Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Psychology with Applied Computing (Accelerated)

at University of Buckingham United Kingdom

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.

Single or Flexible Honours

Make your degree as unique as you! If you choose Digital News and Media (Single or Flexible Honours) you’ll have the freedom to tailor your  BA Digital News and Media degree to reflect your interests and passions by combining it with a wide range of other subjects taught here at the University. This means that when you graduate you will have a highly personalised degree that will suit you and your aspirations perfectly. If you choose Flexible Honours you have the freedom to select up to a third of your modules from the whole range of what is taught at the University. This means you can mix and match lots of different subjects ?with Digital News and Media or focus solely on Digital News and Media. At every stage, your Personal Tutor will be on hand to advise and guide your choices. Availability of modules are subject to timetabling constraints, minimum and maximum class sizes and any agreed pre-requisite modules.

Our new flagship MBA programme takes advantage of Buckingham’s unique student-centred pedagogical approach, to give you an unparalleled opportunity to work closely with expert-faculty to develop considerable specialised and general business knowledge. It will help you achieve a more rewarding career and lucrative lifestyle.

On the programme you will:

• Develop knowledge and understanding of organisations, their management and the changing internal and external contexts in which they operate.
• Build knowledge and understanding of the complexity of business management in order to improve the effectiveness of decision-making in organisations.
• Develop as managers who can contribute a balanced outlook which incorporates an understanding of the economic, environmental, social and ethical concerns in the context of managing organisations.
• Develop enduring skills and an appreciation that these skills can be enhanced and developed through life-long learning.
• Develop the necessary knowledge and skills to improve your employability in an increasingly competitive environment.

Modules are designed to enhance your employability by developing your capacity to make high-quality decisions, undertake organizational analysis, lead others and communicate effectively. In particular, the MBA project provides you with the opportunity to develop, but also demonstrate your business acumen through a significant piece of original organizational research or consultancy-style project work.

The three year BSc Psychology with foundation is designed for students who need additional preparation prior to the 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. When you apply for this programme, we will be able to advise whether this 3-year (BA/BSc with integrated Foundation) option or our 2-year UG degree is the best option for you.

As a student, you will learn core theory and have the opportunity to study the eight areas of practitioner psychology, enabling you to make an informed choice on your future career as a psychologist. In addition, we have modules in distinct areas of study such as creativity and cyberpsychology.

The BSc Psychology with foundation programme at Buckingham has been designed to integrate the unique Buckingham tutorial teaching model into the teaching of psychological science. The programme is based on three core elements. First, covering the core theoretical content required for British Psychological Society accreditation meaning that the degree has both national and international recognition. Second, strong research methods and analysis skills embedded within the programme so that Buckingham graduates have begun to develop a range of highly employable skills.

This cutting-edge programme is unique to Buckingham. A course with wide appeal, it is aimed at anyone who has an interest in biography or in researching and writing a biography for themselves. The varied mix of backgrounds and interests that students bring to the course, the experience and commitment of the programme director and the friendly small-group setting allow a lively, enjoyable and intellectually rigorous exchange of ideas. Graduates have gone on to publish their own books, and to win prizes. Some have embarked on further research for the PhD in Biography.

When it was founded in 1996, the Biography MA was the first of its kind. Since then Life Writing has become part of the postgraduate menu, but the Buckingham course has kept its distinctive edge. Unlike most Life Writing degrees, it is not linked to Creative Writing, and there is a strong emphasis on research and historical biography. The programme is consistently rated ‘excellent’ by external examiners and inspectors.

Course structure

Students have a choice between following the taught MA or opting for the MA by Research. The taught MA gives an opportunity to produce written term papers on a variety of topics as well as a dissertation of up to 20,000 words. Students accepted for the MA by Research are required to produce written work which includes an extended dissertation of up to 40,000 words. All students produce coursework for the Research  Methods module: an annotated bibliography and a short biography, with supporting material, produced according to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography format.

Guest seminars on the course are led by leading biographers, critics, publishers and agents. Teachers and speakers on the course have included Andrew Motion, Kathryn Hughes, Frances Wilson, Frances Spalding, Caroline Dawnay, Andrew Lownie, Miranda Seymour, Anne Wroe, Angela Thirlwell, David Lough and Ophelia Field.

The unique structure of Buckingham’s Law and Criminology degree (LLB), with four full teaching terms per calendar year, enables you to graduate after just two years of study (eight, or nine terms with September start).

In addition to your legal studies, you will complete 120 units of criminology, allowing you to develop a deep and wide-ranging understanding of the origins, causes and consequences of crime and criminality. This includes knowledge and understanding of legal and criminological research methods, referencing protocols and the different primary and secondary sources of law. Criminology itself is an interdisciplinary subject comprised of the legal, social, psychological, and cultural aspects of crime.

The Law and Criminology degree also satisfies the necessary first step for qualifying as a lawyer in various common law jurisdictions, including Canada, Nigeria, the Bahamas, and Bermuda.

For those interested in qualifying as a solicitor in the UK, the Law and Criminology degree provides you with thorough preparation for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam 1 (SQE1), enabling you to choose the accelerated SQE1 preparation courses after graduation. Our innovative and diverse curriculum also contributes to preparation for the practice-orientated SQE2, both SQE1 and SQE2 being necessary for qualification as a solicitor.

For those UK and international students wishing to qualify as an English barrister, the Law and Criminology degree satisfies the academic component of Bar training, the necessary first step to qualifying as an English barrister.

Buckingham Law School also offers a broad range of extra-curricular opportunities to develop your professional skills and experience of legal practice. These opportunities include the possibility, between the first and second year of your LLB, of a sandwich year placement with a professional organisation.

We often accommodate the particular requirements needed to practise in various common law jurisdictions other than the UK. If you are an international student from one of these jurisdictions, we are happy to discuss what subjects you must take to qualify.

Our Law and Criminology graduates who gain a second-class honours degree, or higher, are guaranteed a place on our LLM programme in International and Commercial Law. This opportunity greatly enhances specialist knowledge and enables our students to acquire two degrees in only three years.

BA History is one of the five most popular subjects among UK university students, and with good reason. Having a historical perspective enables people to make sense of today’s rapidly changing world. Employers like it because history teaches you to think for yourself, to work under pressure, and to construct a coherent argument from the evidence. Historical research has never been more exciting than it is today, with the internet making available so many treasures from the archives.

This BA History programme has been carefully designed and fine-tuned by Buckingham’s team of experienced and high-calibre historians. It offers an outline and conceptual modules which concentrate on the period from 1800 to the present day – though we do study some earlier periods too from the 1500s onwards too.  It covers, in particular, empires, the rise in political polarisation, World Wars and the shaping of our modern political systems, whilst considering the relationship between ideology and the historical process.

Students progress to study the history of history and to reflect on historical method. In the last part of the course, we study historical documents and texts and develop research and writing skills through a long essay and a dissertation. So the programme not only teaches history; it also teaches you to think historically and to research and write history.

History Flexible (BA) Honours option
Make your degree as unique as you! If you choose BA History (Flexible Honours) you’ll have the freedom to tailor your History degree to reflect your interests and passions by combining it with a wide range of other subjects taught here at the University. This means that when you graduate you will have a highly personalised degree that will suit you and your aspirations perfectly.

If you choose Flexible Honours you have the freedom to select up to a third of your modules from the whole range of what is taught at the University. This means you can mix and match lots of different subjects ?with History. At every stage, your Personal Tutor will be on hand to advise and guide your choices.

The BA in Digital News and Media 3-year programme will benefit those individuals who wish to study an undergraduate degree but have non-standard academic qualifications.

Year one will follow the Foundation Pathway programme and introduce students to key concepts and study skills. In years two and three students will build on these skills and enhance their knowledge, understanding and practice in core subjects. Throughout the three years, a student will be equipped with the skills to reach their potential in academic studies.

Foundation courses bridge the gap between your current qualifications and the knowledge and skills required for the undergraduate programme you want to do. Even if you have not yet achieved the necessary academic qualifications or your English language is not yet at the required standard, we will help you to identify your needs and develop a learning programme to meet them in Year 1, enabling you to progress on to the full degree. Our unique condensed timetabling at Buckingham allows you to complete your foundation and undergraduate programmes in just three years. This means a faster – and smoother transition into university study in a supportive and stimulating learning environment.

Why study this course?
The main BA degree Digital News and Media 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.

A BSc in Computing looks at the 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 intensive 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. Graduates of the degree programme will be able to undertake a variety of careers in the IT industry, including programming, systems analysis and design, network and systems management, and technical support. Alternatively, they can advance their careers in research in computing/computer science in academic institutions at Buckingham, other UK universities or universities abroad.

This programme aims to deliver a deep understanding of the contemporary security and intelligence environment in western democracies, with a focus on the UK. Security and Intelligence Studies are an important new field in political science but there is also widespread recognition that a good knowledge of how security and intelligence agencies operate; of the environment in which they operate; and of how their products are, and should be, used has become a key component of good and successful governance. Emphasis is placed on relating academic and historical analyses to contemporary problems and policy questions especially in the UK but also to western states in general, using a unique degree of practitioner-led expertise.

With regard to intelligence-led policy and practice, emphasis is placed on the very skills that the intelligence community itself has been urged to develop in the wake of the Butler Review on Intelligence on WMD. This specifically recommended the development of a greater degree of ‘professionalisation’ in intelligence analysis skills, including critical thinking and analysis (developed in part through an element of exercising and collaborative working on challenge problems), and a greater ability to evaluate and assess disparate sources of sometimes conflicting information. This programme is aimed at everyone who is interested in intelligence and security issues, whatever their career plans, but also at those who may be aspiring to work in the field of security and intelligence. It can also assist the career development of those already employed within that field.

BSc Psychology with Applied Computing looks at the ever-larger role that computers are taking in our everyday lives and the increasing number of jobs in the Information Technology sector. Aadegree covering psychology and IT is a very wise choice. The area of human-computer interaction is an example of an overlap between the two disciplines.

The BSc Psychology with Applied Computing programme is carefully designed to suit the varied needs of different students from different backgrounds and with different career objectives, in the IT and psychology fields.

By choosing to study BSc Psychology with Applied Computing at the University of Buckingham, you’ll benefit from a committed team of lecturers who genuinely care about the people they teach. Students will learn through Buckingham’s unique tutorials, which are in addition to lectures and seminars. These sessions ensure that you are not just a face in the crowd, your tutors will get to know who you are and encourage you to engage in debates and discussions. During tutorials you will develop your knowledge about psychology and computing and regularly practice skills that are important for employability.