Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Philosophy, Religion and Ethics (with Sandwich Year)

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

With input from professionals, you’ll investigate the tools used by some of the world’s most successful engineers and producers. Using industry-standard studios and technology, you’ll learn techniques to record, process and mix your work to the highest professional standards. You’ll also gain an in-depth understanding of acoustics, studio design and installation, monitoring, webcasting and advanced digital signal processing techniques.

• Our programme is Industry Accredited by JAMES, who represent the Association of Professional Recording Services (APRS), the Music Producers Guild (MPG) and Associate Industry Bodies.
• Develop excellent technical skills over the course of your degree, and benefit from our high quality studio, listening room, venue and sound resources including those by SSL, Yamaha, Avid, Focusrite, Quested, Genelec, Neumann, TLA, Lexicon and Drawmer to name but a few.
• Excellent industry input is built into the design of the degree awards from a huge number of areas within the wider music industry.
• The degree awards within the programme are designed to expose you to areas of music, sound and audio technology that you might not even know exist yet.  "Coming to this course has really given my brain the kick-start it needed, and I'm beginning to see near endless possibilities with where I can go." - Glenn Osborn, second year student.
• We have a strong record of students from the programme securing placement years between years 2 and 3 of their studies.  Placement destinations include Focusrite, Sound Technology (a leading distributor of high profile brands for the Music Retail and Professional Audio industries), The Famous Company, and a number of recording studios.
• Every year, organisations and companies approach us to recommend our graduating students.
• Music business is woven into your degree study at every year giving you the skills to slot into the music industry (or create your own business).
• Organise and Participate ‘live’ projects, and our ‘JamJar’ showcase live events.
• Benefit from studying in creative arts school and collaborate with filmmakers and animators in realising fully featured, professional standard media projects.
• We have some of the best resources in the UK, including the 39 million pound entertainment venue – the Forum where our students perform, and engineer every month, and state-of-the art music studios and film and TV facilities in our 12 million pound building for Music, Film and media.

Do you have a story to tell, or have you always wanted to be a writer? Perhaps you want to learn how to be a critical reader or gain a greater understanding of the craft of writing.

Studying English Literature and Creative Writing with us will help you find your voice, whether as a poet, playwright, novelist or scholar of literature.
This joint course combines the study of literature with the practice of creative writing. Studying literature will give you a greater understanding of how literary texts work, while this improved critical insight will help you put principles into practice in your own creative writing.

We offer a stimulating and supportive place in which to explore your ideas, hone your craft and understand literary texts. Our creative writing modules are taught by lecturers who are themselves award-winning practitioners and who bridge the gap between creative and academic approaches to literature. They include our poetry lecturer Wayne Holloway-Smith, winner of the Poetry Society’s Geoffrey Dearmer Prize and Seamus Heaney Prize nominee.

Over the three years you can choose specialist creative writing modules in poetry, creative non-fiction, drama, short story writing and prose fiction. Those specialisms are reflected in our English Literature modules, which range from children’s and young adult literature to film adaptations and work written in English from all over the world.

By the time you graduate, you will have a polished piece of work which has the potential for publication. Recent successes for our students include short stories published in Bandit and AnotherLenz magazines and poetry published in Rising and international magazine Poetry London.

In your first year, an underpinning core module, Becoming a Writer, will introduce you to genres and forms and examine the universalities of dialogue, plot and language. A second core module, Identity and Contemporary Writing, introduces you to some of the most exciting new writing as a model for your own work, while an optional module enables you to specialise in writing for the screen.
The practicalities of getting published or working in literary publishing are explored in a creative writing module in your second year taught by a former editor of Granta, the renowned magazine of new writing. For your final year your particular creative interest can be channelled into a long piece of writing, which can be poetry, prose or drama.

Perhaps you're interested in Criminal Justice and Criminology, but haven't found the course which feels right for you? Our Criminology and Criminal Justice programme offers cutting-edge modules such as Terrorism and Criminology, Policing and Society, Gender and Crime, War Crimes, Drugs, Crime and Criminology and Imprisonment and Justice, allowing you to explore a range of the most pressing social issues of today.

Throughout the degree, you will begin to understand that Criminology is the study of the anatomy of a crime, specifically its causes, consequences and costs. Criminal justice, on the other hand, refers to established systems for dealing with crime, specifically detection of crime, detaining of criminals, and criminal prosecution and punishment.

If you wish to pursue career opportunities in criminal justice, you will study the different components of criminal justice, and if you're interested in pursuing a career as a criminologist, you will study the behaviour patterns, backgrounds, and sociological trends of criminals.While both fields are different, criminologists and criminal justice professionals work together in the criminal justice system to thwart crime.

On the course, you will:

• Investigate the nature of crime and criminality and develop an understanding of the various issues, debates, and approaches within the criminal justice system and criminology 
• Engage with a range of current issues and debates on some of the most pressing social issues, such as national security, drug policy and the sex trade
• Examine how and why offenders should be punished and explore how society defines and manages crime
• Be taught research-informed course content so that they develop the skills to carry out their own criminological research, together with a range of other transferable skills
• Engage with important Criminal Justice contacts – we have close professional relationships with the Hertfordshire Constabulary, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, Herts Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (HACRO) and Answers Investigation
• Be taught by internationally-recognised experts in criminology and draw on their expertise in Criminal Justice Process, Criminology, and Academic skills in Criminology
• Learn the concepts, theories and methods they need to understand the realities of crime and control and the practical skills that will allow them to participate in the criminal justice process

At Hertfordshire Law School, we recognise that while you are studying with us, you will want to develop professionally and increase your confidence. That's why we offer a range of co-curricular activities, including; Debating, Forensic Psychology, and Restorative Justice to help you improve the skills needed for a great career in Criminal Justice and Criminology.

We want to give you the best possible start to your career! We offer a broad range of careers events throughout the year, including speed careers networking, and guest speakers from a wide range of employers. It's no wonder 93.8% of Hertfordshire Law School graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduating.*

Our Criminology degree is also significantly enhanced by expert research-informed and practitioner-led teaching to ensure you are academically supported. You'll also be part of a community which offers significant pastoral and careers support along the way, thanks to our dedicated student support tutors, cohort tutors and programme leaders, student mentors and careers tutors.

Accounting is a vital and fascinating part of today’s global economy. Studying it here with us at Hertfordshire brings you face to face with current trends, practices and concepts – not just within accountancy itself, but in the wider world of business.

Our BA Accounting degree is a highly practical, relevant course. It gives you the sought-after skills, latest academic theory and real-world experience you need to become a confident, knowledgeable, forward-thinking graduate with exceptional career prospects.

The course explores the role of accountancy in businesses of all sizes and forms, opening your eyes to the diverse range of potential career paths ahead. It’s a multi-disciplinary, globally focused accounting degree, developed with innovative industry-leading companies and respected professional bodies.

At Hertfordshire, you’ll be taught by our team of leading academics, who together have created a supportive, inspiring learning environment. They’re joined by visiting industry specialists who bring with them years of real-world accounting experience and a real enthusiasm for sharing their insights with you.

We have strong links with the UK’s leading professional accounting bodies, including the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Chartered Institute of Public Finances and Accounting (CIPFA). 

These close ties mean that when you finish your degree, you’ll have exemptions from some of their highly respected professional accountancy exams, becoming a fully qualified accountant sooner.

During your degree, you’ll also have the opportunity to join the ACCA’s accelerate scheme and the CIMA university scheme, giving you associated membership of those bodies when you graduate. Membership comes with some really valuable benefits, including discounted accountancy exam fees, access to great resources and exciting networking opportunities.

You can also study a language with this course. You can be awarded the degree ‘with language’ in the title if you choose to study a foreign language in all years of study.

While you’re working towards your accounting degree, you’ll also have the opportunity to study abroad or take a work placement. Both experiences will strengthen your skills, build your confidence and make you stand out to potential future employers.

• Developed in collaboration with ACCA, ICAEW and CIMA, our course gives you exemptions from professional exams, helping you qualify faster.
• Input from industry leaders and professional bodies adds real-world skills to academic theory, giving you the competitive edge.
• You’ll be taught by leading academics and innovative industry specialists with years of hands-on experience in commercial accounting.
• We’ll help you find a valuable work placement, developing sought-after skills either in the UK or overseas.
• You’ll also have the opportunity to study abroad for part of your course, developing confidence, experience and practical language skills.

Our BA Philosophy and Media degree allows you to learn more about how various media function and to examine the philosophical issues surrounding our attempts to represent the world. You’ll develop practical and theoretical knowledge of how various media techniques are implemented, whilst exploring and challenging the assumptions that frame the way we think, act and see the world around us.

In your first year, you’ll be introduced to a variety of ways in which communication can be achieved. You will learn to think critically by examining reasoning and persuasion and how that might be inflected by the medium in which it is conveyed, including the use of rhetoric and propaganda. You’ll also study social and political philosophy, covering topics such as freedom of speech, as well as examine the nature of knowledge and reality. There is also a philosophy module dedicated to exploring the scope and limits film and literature in what they can represent about reality.

All our philosophy lecturers are active researchers, so you’ll share the excitement of doing original work in a supportive and highly-rated academic community. Our Philosophy team is in the top 15 in the Guardian League Table 2019 and rates as one of the 100 best Philosophy departments worldwide in the 2017 QS rankings. The media staff are academics and practitioners in the creative industries and will give you the knowledge and understanding to be successful for a career in media.

In your second year, you’ll be able to select areas on which to focus, such as on influential works of philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, the philosophy of mind, and social and political philosophy. There is also a philosophy of art module, which tackles the question of the relation between artistic representations (in various media) and reality. You’ll also gain knowledge of research methods in the communications industry and learn about publishing.

In your final year, you’ll delve deeper into the media industry and into more specialist areas of Philosophy, including the opportunity to develop your understanding of the nature of communication in the philosophy of language module, or on the nature of the representation of women in the module on feminist philosophy.

• A flexible programme of study, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting
• An exceptional academic team, conducting internationally renowned research
• Stimulating, innovative courses that allow you to make rewarding connections between two disciplines
• CV-building potential through work placements and extra-curricular activities

Software engineering is a discipline that applies professional engineering techniques to the construction and evolution of large and complex software systems. This course adds a specialism in software engineering to a broad base in computer science. In the first two years there is an emphasis on software development, professional programming, the modelling and design of systems and data, the principles of networking and the user experience. Building on this foundation you’ll study software engineering in depth and learn how to analyse, design, develop and evaluate computer-based systems. You’ll also learn the application of engineering techniques, such as those relying on software metrics.

• Choose this course with an emphasis on Software Engineering building on a base of mainstream Computer Science, or change to one of the others in our flexible programme.
• Be taught by highly qualified staff, most with a PhD or other advanced degree plus research, teaching, or professional experience.
• Be part of a highly regarded well established computer science department with excellent facilities, a strong research background, and links to business and industry.
• Prepare yourself for a career in the IT sector through a mix of academic, professional and practical study, with opportunities for industry certifications and a paid placement year. Previous students have worked placements at companies including Intel, Microsoft, and Apple
• Recent graduates from Computer Science have gone on to work at amazing organisations including Ticketmaster, BAE Systems, and Ocado

The massive research expenditure of Britain’s pharmaceutical companies and the fierce competition in the field ensures a continual demand for well-trained pharmacology graduates. This degree covers all aspects of drugs and their uses as medicines. You’ll learn how new drugs are discovered and tested and understand the reasons for their effectiveness in treating disease. You’ll also gain an appreciation of why new drugs are needed and how they can be developed. Our links with major pharmaceutical companies will provide cutting edge insight into the drug discovery process and give you the opportunity to gain valuable experience during your placement year. This degree is accredited by the Royal Society of Biology.

• Pharmacology is the study of the action of drugs or other chemicals on living systems.
• Pharmacology studies the mechanism of action of drugs and the effects of drugs at the whole body level (therapeutic pharmacology), at the tissue level (system pharmacology) and at the level of receptor proteins (molecular pharmacology).
• The demand for new drugs continues and the University of Hertfordshire has strong links with the pharmaceutical industry which is located in this region.
• A number of the pharmacology teaching staff have extensive experience working in industry and this expertise ensures that the course provides an excellent stepping stone to a career in a range of healthcare industry roles.

Philosophy explores and confronts the assumptions that frame the way we think, act and see the world around us. Creative writing offers a way for you to do this by exploring new perspectives on familiar themes, expanding your imaginative capacities, and finding ways to articulate ideas in novel and illuminating ways.

On our BA Philosophy and Creative Writing degree, you will be introduced to a range of literary texts, genres and practical approaches to writing, and you will learn how to formulate your own philosophical arguments, to arrive at your own conclusions.

In your first year, you will embark on becoming a writer, including writing for the screen, whilst exploring central philosophical questions, such as whether anything can give meaning to life, and whether our striving to achieve anything of significance is ultimately futile, even ridiculous. The philosophy of film and literature module addresses the assumption that anything is possible in fiction and considers the extent to which that is true.

All our Philosophy lecturers are active researchers, so you’ll share the excitement of doing original work in a supportive and highly-rated academic community. Our Philosophy team is in the top 15 in the Guardian League Table 2019 and rates as one of the 100 best Philosophy departments worldwide in the 2017 QS rankings.

Our Creative Writing team are published and practicing novelists, poets and dramatists and you will gain a clear, theoretical understanding of the discipline, as well as practical skills that will shape your ability to express yourself.

In your second year as a writer, you’ll turn your attention to writing for the stage and consider poetry as well as prose writing. In Philosophy, you’ll choose from a variety of topics, which includes a module on the nature of art, expression and representation (in literary as well as visual art), and modules on influential texts in philosophy, such as Plato’s Republic, which is written in dialogue form.

The final year allows for even more opportunity to tailor your degree to reflect your own interests. In Creative Writing, you will embark on your own project, either on poetry, prose or script writing, whilst in Philosophy, you’ll choose from a variety of modules, including modules on feminist philosophy, the nature of language and meaning, and a module on Nietzsche, who is well-known for his literary style.

• A flexible programme of study, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting
• An exceptional academic team, conducting internationally renowned research
• Stimulating, innovative courses that allow you to make rewarding connections between two disciplines
• CV-building potential through work placements and extra-curricular activities

This course covers the three main disciplines of sport science: physiology (including nutrition), biomechanics and psychology. You’ll gain a fundamental understanding of physiology, anatomy, psychology, biomechanics, sports performance, biochemistry, nutrition, and strength and conditioning – and then apply your knowledge through practical classes and research. During your studies you’ll have many opportunities to use our state of-the art human performance labs, where you’ll learn to assess and improve sporting performance, as well as gain invaluable knowledge on the role exercise plays in improving health and wellbeing.

You’ll also develop the analytical, written and verbal skills expected by employers. The course is also aligned to  a vocational qualification accredited through the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) with the option after year one of becoming a qualified fitness instructor. Furthermore, this course is a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recognised undergraduate programme, allowing students to complete the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist qualification near graduation.

Our excellent facilities ensure we can deliver a comprehensive programme of practical work to support lecture material. A focus on Personal Transferable Skills throughout the first and second year enables you to develop competence in a range of skill areas which will be of benefit professionally and personally and which are essential to success in a competitive employment market.

Other additional opportunities include

• Guest lecturers: e.g. GSK, HSV, Felicity Aston (first woman to walk the Antarctic solo)
• Work Experience: including local, national and international employers taking students for their work experience module in final year (e.g. football, rugby clubs, hospitals, other universities)
• Opportunities for students to support applied testing and research in the labs
• Opportunities to gain internationally recognised qualifications:
• Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA)
• ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist

You’ll be introduced to Linguistics, the scientific study of everything to do with language, from its structure and how it develops in children, to the ways it reflects society, how it’s used, and how it changes over time. You’ll be taught by research-active academics working in cutting-edge areas such as language and gender, formulaic language, corpus studies, bilingualism, bilingual processing and codeswitching.

What links our work is our focus on the applied use of English language, from English Language teaching to the use of forensic linguistics in solving language-related real-life problems such as plagiarism and crime investigation, to speech and language therapy and the study of language disorders.

In your first year, alongside core linguistics modules, you’ll study language and mind, where you’ll analyse child speech transcripts and consider language acquisition. You’ll also explore the diversity of use of the English language including regional variants, pidgin and creole English, language and ethnicity, and slang and street English.

Core modules in your second year focus on English grammar and the sounds of English. You can explore theories of how and why language developed and take a language competencies module leading to a work placement.

In your final year you can develop your own interests in short projects, or follow modules in different topics, including child language and communication, clinical linguistics, gender and language, and formulaic language, informed by our academics’ own research specialisms.

One final year option is corpus studies in English language, which will develop your research skills through your use of Sketch Engine, a text analysis tool that allows you to search vast samples of language, or corpora. Want to know when the word ‘Brexit’ first appeared in print or when ‘backstop’ acquired a new meaning? Find out by delving into databases of billions of words, to pursue your own original research projects.