Master of Science in International Development

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

This course takes advantage of the expertise of our staff in the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies. You will study a range of theoretical and practical problems that affect the social world.

You will study the politics of and relationships between countries, communities and individuals, becoming familiar with different views and methods of analysis and how to apply and evaluate them.

Sociology provides expertise in the study of the social world including actions, structures, beliefs, power and representation. By focusing on theoretical ideas and research skills you will be uniquely placed to understand the fast-moving changes of social life.

In year three you can choose to write a research dissertation in either discipline.

Our school encourages synergy between new research and teaching, resulting in a vibrant learning environment. This course combination offers an enriching experience with exciting intellectual challenges.

Our MA draws on these strengths. It is intended both for students who have a first degree in philosophy who wish to specialise in philosophy of science at a higher level, and for individuals with a background in pure science who wish to make a transition to philosophy of science or to explore foundational issues within the sciences.

The emphasis of the programme is on philosophical issues arising from specific scientific disciplines, with particular focus on physics, biology and mathematics. The history of science is studied in terms of the philosophical debate about the nature of scientific method and knowledge.

This course combines politics and international relations with the study of Portuguese, the seventh most widely spoken language in the world. This provides a valuable skill set, ideally tailored to the increasingly globalised workplace.

Politics is organised around three themes: political theory; comparative and national politics; and international relations. You will study the politics of individual countries and governments and the relationships between countries, communities and individuals.

In Portuguese you will study a combination of language and culture units. Portuguese is spoken throughout the world and Portuguese-speaking countries such as Brazil and Angola have complex, fascinating cultures. 

You will spend your third year abroad, enabling you to refine your language skills and cultural knowledge and gain valuable work experience. For details on year abroad opportunities, please see Global Opportunities.

Both schools enjoy a strong reputation for teaching and research and this course combination provides intellectual challenge with a cosmopolitan perspective.

This course is ideal for students interested in learning more about how to use numbers and data within geography. It provides training in practical and analytical skills, which will enhance your career prospects and provide you with a strong platform for postgraduate study. No prior knowledge of statistical techniques is required.

About two thirds of your studies will follow the single honours BSc Geography course, where you will acquire core knowledge in your subject. You will develop a wide range of geographical and scientific skills, gaining an advanced overview of both human and physical geography in year one, and choosing from a wide range of specialist units in years two and three.

The remaining third of your course will provide interdisciplinary training in quantitative methods. In year one of the quantitative pathway we discuss how numbers and data are used to tell convincing stories in the media and social research. We consider what is meant by segregation and how it can be mapped and measured. Year two offers practical classes in social statistics and applied data analysis, which will develop your skills in numeracy and analysis and enable you to undertake your own individual research project in an area of quantitative social science in year three.

Composite materials are increasingly replacing traditional metallic components in several industrial applications, such as aerospace engineering, wind turbine blade manufacture and the automotive industry. This MSc provides you with an in-depth theoretical understanding and practical knowledge of advanced composite materials.

The programme is based in the Bristol Composites Institute (ACCIS), which houses a number of state-of-the-art composites manufacturing facilities. ACCIS has strong industrial and research links with major international companies and research centres. ACCIS is collaborating with the National Composites Centre for high technology readiness level research.

Our taught units primarily focus on structural mechanics, design and analysis, manufacturing and testing of composites, while providing more optional units to further specialise your expertise in other relevant areas. Our programme is a great career development route for students with engineering backgrounds to develop their expertise in composites engineering, and for students with non-engineering backgrounds to expand their expertise to composites engineering.

Data science is an exciting emerging discipline having a profound impact on society. The world produces increasing volumes of data every day and making sense of this data has the capacity to be transformative. Data science combines mathematical, statistical and computational approaches to enable knowledge discovery from data. Career prospects in this field are very strong.

Bristol’s data science expertise means that you’ll be taught the sophisticated theory and methods needed to address modern data-analytic challenges by leading academics in this field. You will study units involving a blend of theoretical background and practical skills designed especially for this new course, including Mathematical Tools for Data Science, Advanced Linear Modelling and Classification, and Algorithms and Machine Learning. Our highly interdisciplinary program features links with the Bristol Institute for Scientific Computing (BriSC) as well as exposure to real-world problems from our industry partners.

With applications across a wide range of industries, studying data science will equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to fast-track your career. Pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, market research, social media, finance, sports, and disaster management are all fields with high demand for data scientists.

If you’re interested in pursuing further research, our Centre for Doctoral Training, COMPASS, offers the opportunity to study computational and statistical science through a four-year PhD program.

Bristol has an impressive reputation for teaching and research in politics and international relations and this course offers an enriching experience with exciting intellectual challenges.

You will study the politics of individual countries and governments and the relationships between states, communities and individuals.

The first year includes four compulsory units to ensure a solid grounding in the discipline. You will have greater choice as you progress through the course. The final year provides an exceptional range of units based on staff research interests, including political theory, international relations, political economy, UK politics, US politics, gender, security and conflict.

We emphasise research skills, with a compulsory unit in the first year and a dissertation in the final year. The dissertation enables you to conduct a piece of supervised political research on a topic of your choice.

The MA in Philosophy will give you a thorough grounding in the core knowledge and skills required for philosophical research, while also allowing you to pursue your own philosophical interests in depth.

The MA is an exciting programme that provides an opportunity to design a path to match your philosophical interests. You will take three core taught units plus three additional units that you will select from a range of options. Your dissertation is an opportunity to work on an extended and original piece of research on a topic of your choosing, with guidance from a research supervisor. You will develop a deep knowledge and understanding of key areas of philosophy and a sophisticated ability to critically evaluate and assess philosophical theories.