests, such as youth justice, crime and the media, youth and crime, and violence in modern society. In your final year, you also undertake an independent research-based project, supported by expert staff who are all actively involved in research themselves.

Why choose this course?

• Develop your research skills and the ability to make sound judgements based on in-depth knowledge
• Explore your commitment to the principle of equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice
• Study with academics who have world-leading research expertise in areas such as community safety, offending and youth justice
• Take the course over four years and include an optional year’s placement in industry (see below), allowing you to gain practical skills, build your CV and make contacts
• If you need to step up into higher education, start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the undergraduate course
• Graduates of this degree also benefit from opportunities for postgraduate study at the Vauxhall Centre for the Study of Crime
• It can lead into careers in the criminal justice system or wider human services, including youth justice and youth work, offending teams, policing, community safety, local government and research into criminal behaviour

The growth and commercialisation of sport and rapid development of digital and social media tools makes sports journalism an exciting and fast-moving branch of the industry. This specialist course gives you the skills you need to be a 21st-century sports journalist.

Learn the core practical skills of journalism and how to apply them to a sports specialism using traditional research and writing as well as new and developing media forms.

Sharpen these skills with an in-depth understanding of the political, social, historical and economic sporting environment - as well as the legal and ethical frameworks journalists work within - adding depth and authority to your reporting.

You benefit from studying with a team of industry specialists in both sports reporting and general journalism, across a range of platforms, and have opportunities to hear from leading academics, sports participants and masterclass speakers from the worlds of both sport and media.

Why choose this course?

• Gain core communication and multimedia skills that are highly valued across a range of graduate industries
• Put your skills into practice via real-life sports reporting assignments
• Explore opportunities for work experience within radio, television, print and online journalism
• Develop a portfolio of work and contacts while honing your skills through regular news days
• Report from your first year for our news website and present your own show on our community radio station, Radio Lab
• There’s the option to take this course over four years and benefit from a fee-free industry placement (see below) where you gain experience, build your CV and make contacts for the future
• If you need a step into the full degree, you can start with a Foundation Year (see below) which guarantees entry to the Undergraduate course

Our BSc (Hons) Construction Management Top-up course will provide you with the skills and knowledge to succeed in an exciting career in construction.

This degree will give you the opportunity to expand on your current skills, knowledge and understanding of design and construction, and to advance as a construction professional.

As an industry experiencing major shortages in skilled construction professionals, on completion of this qualification you will be well-positioned as a valuable asset and to continue on the path to senior management positions.

You will be working on real-life scenarios and case studies, and will explore key areas of construction management from a number of perspectives, including contracting and procurement, management of project resources, programmes and teams, as well as managing project finances and economics.

There is a strong focus on employability. As well as bringing a wealth of industry experience to our construction courses, the teaching team also utilise close collaborative relationships within industry, including both regional and national employers, to bring the latest developments, techniques and technologies into the taught curriculum. This typically involves specialist presentations and seminars from industry experts as well as site visits, which in recent years have included visits to individual projects worth over £1bn.

Industry presenters have included project managers and directors, civil engineers, local authority planners and construction professionals, government agency representatives, professional bodies, and have also included past graduates from our courses who have progressed into senior positions in the industry.

The BA/BSc (Hons) Event Management programme is aimed to enable you to develop the necessary skills for, and knowledge, practice and understanding of, the events industry.

The skills you will acquire on this course will be particularly relevant to event management roles in the tourism, hospitality, leisure and sport.

The course begins with a general introduction to event management and progresses to specialist options and a close focus on planning, staging and managing events.

In addition to this you will become a self-directed, self-regulated reflexive learner, using an awareness of opportunities for careers or further study in the setting and monitoring of personal objectives.

You will combine academic study with real-world business practice as you work on case studies and briefs during practice weeks, and take opportunities to volunteer for events staged at the University and beyond.

The University of Bedfordshire is a member of The Association for Tourism in Higher Education (ATHE). ATHE is the subject association for tourism in higher education in the UK. It represents universities that are leading providers of tourism programmes.

Why choose this course?

• Benefit from a course that opens up career opportunities as an Event Manager, Festival Organiser/Co-ordinator, Exhibitioner Organiser, Events Marketing Communications Manager or Conference and Events Manager, and offers access to a wide choice of further study.
• Learn essential skills for careers in the events industry, in a department with close links to local cultural, sporting and business organisations.
• Study areas including: event planning and operations; project management; international hospitality operations; visitor attraction management; sport tourism and event management; global mega events; and marketing communications through a combination of classroom-based learning and fieldwork activities.
• Develop your CV with the option of a placement in an events organisation during your final year.
• Gain additional insights through field trips to organisations like Luton Town Football Club, Twickenham and Woburn Abbey, and working on annual events hosted by your Department.
• Explore the relevant theory and research areas and learn how to apply them through practice weeks, when you will work on real-life briefs and case studies

From global extravaganzas like the Olympics to regional music and food festivals, the events-related industry is growing at an incredible rate so needs specialist managers who can apply their skills to this field.

On this course you will study the project management and strategy needed for successful events and tourism management while examining the cultural impact of tourism and strategies to ensure the long-term success of an events and tourism commercial enterprise.

There are six entry points through the year. This allows you to start when it is most suitable.

Why choose this course?

• Learn a range of management practices that are integral to the management of events whilst at the same time recognising the importance of the inter-relationships of a range of business functions and the impact they have on the management approach to ensure commercial success in the longer term
• Gain the knowledge and expertise required by event management companies, special production organisers, festival managers and corporate leisure services and exhibition venues
• Study industry-related scenarios and realistic simulations to understand the practice of managing events, and develop the problem-solving and decision-making skills you will need to succeed in your career.
• Explore academic theory relating to tourism, leisure and events, with a particular focus on problem-solving and decision-making which will enable you to sharpen your critical thinking and creativity in analysis, synthesis and appraisal.
• Develop and apply the skills of critical evaluation as you become a self-directed, independent, reflexive learner
• Benefit from studying with a Business School that has partners across the world enabling you to examine the cross culture perspectives essential to organisations in the global markets

This course is integrative, blending accounting and business finance theory to solve problems faced by managers on a daily basis. You will also further develop the necessary quantitative, research, and presentation skills required for successful career in business or further academic study.

Your studies will be enhanced by the integration of theory and practice into those situations where vital financial decisions have to be made.

Why choose this course?

• Benefit from a wide range of teaching experiences such as lectures, seminars, and workshops, fieldwork, practice weeks, external visits, on-line activities, individual and group work tasks and invited guest speakers from the tourism and aviation industry.
• Learn through a range of integrated, project based activities which will set the tourism and aviation industry in the context of business.
• Investigate the sensitive and positive effects cultures have on tourism and aviation. In your final year, we start to elaborate on the sustainable aspects of international tourism.
• Benefit from teaching informed by research and professional practice that our tutors draw upon to illustrate current issues in the tourism and aviation industry globally.

This two-year Master’s gives you the high-quality pharmacological training, knowledge and skills you need to work in the field of drug discovery and development alongside teaching you valuable IT skills in data analytics.

The development of safe and effective new drugs is a challenging and rewarding field. On this course, you acquire a broad knowledge of drug discovery and development, focusing on the mechanisms of drug action at molecular level; the treatment of human diseases; and the latest cell and molecular technologies used in pharmacology. You also have the opportunity to specialise in one research area through the completion of a laboratory research project.

The Data Analytics units cover a range of topics including programming; databases; security; project management; and computer networking. You also learn how to apply your IT knowledge and skills to complex real-world problems as well as emerging technologies and developments.

Why choose this course?

• Study the principles of drug design, pre-clinical evaluation, clinical trials, regulatory affairs and the application of new technologies in the drug discovery and development process
• Explore the latest therapeutic concepts and principles relating to the causes, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of human diseases in current clinical practice
• Develop a systematic understanding and critical awareness of new technologies in cell and molecular biology
• Work with our expert academic team, who are actively involved in research so you are up to the minute when it comes to current and emerging developments in the field
• Gain a wide range of valuable practical and transferable skills as well as the ability to apply data analytics to problems and developments in the pharmacological field
• Progress into careers in drug research and development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, the NHS and other public organisations

This course will support these emerging roles in the digital creative industries through a combination of practical and theoretical teaching in the creative process from idea conception to production.

As the digital creative industries use increasingly adopt the technologies of more computer animation and visual effects in for TtelevisionV, film and design work production, the demand for people individuals with both the creative and technical skills to support this the industry has continued to increased. This includes emerging fields such as Virtual Production and Virtual Reality(VR) or Mixed Reality applications.

You will produce digital content in the format of computer-generated animation or visual effects sequences, that may be applied in for entertainment, education and or promotional purposes using industry standard tools developing your expertise in computing for the creative industries.

In addition to the £40 million STEM building, you will also have the chance to work in our specialist creative technologies labs and use a range of cutting-edge technologies such as motion capture, green screen studio, and VR to develop your practice and build a professional portfolio.

This course is part of the Creative Technologies cluster in the School of Computer Science and Technology and is closely related to the degree course BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development which shares some of the teaching and technology.

Why choose this course?

• Learn practical and theoretical aspects using a wide range of platforms for computer animation and visual effects from both technical and design perspectives.
• Study a range of disciplines from computer science to digital design and how they interact with a range of visualisation technologies created for platforms from television and film production, to video games design and web-based graphics.
• Gain expertise in computing for the creative industries, through attaining both technical and creative skills through hands-on experience creating digital animation and games with 3D graphics software, compositing and modelling packages.
• Explore CGI as you produce digital content for entertainment, education and promotional purposes using industry standard tools.
• Benefit from a course that gives you the knowledge and skills for a wide range of careers-including 3D modeller, technical animator, compositor and digital visualisation for emerging display technology platforms.
• Challenge yourself by integrating your new-found knowledge into a body of original work, enhancing your transferable skills of communication, problem solving and teamwork.
• Benefit from studying in the latest hi-tech software environment; all our laboratories and specialist teaching spaces are specifically for use by undergraduate and postgraduate students in the Department.