Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

at University of Bedfordshire - Luton Campus United Kingdom

Increasing expectations of ‘anytime, anywhere’ access to network facilities (whether from desktop, laptop, smart phone or tablet) means a constant demand for new networking protocols and technologies to keep up with the needs of a technologically reliant society.

This course is designed to give you knowledge of both wired and wireless technology to enable you to enter a career in this fast-paced industry.

Why choose this course?

• Study with staff active in networking and security research on a course with a balance of focus on wired and wireless technologies, working with a 64-node cluster, and other state-of-the-art equipment including virtualised environments as you advance your knowledge of both theoretical and practical challenges related to grid-computing
• Explore areas including network systems, computer security, networking administration and management, wireless networking, distributed parallel architectures, advanced security countermeasures, professional project management and emerging technologies
• Develop skills related to distributed networks (such as distributed and parallel architectures), ideal if you aim to pursue a career in networking, either in management or network set-up
• Gain in-depth skills in network management and administration (allowing you to work as a Network Manager) including essential security aspects, grid-computing and fault tolerance
• Benefit from developing expertise including components of professional qualifications such as CompTIA Linux+ and EC-Council CEH - equipping you for a career as a Network Engineer/Architect, in IT Support, as a Systems Analyst or Systems/Network Designer or in further study on an MSc by Research, MPhil or PhD.

This is a course for our times, responding to the challenges of globalization. The degree will challenge those from the UK and beyond to think past their national perspectives. To get the full story you need to transcend geographical borders and traditional divisions.

Today's big stories are complex, simultaneously political, economic, hyper-local and global. You will learn about transnational organisations, critique theories relating to the role of the media and globalisation and practice journalism across various media platforms.

Why choose this course?

• Study with professionals from the industry, including alumni of this course, who will share practice examples, give you tips on entering the industry and help you develop your network
• Explore career options in regional, national and transnational reporting, or as a political, economic and foreign correspondent as you develop into a rounded journalist capable of seeing the whole 'global' story
• Develop your resourcefulness and enterprise – with an ability to identify and pursue stories and to challenge, test and critique evidence, while adhering to ethical codes of conduct
• Gain first-hand knowledge, by visiting national and/or international news organisations such as Reuters and Bloomberg, as well as UK/EU parliaments; work on the University community radio station and student newspaper or gain experience with local and regional newspapers and radio stations
• Benefit from a degree that gives you relevant transferable skills in publishing, copywriting, public relations, in-house press office positions, teaching, sports journalism, media research and digital media production, or enable you to continue to an MPhil or PhD research degree

In a constantly evolving field, there’s a growing shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals with the up-to-the-minute expertise needed to keep on top of the game. This cutting-edge course equips you with the knowledge and skills employers are looking for.

Careers in the cybersecurity field offer huge potential for skilled graduates. This wide-ranging course is designed to develop the diverse skillset you need to identify and manage physical, natural and electronic security breaches and violations in all areas of cyberspace.

Our cutting-edge teaching and training techniques give you a thorough understanding of security processes and practices as well as the complexities and challenges associated with information security; the legal requirements around information-security domains; and post-incident analysis techniques.

Work-based learning and placements enable you to put theory into practice, as you build your ability to understand and analyse threat factors and multi-stage cyber attacks, and put controls in place to mitigate risk and impact.

Why choose this course?

• It is fully aligned with BCS, CESG and IISP requirements, making your qualification highly relevant to a range of employers
• You learn from a dedicated team of cybersecurity experts, trainers and active researchers
• Learning approaches are practice-based and include work-based and placement activities as well as interactive demonstrations by academic staff and guest speakers
• You apply your technical cybersecurity skills using secure virtualised and containerised environments
• Your degree qualification balances technical and management skills, enabling you to enter careers across a wide range of security contexts
• Take the course over four years and include a year’s placement in industry (see below) where you gain experience and make contacts for the future
• If you are stepping up into higher education, you can start with a Foundation Year which guarantees your entry to the Undergraduate course (see below)

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

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

The contemporary professional and economic environment of globalised markets commands persistence on quality, the immediate adjustment to the rapidly changing conditions and opportunities, as well as the need for a long-term vision. The world is recovering from a very severe economic crisis which originated in the financial sector and very quickly affected the economies of most countries in the western world.

In the aftermath of this and in a globalised world, the study of finance proves to be essential in understanding the way businesses operate, governments exercise policies and countries cooperate and compete with each other.

Economics on the other hand is the foundation of modern finance. It offers students the opportunity to acquire the cognitive knowledge and skills required to understand the structure of the world we live in.

This course will provide students with an intimate knowledge of the structural issues economies are facing and the way they are being realised in today’s economic affairs through the dominance of financial institutions. Student will be able to apply economic analysis to real-life issues while the technical and analytical skills that are necessary to understand key developments in the global markets will be developed.

The Department of Law and Finance has a critical number of academic staff who will support the delivery of this course. They are highly qualified academics and experienced professionals whose research achievements in the areas of economics and finance and real-life experience promise a unique student experience.

Why choose this course?

The world is recovering from a very severe economic crisis, which originated in the financial sector and very quickly affected the economies of most countries in the western world. In the aftermath of this and in a globalised world, the study of Finance is essential in understanding the way business operate, governments exercise policies and countries cooperate and compete with each other. Economics on the other hand is the foundation of modern finance.

If you are willing to pursue a degree in Economics, driven by the need to understand how the western world is structured and how the environment, in which businesses and financial institutions operate, is working, this course will be of interest to you. You will be able to apply economic and financial analysis to real life issues. All necessary technical and analytical skills that are desired by employers in economics and finance relevant institutions will be developed.

Economies are increasingly global. With this degree - designed to give you the knowledge and skills to manage a business effectively in the global context - show potential employers that you understand how business operates on an international scale.

Alongside traditional business skills and disciplines such as strategy, human resource management, finance, operations and marketing, you will acquire global skills via units such as international economics, global marketing, and Intercultural awareness in business.

In your final year you are supported in finding a placement which delivers invaluable international experience, as well as credit towards your degree, as you apply your learning to project work in a live setting.

Why choose this course?
This innovative and interdisciplinary course will help you to gain the skills and knowledge required in key business disciplines coupled with a broader global business perspective. The course provides you with a deeper appreciation of the roles and relationships of businesses in an international context, together with the specific operational and strategic issues, challenges and opportunities that businesses face when they start operating at an international level.

You will also gain a working understanding of foundational concepts in the key functional and operational areas, including business management, business research, marketing, finance, accounting, operations management, human resource management, interpersonal and collaborative communication skills, covering important aspects of working in an international and multi-cultural environment.

The course offers a rich learning experience

• Is highly vocational with a focus on knowledge and understanding of business organisations from a global perspective;
• Focuses on both large and small organisational contexts;
• Instils a high level of professionalism from the outset;
• Has a strong theoretical base in each unit;
• Develops interpersonal and collaborative communication skills
• Includes a supervised final year dissertation involving an individually conducted research element;
• Provides further opportunity for professional development in a work placement relevant to international business
• Has small class interactive teaching environments;
• Focuses on hard and soft management skills for the 21st century

Choose International Business at Bedfordshire and

• Learn through lectures, seminars and workshops, plus projects, research exercises, presentations, and case study analyses with a focus on using your knowledge and understanding in practice
• Study business management, business research, marketing, finance, accounting, operations management and human resource management
• Develop your communication and collaborative skills as well as a recognisable high level of professionalism, enabling you to fit in and be effective from day one
• Gain an understanding of the roles and relationships of businesses in the international arena, and the specific operational and strategic issues, challenges and opportunities that they face at an international level
• Explore opportunities for further postgraduate and professional study
• Benefit from a degree which gives you understanding of global business operations, analytical and problem-solving skills, and personal effectiveness and credibility when working across cultures in international teams – attributes which are highly attractive to potential employers

While teaching you all the essential skills you need to work creatively as an animator - including visual thinking, model-making, 3D design, digital illustration and time-based media – this wide-ranging course also gives you the confidence to respond to briefs, create independent projects and work collaboratively within the creative industries.

Our Animation BA (Hons) is based in narrative and storytelling for short-form film, the moving image industry and communication design. Students work on live briefs, submit for national competitions and work on projects with our expert academic team.

You learn your craft through practical workshop sessions, sustained practice in the studio, some work-related learning opportunities with ‘live briefs’, one-to-one tutorials, seminars, demonstrations and independent research. All your instruction takes into consideration professional and work-related practices.

In the first year, we introduce the key skills in animation, building a close relationship between practice and theory. In your second year, you work more independently, taking ownership of your creativity and its outcomes.

At the end of the course, you take on a creative project of your own, demonstrating your insight into the critical, cultural and professional contexts in which your work is placed.

Why choose this course?

• It enables you to study, develop and apply critical enquiry skills to a wide range of key ideas and contemporary professional practice
• Practical learning activities give you the opportunity to tackle visual problems and explore ideas relevant to animation
• It builds your understanding of animation’s different contexts, and its wider global impact on social, environmental and political issues
• It equips you with the knowledge, experience and understanding of design environments you need to communicate and present ideas and work to audiences in a range of situations
• It gives you the skills to work effectively with others, through collaboration, collective support and negotiation
• It offers insights into professional practice that will prepare you for a future career in the creative industries as well as the world of work generally
• You have the option to take your degree over four years and include a fee-free placement year in industry when you can gain practical experience, build your CV and make valuable contacts

If you’re an ambitious manager working in the private, public or voluntary sectors, and want to develop your skills and engage in stimulating debate with your peers, then this course is for you.

This course will enhance your understanding of contemporary leadership theory and develop your ability to reflect on your managerial experiences enabling you to transfer learning into practice.

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

Why choose this course?

• Gain a solid foundation in the key skills and effective leadership and management.
• Study contemporary approaches to management including aspects of accounting and finance, strategic management, operations and project management and marketing and digital futures.
• Build upon your existing management abilities to strengthen your skills and personal performance on a course that inspires teamwork and engagement to contribute to ethical and innovative practice.
• Benefit from our employability practice-based approach with real business that will enable you to critically evaluate and improve your own management skills to succeed in the global marketplace.

 This course gives you an advanced understanding of molecular and computational biologies as well as the microbiological techniques at the forefront of technological developments in the field. It opens the door to a career in the biotechnology and allied industries.

Modern biotechnology is a hugely complex subject, drawing from a range of fields and technologies. On this course, you learn the latest new technologies in key areas; gain insights into how they are used in the global biotechnology industry; and discover how microbes can be used on an industrial scale to benefit humankind.

You also hone your research skills with a laboratory-based project in one of five taught areas: molecular biology; computational biology; applied microbiology; analytical biology; and biomaterials.

Why choose this course?

• Study the latest developments in applied microbiology and computational biology in high-quality, broad-based classes taught by dedicated staff with research experience in specialist subject areas
• Explore the latest technologies in molecular biology and the industrial processes that are used to exploit microbes for specific products and applications
• Develop the ability to use information from relevant sources, and independently and critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship
• Gain the ability to use assured, accurate and fluent language to present your work, and learn to develop graphs and images that clearly illustrate complex points
• Benefit from a wide knowledge base and the key transferable skills that will give you the opportunity to take your career to new heights
• Take the part-time pathway option to better fit study around your work and family commitments