Bachelor of Science in Business Economics (with Integrated foundation)

at University of Buckingham United Kingdom

BA Security, Intelligence and Cyber looks at global politics and diplomacy in the 21st century which are increasingly underpinned by questions of security, both as a threat and as policy. Diplomats and decision-makers in government and business increasingly need to understand the complex dynamics of regional and global security, whether that be the complex dynamics of the Middle East; the resurgence of assertive powers in a multi-polar world; or domestic extremist movements, to name but a few. Processes of globalisation have taught us that two further developments are also critical. First, in order to survive and prosper in an uncertain world, all states need good intelligence on threats and adversaries. But how do intelligence capabilities properly interface with the business of government, especially in democratic states where security, privacy and accountability must be carefully balanced? Secondly, the twenty-first century is and will increasingly signify a world where the virtual and the physical become intertwined. The key managers and decision-makers of tomorrow will need to be very much at ease in the cyber realm, recognising both its opportunities and its threats. The intersection of technology, security and politics will become the essence of modern life.

This BA Security, Intelligence and Cyber programme builds upon the success of the Centre of Security and Intelligence Studies at Buckingham (BUCSIS) which has established itself as one of the world leaders in educational provision in this subject area. Both the centre and the university at large offer a very diverse environment. With students coming to Buckingham from over 80 countries, it is an ideal situation to learn about matters of international concern and to discuss them with people from differing cultural backgrounds.

The programme is structured around a core set of modules, and two optional pathways, focusing respectively on politics and diplomacy; and foundational-level computing and cybersecurity.

Students wishing to pursue careers in security, intelligence, diplomacy, foreign affairs or business management will find this programme a unique and attractive foundation.

A BSc Computing degree 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.

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.

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.

This strategic marketing MSc will be invaluable to anyone wishing to pursue a career in marketing (e.g. marketing management, brand management, customer experience and customer service management).

In today’s global, digital world, effective strategic marketing puts the customer and their needs at the centre of decision-making, and a clear focus on customer experience is a critical part of this.  An understanding of this need for customer-centricity is at the core of our MSc in Strategic Marketing & Customer Experience Management.

This leading-edge programme is designed to be totally relevant to today’s organisations, exposing you to managerially relevant theory and practice, which will be of value in real-world business contexts.  The programme will provide you with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to help firms address the marketing challenges that lie at the heart of their business.

This programme provides an in-depth understanding of how firms can develop compelling value propositions, within the context of the strategic marketing planning process, and then how to deliver these value propositions across the customer journey, creating a positive customer experience.

In addition, the programme will enable you to examine the concept of service from many perspectives, by exploring service systems as well as service leadership, along with the critically important area of managing employees in a service-focused culture.

The programme also provides an understanding of consumer behaviour and digital and social media marketing – essential knowledge in this complex, digital world where consumers increasingly expect a seamless omnichannel experience throughout their customer journeys.

Additionally, a practical research methods module will set you up to embark on a dissertation, which will give you the opportunity to ‘deep dive’ into an aspect of the programme which is particularly inspiring.

This programme of study aims to train first-degree holders in computing-related areas into specialists in selected areas of IT and computing. Based on the current expertise in the Department, the programme offers students opportunities for in-depth study in:

• Secure mobile and wireless communications
• Biometrics and authentication
• Data mining and knowledge discovery
• Imaging techniques and applications

The programme is carefully designed to suit the varied needs of different students from different backgrounds and with different career objectives.

Communications using mobile and wireless devices such as mobile phones, PDA s and laptops have become increasingly important in modern life and electronic commerce. Reliable, speedy and secure transmission of information over such devices is vital for the successful exploitation of the technologies.

Authentication, using biometric data as a sophisticated means to combat fraud, is increasingly accepted by both businesses and governments. Biometric authentication solutions require good use of imaging and data mining techniques in constructing and verifying customer profiles. Online organisations have accumulated large collections of online data that need speedy processing and analysis. If you are interested in finding out more about any of these technologies, then this programme is for you.

On graduating from this programme, you will be able to:

• Understand a range of modern computing technologies
• Apply these technologies in practice
• Describe the roles that modern computing technologies have in many areas of application
• Demonstrate the value of state-of-the-art development in one specific technology and its applications

Bridging the gap between medicine and psychology, our course focuses on understanding the behavioural processes around health, illness and disability, and is one of the only British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited MScs in this subject to offer an 18-week placement. Our MSc Health Psychology programme is designed to allow students to develop knowledge and skills across all of the main areas of health psychology to postgraduate level. We cover a wide-range of topics, from advanced research methods to a working and evidence-based knowledge of health psychology approaches, theories, models and interventions.

You will develop a strong knowledge base and core transferable skills. You will learn to analyse, debate, discuss and devise behaviour change interventions for use in primary, secondary and community care. You’ll become autonomous in the design and analysis of research, and develop skills towards becoming an independent researcher. You’ll develop an awareness of the practical reality of working in applied settings before going on to perfect those skills in our embedded placement. All of this will provide you with a solid foundation for further study and employment in a variety of areas, including psychology and research assistantships, PhDs, and further training in health or clinical psychology.

BSc Psychology with English Literature looks at the discoveries and hypotheses of psychologists who over the last 100 years have been enriching the study of English literature, either as a way of understanding the mind of the artist or of the characters they create. Studying BSc Psychology with English Literature at Buckingham as with English Literature as your minor subject, gives you the chance to ‘apply’ the insights which the scientific study of individual and group psychology provides to a range of powerful and enigmatic works of literature, from the plays of Shakespeare, through the Gothic and Romantic projections of the late 18th-century, to the short stories and novels of British and American women writers writing in a post-Freudian universe.

Both subjects require the close analysis of texts (spoken, written, uttered) and the discipline of clear report and essay-writing. Their combination in this programme gives you the imaginative scope of an arts programme with the vocation and professionalism of a Bachelor of Science degree.

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.

This postgraduate research degree is offered by the Centre for Research into Expertise Acquisition, Training and Excellence (CREATE) hub at the University of Buckingham. The main focus of this centre is the exploration of the drivers of excellence in performance (whether cognitive, creative or practice-based). We are engaged in a number of external collaborative projects in the areas of creativity and performance, and also work with internal colleagues in the School of Computing and the Medical School. Key topic areas we explore include:

• Insight and creativity
• The drivers of performance excellence and expertise development (e.g. in music, theatre, puzzle-solving, board-games and medicine)
• Hobbies, motivations and characteristics of niche populations
• Psychology of music, choreography and dance
• Time perception and those with ‘natural’ time-keeping abilities

This programme leads to the award of an MSc (Research) in the area of the Psychology of Creativity and Performance Expertise. In addition to completing a 25,000 word thesis within a topic area relevant to the hub, you will gain wide knowledge of the broader field through guided self-study topic areas and research skills workshops. This will mean that you develop an in-depth knowledge of the psychology of creativity and performance expertise, which is informed by current issues and advanced research.

As a result of your studies, you will develop a strong knowledge base and core transferable skills which will enable you to become an independent researcher in your field, and will provide you with a solid foundation for further study and/or employment.