Master of Arts in International Journalism

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

From online behavioural marketing to in-game advertising, and from SMS marketing to app-based adverts, digital marketing has revolutionised the way advertisers sell and consumers buy. And as the established major players and ambitious start-ups continue to develop and expand the landscape, so a ‘digital skills gap’ has appeared, both in the UK and internationally.

This course aims to help fill that gap by providing you with the knowledge and expertise you will need to make an impact in this rapidly expanding global industry.

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

Why choose this course?

• Learn the theoretical and practical skills that are demanded by the world’s leading digital marketers
• Study with seasoned professionals, academics and practicing experts, focusing on areas such as Marketing Data Analysis and Marketing Communications
• Develop your entrepreneurial expertise through seminars, workshops, project work and our well-established links with the local digital community
• Gain an understanding of the strategic knowledge and skills you will need to make effective business decisions and become a successful digital professional
• Explore the innovative creative concepts that are driving the latest global digital success stories, and develop the confidence to take your own imaginative ‘leaps of faith’
• Challenge yourself as you study the theory and practice behind audience behaviour and what make consumers buy (or not buy) products and services
• Benefit from studying at a university with recognised expertise in ‘Big Data’, and a campus that is home to Phase 1 of the award-winning MK Data Hub

In following this Master’s course, you develop the essential knowledge, attributes and professional skills you need to pursue or further your career in operational forensic casework.

The forensic industry is highly competitive, requiring skilled professionals across diverse fields including pathology, toxicology, drug analysis, fire-debris analysis, wildlife crime, microbial forensics, forensic genetics and document analysis. This course prepares you to meet the needs of the industry and enter a career in areas related to civil and criminal investigation as well as wider science- or research-based positions.

On the course, you develop your theoretical understanding and practical experience alongside your skills in analysing and evaluating your findings. You also learn how to communicate these findings to a variety of audiences, including other scientists, the court and the media. Units may include forensic chromatography; evaluation and presentation of evidence; forensic spectroscopy; and biological advances.

Why choose this course?

•  Learn from staff with experience in operational forensic casework. Develop your practical skills through hands-on experience in our exceptional laboratory facilities, including a Scenes of Crime Laboratory.
• Study a course informed by the latest research, ensuring you are aware of current and emerging developments in this specialist field.
• Gain a qualification, the skills and the knowledge to meet the wide-ranging needs of the forensic and other science-based industries, making you well-placed to enter a career in a number of specialised fields.
• Develop strong research skills for form the basis of those required for study at PhD level. Benefit from the University’s strong links to external stakeholders in the forensic industry and related organisations and practice sectors.
• Take up career opportunities that could include forensic consultancies; government agencies; related industries; and research and development

The MSc Mechanical Engineering is aligned to the University’s development of a new STEM building, and a developing relationship with The Welding Institute based in Cambridge. This course development will bring together postgraduate taught courses with a new exciting research centre development to offer a distinctive offer in which students will undertake field trips in a state-of-the-art engineering and business facility whilst benefiting from access to state-of-the-art facilities in our new STEM building in Luton.

Why choose this course?

• Study in Cambridge with an opportunity to work with cutting-edge business
• Explore the latest technologies and techniques for mechanical engineering
• Have the potential to complete a project on an industrially relevant topic

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

This course aims to enable you to develop the necessary skills for, and knowledge, practice and understanding of, the events industry.

You will become a self-directed, self-regulated reflexive learner, using an awareness of opportunities for careers or further study in the event industry.

With a good grounding in business and marketing the course offers students an industry focus in event management with good employment opportunities across a range of roles in both marketing and events e.g. Strategic Event Designer, Trade Show Manager, Events Marketing Communication Managers, Social Media Event Managers, Sporting Events Manager.

This inter-disciplinary course combines key subject areas of business, marketing and event management in a practice-oriented way that allows you to develop a deep theoretical understanding and practical knowledge of events management.

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; risk and crisis management for events, events and destination marketing, event planning in practice; and marketing communications through a combination of classroom-based learning and fieldwork activities.
• 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, working on real-life briefs and case studies.

Find your specialism and become the writer of your dreams with our innovative, skill-building course which encourages you to experiment with different modes and genres across a range of media platforms. Our small cohort sizes mean you benefit from personal, tailored support.

Explore writing in a way you may not have experienced before, from from the speculative genres of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, to scriptwriting and performance poetry. Your academic team are all experienced writers who will encourage you to find where your aptitudes and enthusiasms lie, helping you to develop your own writing practice and style.

This course benefits from a close relationship with other creative courses such as media, art and design, journalism, and computer games development so you work in an atmosphere of collaborative, artistic energy. You also have many opportunities to share your work, including in our annual published anthology of student writing and open-mic nights.

Graduates from the course have gone on to successful careers in a range of fields, from published authors of fantasy writing and innovative poetry to editorial roles, from professional YouTubers to Creative Writing lecturers.

Why choose this course?

• We are a student-centred course where the emphasis is placed on your development as a writer
• Belong to a vibrant and diverse writing community and have the freedom to focus on the aspects of writing that interest you
• Optional pathways in genre fiction, innovative forms, and screenwriting, taught by writers from those areas, and the opportunity to collaborate with Computer Games and Illustration students to develop games and graphic novel projects
• Meet with writers and other industry professionals
• Focus on your professional development and your future after completing the degree

Your first step towards a career as a registered social worker, this course equips you with the knowledge, skills and resilience needed to improve the lives of vulnerable adults, children and families.

Approved by Social Work England, this degree offers graduates eligibility to join the professional register, after which you can pursue a career in social work across a range of settings.

The course prepares you to work in a rapidly changing, complex and unpredictable sector, offering the most up-to-the-minute knowledge, skills and practice. It combines work-placement experience, practical skills development and academic study with a focus on applying theory to practice.

You first study the foundations of social work including social policy; human growth and development; relevant legislation for professional practice; and working with people. Later units explore issues, contexts and interventions in social work along with two work-placement opportunities and a final-year research project.

Why choose this course?

• Join a course with a 92% satisfaction rate (National Student Survey, 2020)
• Explore every aspect of the professional social work role; how it relates to other areas; and the ethical challenges of balancing initiative with accountability
• Progress with the support of academic staff who have all been practising social workers, some of whom continue to practise alongside their academic work
• Benefit from the University of Bedfordshire’s new Health & Social Care Academy, run in partnership with local councils and NHS Trusts to recruit and train the next generation of health and social care workers
• As a graduate, you can apply for professional registration as a qualified social worker with Social Work England
• Open up career paths across a variety of sectors, including local authorities, the NHS, education authorities, prison service, private agencies and voluntary organisations

Offering in-depth technical training, you will need to begin your career as a practising automotive engineer. You will work closely with local automotive and motorsport companies, gaining experience of working on real-world solutions throughout.

You will begin by gaining the underpinning skills and knowledge needed to pursue specialisms later on, along with theoretical subjects like mathematics and engineering science.

Your technical and practical skills will be honed through study of engineering design and application, and vehicle development history, and study of new products and technologies will give you a thorough grounding before you move on to specialise from Year 2.

As you move through the course, you will benefit from practical sessions and have the opportunity to take part in the prestigious Formula Student Racing Car project or Shell Economic Car competition project.

Why choose this course?

This course combines practical and theoretical study, and uses individual and group work to provide a thorough grounding in the essentials needed to enhance your career prospects in the exciting world of Automotive Engineering.

Choose BEng (Hons) Automotive Engineering

• Learn both technical skills and theoretical knowledge including engineering science, structural mechanics and dynamics.
• Study core disciplines and specialist advanced units including automotive systems and design as well as developing project management skills.
• Develop your skills using excellent industry-standard facilities including high-end equipment, machines and testing workspaces.
• Gain a qualification that will enhance your prospects of a fulfilling and exciting career in a wide range of engineering scenarios including car or motorbike motorsports.
• Explore career opportunities through a placement year with nearby companies like BMW Mini, Nissan and AVL Powertrain.
• Challenge yourself to participate in exciting competitions, developing your individual and team working skills.
• Benefit from the opportunity to collaborate with local companies either on campus or in nearby company workshops

Offering the in-depth technical and professional training you need for a career as an information technologist, this course is run in collaboration with local companies so you gain real-world experience while studying.

In your first year, you develop the skills to study the specialist topics later in the course including an introduction to software; hardware and how computers are built; how computers work with databases; and Structured Query Language (NoSQL). You will also learn about software applications (such as Microsoft, Oracle and Java) and hardware installation, configuration and maintenance.

In year two, you focus on software design and development; how software and hardware work together; designing secure systems; and approaches for testing software.

Learning in your final year focuses on research methods and emerging technologies as you undertake an independent IT project.

Why choose this course?

• It offers in-depth technical and professional training, including CompTia, Security+ and CCNA, which are required to practise as an information technologist
• Throughout the course, you benefit from work-based learning projects and hands-on experience which prepare you to graduate as a professional
• You learn how a wide range of technology can be deployed to provide systems that support organisations to achieve their business objectives
• You develop the knowledge and skills to draw out user requirements from non-IT experts and transform these into implemented system-level designs
• You will be able to lead an IT project, using transferable skills such as effective collaboration and critical thinking
• Take the course over four years and include a professional placement year (see below) where you can gain experience, build your CV and make contacts for the future

Our recent investment of £1m in a new Electronic Engineering lab demonstrates our commitment to this discipline, and means you will be able to use state-of-the-art equipment and enjoy top-tier teaching as you study.

You will develop skills in a number of areas, including analogue and digital electronics, signal processing, sensors, digital communications, software engineering and embedded programming.

And through a combination of theoretical learning and practical application, you will quickly became adept at solving real-world engineering problems.

Accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as an Incorporated Engineer and partly meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer

Why choose this course?
The course will provide you with academic and technical skills to analyse, interpret and make sense of electronic engineering. It will enable you to meet the demands of tomorrow’s electronic engineering.

• Learn skills in a number of areas, including analogue and digital electronics, signal processing, sensors, digital communications, software engineering and embedded programming
• Study using a combination of top-tier learning materials and hands-on practical experience
• Develop your knowledge and understanding of the commercial and economic contexts of engineering processes, and keep informed of emerging processes and technologies
• Gain a thorough awareness of the possible equality and diversity issues that exist in electronic engineering
• Explore the practical application of the computer software and hardware toolkits commonly used by electronic engineers
• Challenge yourself by analysing and solving real-world engineering problems
• Benefit from our well-established professional links with local and regional industry partners