Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (with integrated foundation)

at University of Buckingham United Kingdom

BA History of Art and Heritage Management provides a first-class rounded education and excellent intellectual training.

While the primary focus is on the visual arts, the subject also touches on many other traditional humanities disciplines such as literature, history, religion, languages, classics, psychology and philosophy, with which it provides natural subject combinations.

Students acquire skills of critical and historical analysis and the ability to evaluate evidence and present arguments fluently, both orally and in writing.

The 3 year LLB Law degree is designed for students who can benefit from an introduction to enable them to study at undergraduate level. The first year of the programme provides a foundation to the more specialist ‘core’ subjects delivered in years two and three.

The unique structure of Buckingham’s LLB degree allows our students to become confident, competent lawyers, able to practise almost anywhere in the world after just three years (eight or nine terms) of study.

With an English ‘qualifying law degree’ from Buckingham you will be recognised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (formerly the Law Society) and the Bar Standards Board as qualified to be exempt from the academic stage of training for entry into the legal profession. Every LLB programme at Buckingham (whether single honours or combined honours) provides our graduates with this qualification.

We can usually accommodate the additional requirements needed for those who wish to practise in other jurisdictions and if you are an overseas student we are happy to discuss exactly which subjects you need to study in order to qualify for your jurisdiction.

During your study for the Buckingham LLB Law Degree  you will become proficient in written and oral presentation, develop and perfect your research techniques and learn to solve problems in a logical and structured way and also acquire the practical skills of oral advocacy

The degree provides a firm grounding in diplomatic theory and practice. It covers the history and operation of diplomacy; the causes of conflict and strategies for conflict resolution; the nature and operation of international organisations, including the United Nations and its agencies; the development and global role of supranational organisations, especially the European Union (with an emphasis on its external policies); global political communication, including the media and new forms of communication; the practice of great power politics. It is taught from the Centre for United Nations Studies.

The Director of the of the Centre for UN Studies is Mark Seddon – a former Senior Communications Adviser to the President of the UN General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa and former speechwriter to UN Secretary-General, Ban ki-moon former & Director of Communications, UN Special Envoy, Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown. He is also a former UN Correspondent for al Jazeera English TV. The Deputy Director is Dr. Paul Graham – Previously taught at Glasgow University and has published work on John Rawls (Rawls, Oneworld Publications, 2016) and an important textbook – (with John Hoffman), Introduction to Political Theory (Routledge, 2015). He has an interest in questions of global justice and conflict resolution.

The Centre’s Deputy Director is Dr. Paul Graham. Paul previously taught at Glasgow University and has published work on John Rawls (Rawls, Oneworld Publications, 2016) as well as “Introduction to Political Theory” (with John Hoffman) (Routledge, 2015). He has an interest in questions of global justice and conflict resolution.

Launched in January 2006, our BSc Business Enterprise BBE is the first undergraduate Venture Creation Programme (VCP) at a university anywhere in the world. This means students are required to start and run a business as part of their degree, this is not your typical degree programme as this programme is split between real-world application and theoretical knowledge.

The BSc Business Enterprise (BBE) Programme will interest you if you want to:

• Start and develop your own new business at the same time as studying for an honours degree.
• Make a positive contribution to the strategic development of a family business or other small or medium enterprise.
• Develop an entrepreneurial or “can do” approach to life to enhance your future career anywhere.

Students pitching to the Buckingham AngelsThis course provides the opportunity for you to ‘pitch’ for ‘seed-corn’ capital of up to £5,000, enabling you to start and run your own business as an integral part of your honours degree.  We offer a range of business subjects that will help you to establish your business and develop your qualities of entrepreneurship, management and innovation.

In the first semester, you will learn how to create an effective business plan. This will form the basis of your ‘pitch’ to obtain your ‘seed-corn’ capital from our investment panel ‘Buckingham Angels’.

During the following 18 months, you will be establishing and ‘growing’ the business, at the same time as developing your academic knowledge in-depth across the range of business subjects needed to obtain an honours degree in Business Enterprise.

The three year BSc in Economics is designed if you need additional preparation prior to undergraduate level study. The first year of the programme is intended to provide a foundation in both knowledge and academic skills for the more specialist subjects in years two and three.

Course outline
How will tackling climate change impact the economy? Will Bitcoin become the new global currency? What are the economic lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic?

Our Economics programme will explore these topics and many others. The course is designed to equip students with the quantitative and analytical skills to progress into economics-related jobs in finance, business and consulting, as well as preparing them for master’s level study.

As a student, you will blend theory in econometrics, macroeconomics, financial markets and microeconomic behaviour, together with practical real-world analysis and policy applications. We regularly host events and seminars where you can see the latest research from our own academics.

Our academics offer a supportive, diverse and creative environment for you to explore your interests and ensure a successful educational experience. You will join an international community of students, staff and alumni.

A dedicated professional development course runs through the degree covering academic and job market skills. You will also benefit from internships and research opportunities in the Vinson Centre for Economics and Entrepreneurship.

There are also many optional choices built into the programme that allows you to tailor your degree to suit your career or academic preferences.

Many graduates continue their studies with us at master’s level or careers in banking and financial markets, corporate finance, economic consultancy and think tanks.

The main BA Digital News and Media (2-year degree) comprises study and training in a wide range of aspects of the subject area, including online media, news management, PR, advertising, photojournalism, broadcast journalism and legal/ethical issues in journalism, and is intended for those considering careers in these and related fields.

The degree consists of a combination of practical modules in all aspects of design and content production in online, broadcast and print media together with courses in communication and English language studies in order to professionalise students’ writing abilities.

BSc Psychology with Business Management looks many important aspects of business, such as human resource management, ergonomics and aptitude testing. Indeed all psychology students take a course called Business Psychology, which all business students also study. This combination is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to go into business or industry.

The University of Buckingham’s Master’s programme in Country House Studies offers the opportunity to pursue research at Master’s level in any one of a wide range of country-house-related topics: from explorations of individual houses and their architects and decorators, to studies of their social and political use, and the role of the country house in literature and film.

Individual research topics are closely focused; but the approach of the course is to encourage students to investigate the interconnections between the country house’s multiple facets and roles, rather than to examine it in exclusively architectural-historical terms. Recent dissertations have surveyed, for example, the Baroque mural in country house decoration; the use of music in the country houses during the 1650s; and the professionalisation of the sale of country estates in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The choice of subject area is ultimately the student’s own.

The MA is awarded solely on the basis of the dissertation (there are no ‘exams’), and the relationship between you and your supervisor is therefore at the heart of the course. The maximum length for the MA dissertation recommended by the School of Humanities is 25,000 words (or approximately 75 pages at line-spacing of 1.5), excluding notes and references. Student and supervisor meet regularly on a one-to-one basis to discuss, plan, and review the dissertation as it develops through the year.

BSC Business Management with Applied Computing is perfect combination programme, to develop skills which business, industry and commerce require from graduates.  An ability to appreciate where and how information systems can be effective and to help with their design, procurement, management and use, is highly sought after.

Such graduates need a sound background in information systems, with knowledge and skills in the use of current technology, techniques and tools. Also, to make an effective contribution, they need to appreciate the impact that such systems can have on business efficiency, organisational and management structure, and competitiveness. They must understand the range of resource management techniques available and have the skills to implement such techniques in a wide range of business contexts.

Our BSc Business Management with Applied Computing programme combines core Business Management modules with a range of relevant Applied Computing modules. The programme is uniquely designed to produce business graduates with a sound knowledge and understanding of how technology can be applied to problems in such areas as management, administration, industrial automation, large-scale manufacturing, resource allocation, retail and service industries, aerospace, education and healthcare.

Particular emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of the underlying technologies that support the development of computer-based information systems so that students are able to cope with the rapid advances in this field.

The BSc Computing with foundation year programme will benefit those individuals who wish to study an undergraduate degree but have non-standard academic qualifications.

Year one of BSc Computing with Foundation will follow the Foundation Pathway programme with the addition of the Access to Computing programme introducing students to key concepts and study skills. This is followed by a pre-university access programme specially designed for Applied Computing. The overall aim is to equip students who have not achieved the minimum entry requirements for BSc (Hons) Computing with the fundamental knowledge and essential skills required for the intensive study of the undergraduate degree programme at Buckingham.

These preparatory modules include mathematics, fundamentals of computing as well as web computing. Students must pass all modules before being allowed on to the BSc Computing degree portion of the programme.

In years two and three students will build on these skills and enhance their knowledge, understanding and practice in core subjects following the BSc Computing programme structure. Throughout the three years, a student will be equipped with the skills to reach their potential in academic studies.

Computing and communications technologies lie at the heart of modern society. They include hardware, software, networks, tools, telecommunications equipment and required standards that provide the technological framework on which the delivery of information services is based. The IT industry is reporting a widening gap in software skills while hard technology is developing and diversifying fast.

The overall aim of this programme is to enable all students to develop their potential so that they can apply what they have learnt to deal with computational problems and develop solutions in a real-world environment. Through studying this programme, students learn how to specify, design, develop and operate efficient and innovative computer-based systems and gain up-to-date knowledge of the relevant computing technologies at an advanced level within a shorter space of time.