Master of Arts in English Literature by Research

at University of Buckingham United Kingdom

The BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (3-year degree) combines the three important subjects of Philosophy, Politics and Economics. What makes it different to PPE offered in other universities is its integrated character, with a special focus on explaining how human behaviour shapes economic and political institutions.

In the Philosophy strand, you will take an Introduction to Philosophy module and study the Philosophy of Mind. In addition, there will be more specialised modules in political theory: Introduction to Political Theory; Freedom; Evolution and Human Cooperation. And students will receive a grounding in the Philosophy of Social Science.

The Politics element of the degree focuses on area and country studies, with a particular emphasis on political order and security challenges. Those challenges vary from region to region but typically take the form of political violence (war, terrorism and organised crime), mass migration and economic instability. Students are encouraged to approach these problems from a number of disciplinary perspectives. For example, the study of Latin America would consider the historical, cultural and economic determinants of the region’s politics.

The Economics element of the PPE programme covers the core areas of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. But in addition, there is an emphasis on the interaction between Economics and Politics. Students also receive a strong grounding in mathematics and quantitative methods.

Another distinctive feature of the degree is that two modules – in Politics and Philosophy – will be based on a series of lectures by prominent academics and public figures. These are taught in London (travel and other expenses will be covered in the fees).

The University of Buckingham’s one-year MA by research in the History of Art: Renaissance to Modernism gives an overview of the development of Western art and its leading artists and movements and offers students the chance to study in depth an approved topic of their choosing. A supervisor will oversee each stage of the research, whether that be into such subjects as Renaissance portraits, aspects of the Baroque, Impressionist techniques or postwar British art, offering not just art historical guidance but information about research techniques and dissertation structure. The aim is to produce a 25,000-word dissertation that sheds new light on the topic.

This groundbreaking programme is London-based and directed by the art historian Michael Prodger. The course will be supplemented by a series of ten guest seminars presented by an internationally distinguished group of art historians, artists and gallerists.

The guest speaker seminars will be held at the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BE.

Each seminar (approximately 70 minutes, beginning at 18:30) is followed by a post-seminar dinner, for those who wish to attend, where there will be an opportunity to continue the seminar discussion in an informal environment. The cost of the post-seminar dinners is included in the tuition fees.

Over 70% of the world’s economy is services. The MSc Management in a Digital Service Economy aims to equip graduates with the ability to create and deliver reliable customer centred service –  a key differentiator for business today. In many industries, profit margins on product sales have shrunk enormously, leading to an increased focus on generating profits through value-added services. Thus, the best firms now bundle customer-centred service with a manufactured product and create service centred solutions. Some, like IBM have moved completely to service and solutions.

Service Management as a body of knowledge has made immense progress in the last decade. Economies are more and more service-focused and it has become imperative to study all aspects of managing service. Buckingham is among the very few universities in the world to have responded to the demand for the creation of expertise in this area and to have established a track-record of success

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.

Our BSc Psychology degree is designed to give you a head start in your career as a psychologist or in people-centred employment; covering all the core content you would expect from a British Psychological Society (BPS) accredited degree, in addition to exciting optional modules in the second year.

By choosing to study BSc Psychology 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 regularly practice skills that are important for employability. If you’d like to try out a tutorial, come along to one of our free taster sessions.

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. As one of the only two-year BPS accredited BSc Psychology degrees in the UK, you’ll be able to fast track your career within this popular field, or opt to consolidate your learning through postgraduate study once you have graduated.

This programme is accredited as conferring eligibility for the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the BPS (British Psychological Society), provided the minimum standard of a Second Class Honours is achieved.

BSc Computing with Accounting and Finance  will enable you to understand 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 in relation to accounting and finance. 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 and awareness of the relevant computing technologies within a shorter space of time. Graduates of BSc Computing with Accounting and Finance will be able to undertake a variety of careers in the IT sector of related industries.

This major/minor programme of study specifically aims to produce technically sound computing graduates who are exposed to basic concepts and practice of accounting and finance, providing them with IT and computing technical know-how as well as awareness of the principles of the application areas.

The content of this fast-track programme is compatible with the UK QAA subject benchmark statement for Computing and with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The intensive nature of the programme requires motivation, commitment and above all good management of time

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.

Recent corporate scandals across the world have drawn attention to the importance of accountancy and finance. BSc Accounting and Finance 2-year degree programmes are designed to meet the demands of the 21st Century, but which still teach the underlying skills, make it an exciting time to be studying accounting and finance at Buckingham.

The flagship BSc Accounting and Finance degree programme (previously known as BSc Accounting and Financial Management) provides an academically rigorous study of the principal accounting and finance disciplines. It also has a strong vocational orientation, providing significant exemptions from the examinations of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). The combination of a fast-track two-year programme and the number of exemptions attained makes Buckingham Business School a very attractive option to the Accounting and Finance student.

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 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.