Master of Science in Social Science Research Methods - Management

at University of Bristol - Clifton Campus United Kingdom

Econometrics is the application of statistical methods to data to estimate economic models. It is used by economists to verify or disprove theories and analyse the impacts of policies and events on the health of the economy. This course combines the study of economics and econometrics with a wide range of optional units.

Econometrics is a vital tool for economists because, unlike natural sciences, where controlled experiments are used to determine the effect of one thing on another, it is impossible to hold the economy constant while tinkering with a single variable. Econometrics provides the scientific means to overcome the issue using empirical observations.

Alongside additional mandatory modules in econometrics and the applied economics dissertation, you will be able to select from a wide range of optional modules from the Schools of Economics, Finance and Management during all three years of your degree.

Suitable for graduates in economics or a highly quantitative discipline, this intensive one-year program offers advanced training in economics equipping you with the required skills for a career as an economist. The program offers specialist pathways that allow you to specialise in Economics and Data Science, Economic Policy or Macro-economics. Each pathway consists of a combination of core and specialised units, coordinated to maximise skill and depth of knowledge in your area of interest. Recent graduate destinations include Bank of England, the Government Economic Service and the Central Bank of Thailand.

Childhood studies at Bristol provides you with a holistic understanding of children, childhood and adolescence, combining elements of education, psychology, law, social work and social policy.

This course is ideal for students interested in learning more about how to use numbers and data within childhood studies. 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 Childhood Studies course, where you will consider childhood in the contexts of families, peers and society at both a national and international level. Within a framework of children's rights, you will consider their participation and protection and the provision of services for children and young people.

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.

Our education master's degrees give you the opportunity to design a tailored program of study that suits your cultural and learning needs. You will be able to specialise and receive an award in a particular disciplinary area.

The Policy and International Development pathway focuses on the relationship between education policy and practice and international development. It probes the influence of global policy agendas on education and the contribution that education makes to social justice, economic growth and sustainable development.

In line with the sustainable development agenda, development is treated as an international issue and the pathway considers case studies from countries around the world as well as from within Bristol. It examines formal and informal education through diverse institutions and organisations, including schools, universities and community organisations.

This MSc takes a critical look at ideas about social development, such as human rights, the capability approach and peace building, and their implications for education policy and practice. There will be opportunities to explore how educational theories and practice travel between and are adapted to specific contexts. You will analyse the role of key organisations involved in the global governance of education, including civil society, international non-governmental organisations, development agencies and commercial bodies.

The Policy and International Development pathway develops your skills in using international and comparative research, both in education and in analysing education policy. You will be supported to develop your own reasoned position and distinctive critical voice for commenting on education policy and education’s role within social development at international, national and local level. You will have access to first-class library and information services, allowing you to study the specific ideas, issues, initiatives and policies you are interested in.

Do you enjoy both physics and computing? Our MSci Physics with Scientific Computing with Industrial Experience combines the study of the building blocks and forces of nature with training in computing and data-science skills. It includes a year of gaining hands-on, paid experience in the industry.

Computing skills are vital across many physics-related careers. This course offers a unique combination of units and projects blending programming, machine learning, data science and high-performance computing with fundamental concepts in physics. It aims to produce a new kind of scientist – one with a firm foundation in physics, a sound appreciation of scientific computing and an understanding of what can be achieved by combining them.

The industrial year can be a life-changing and rewarding experience providing valuable insights into the commercial pressures and real-world applications of physics and computing.

You will join a friendly department with a very active, award-winning student society. We encourage you to develop a broad range of skills, including the experimental, theoretical and computational skills needed for a career in research and industry. Our physics graduates have an excellent record of employment, a testament to the value that employers place on these skills. If you have a fascination for physics and an appetite for scientific computing, you will enjoy this programme.

This program brings together expertise from across many subject areas in the biomedical sciences to provide you with training in several key areas of current research interests. The programme focuses on experimental science and is research informed. It will provide you with practical laboratory-based experience with access to specialist techniques in state-of-the-art facilities.

It is a flexible program: you will select three lecture-based units and a literature project of your choice, giving you the opportunity to investigate a range of different topics within the biomedical sciences. For your final research project, you again have the flexibility to choose your research area from a wide range of suggested projects or you can work with academic staff to design your own research project.

The skills you can develop during this program include presentation skills, report-writing skills and work-planning skills. Several students have contributed to published papers and many go on to study at PhD level. Others have taken a wide range of career pathways, including research in industry, teaching and medical training.

This interdisciplinary MSc programme is for students who are passionate about early life, mass extinctions, macroevolution, climate change and fossil preservation. It bridges the biology-geology divide. You will learn the latest techniques in phylogenetics, biomechanics and macroevolution, providing you with a strong foundation for independent research to PhD level or for a career in museum curation, science education, science policy, management or the media.

You will join Bristol's established palaeobiology research group and engage in current debates in evolution, systematics and palaeobiology. You will learn how to analyse problems quantitatively and design experimental approaches to resolving questions in macroevolution and the study of both ancient and living organisms.

A key aspect of the programme is preparing your research project for publication, and many of our previous students’ projects have been published in leading international journals. Recent research project topics include the origin of cellular life, the preservation of colours in dinosaurs and the evolution of culture in humans.

This programme gives you the opportunity to develop a wide range of professional skills, including research planning, problem-solving and communication. You will learn to present palaeontological data through talks, visual displays and formal written reports. You will also develop computing skills in data handling, phylogenetics, macroevolution, function and 3D digital modelling.

Studying neuroscience will enable you to explore the workings of the brain, from molecules to neural systems, answering questions such as: how do neurones communicate with each other to lay down memories? What goes wrong in neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson's and schizophrenia? How do we feel pain?

Your knowledge will build from studying core units in years one and two to studying selected, in-depth courses in your final year. Second-year units explore many aspects of neuroscience, including the neurophysiology of the central nervous system; the pharmacology of drugs that affect the nervous system; and the techniques that have enabled advances in understanding the nervous system.

Final-year units are run at the forefront of current research and include subjects such as synaptic plasticity and brain and behaviour, as well as studying specialised topics, such as neuropsychiatric diseases. You will also spend 30 days on a research project.

Theoretical physics aims to understand and predict phenomena in the physical world based on a conceptual and mathematical understanding of the laws of the universe.

This course includes topics such as quantum physics, quantum information, relativistic field theory and condensed matter physics. Our MSci Theoretical Physics degree incorporates a greater level of mathematics and theory with less laboratory work than MSci Physics.

You will join a friendly department with a very active, award-winning student society. Many theoretical physics graduates pursue further academic research then progress to careers in research and teaching. The problem solving and mathematical skills you can gain during this degree are highly valued in finance, IT and management, as well as a wide range of other careers.

On this course you will combine philosophy with study in religion and theology, taking an equal number of credits in each subject.

In philosophy you will study units covering introduction to philosophy, logic, and realism and normativity and undertake an extended essay.

For theology, you will take an introductory unit on different religious traditions and a methodology unit in your first year. You will also take an optional unit from choices that may include Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Chinese and Japanese religions, and the Philosophy of Religion.

In the second year you will continue your studies in philosophy and theology by combining mandatory units with other units of your choice.

In the third year you will take three optional units, including a dissertation in an area of special interest to you.