Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Astrophysics (with Sandwich Year)

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

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

Studying Philosophy, Religion and Ethics at Hertfordshire will enable you to explore the connections and contradictions between thought and faith in the world today.

You may have taken Religious Studies at A-level or be fascinated by how religious belief is a driving force behind social and political events in today’s globalised world.

This degree course offers you the opportunity to explore the beliefs that guide people’s lives using the logical and critical skills gained through philosophical inquiry.

You’ll be taught by internationally regarded academics, who will help you understand how the practices of religion and philosophy have influenced – and been influenced by – the modern world. You’ll learn to address the arguments and beliefs of others and to engage with them, so that you can arrive at your own conclusions and create your own original work.

All our 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.

In your first year you’ll take philosophy modules exploring ethics, mind, knowledge and reality alongside an introduction to four of the major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. This will be given a modern context through a module on religion and the contemporary world.

Seminars in your first year will explore how to investigate and discuss different beliefs and ideas and to develop your critical thinking, all within a respectful and empathetic environment.

In your second year you’ll study the philosophies of religion, and explore virtues, vices and ethics. Focusing on specific virtues such as forgiveness, hope or love from both a secular and religious point of view, you’ll examine what it means to live a good life.

Alongside options in your final year to explore religion and popular culture, as well as feminist and political philosophy, your dissertation will allow you to develop your particular interests, perhaps encompassing an exploration of some aspect of your own religious belief system.

• An exceptional academic team, conducting internationally renowned research
• A flexible programme of study, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting
• The opportunity to write a dissertation on a topic about which you are passionate
• CV-building potential through extra-curricular activities

This degree involves a practical workshop programme, establishing and refining your understanding of the tactile qualities and properties of materials and how they can be manipulated to express your ideas. In the First Year you’ll learn contemporary approaches to designing and making across a range of 2D and 3D media. Then, in the Second Year, you’ll focus your interests in order to reach the high level of refinement necessary for the professional marketplace. Our students produce a richly diverse range of artefacts, such as accessories, experimental and fine jewellery, and conceptual pieces for exhibition or commission.

• Contemporary Design Crafts Jewellery degree encourages fresh ideas, inventive use of materials and techniques, and awareness of contemporary markets.
• You establish and refine your interests in the field of jewellery to reach the high level of skills demanded by the professional marketplace.
• Placements develop a versatile understanding of the workplace, establishing our graduates as contemporaries in a competitive professional market. .

Indicative course structure
A business degree is a powerful, career-launching qualification, and if you’re interested in a career in business, combining two subjects will give you sought-after skills, exciting experiences and a whole world of future career opportunities.

We’ve designed our course to get your career off to an incredible start. You’ll be able to study product innovation, consumer buyer behaviour, and marketing planning as well as key modules on managing media and communications and market and social research. Marketing is creative, strategic and hugely dynamic, spanning a whole range of jobs in advertising, social media, consumer insights, communications, market research, public relations, sales, brand management, product innovation, retail services and the creative industries.

Why choose this course?

• Open the door to a broad spectrum of careers in industry, commerce and the public sector.
• Develop your knowledge in a broad range of business areas.
• Learn the key elements of marketing and put theories into practice.

This course focuses on high-end 3D games art and has been recognised as one of the best courses of its kind. It explores the digital modelling of characters and environments, shading techniques and level creation. You will explore the design side as well by using the latest software in our award-winning Film, Music and Media Building. You’ll discover how to create optimised shapes and textures and apply them to real-time 3D graphics. You’ll also explore games and gaming trends, looking at scenarios that can be applied to PCs, consoles and interactivity and VR. This course is accredited by Creative Skillset, reflecting the highest standard of teaching.

• The 3D Games Art & Design degree is the study of games art rather than games programming.
• Creative Skillset Accredited.
• The degree explores digital modelling of characters and environments, and develops animation as well as shader techniques and level creation.
• You will be taught to create optimised geometry and textures and apply them to PC game engines, gaining an understanding of the technological restrictions of real-time 3D graphics.
• The degree examines sound tracks and creating sound effects.
• You will explore games and gaming trends, looking at scenarios for PCs, consoles and interactive TV.
• Our students and graduates frequently win awards - Sam Bang recently won 2016 Search for a Star competition. Find out more about him.
• Voted School of the Year and Game of the Year in both Next Gen and Virtual Reality categories in the Rookies 2016.

The MSc in Data Science and Analytics utilises our strong international reputation for research in these areas. The expertise of our staff influences this course which explores current research and practice in data science and analytics, extending your knowledge and understanding of the principles and practice of obtaining data from various sources, the essential methods for pre-processing and cleaning data, data analytics and modelling.

Why choose this course?

• You will gain industrial experience by applying the skills you have learned throughout your studies in a practical environment.
• One of a range of advanced courses within our postgraduate Master's programme in Computer Science, this particular course provides you with a specialism in Data Science  and Analytics
• Advanced topics studied include mathematics and programming of data science, data mining, machine learning and neural artificis, and data analytics applications.
• Taught by a highly-regarded and long-established computer science department.
• Computer Science saw 90% of its research ranked as world-leading (Research Excellence Framework, 2021).

Motorsport’s not just exciting entertainment, but also an important part of automotive development. It challenges engineers to be innovative in using the latest technologies to design high-performance vehicles. You’ll find most modules on this course are common with those on our general automotive engineering degree. However, you’ll also learn about aerodynamics of high- speed vehicles and high-performance engine design, testing and mapping. In your MEng year, you’ll deepen your understanding of the industry. One of the big highlights is to get involved in designing, building and racing a car at the IMechE Formula Student events. This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and is the first step towards chartered engineer status.

• This MEng in Automotive Engineering with Motorsport gives you the opportunity to design, build and race a single-seater race car in the UK Formula Student Competition and can get involved from your first year onwards, if you wish
• You will have use of our excellent facilities within the Automotive Centre i.e. advanced engine test cells and a vehicle ride simulator for the testing of car suspension systems, plus the latest software packages for CAD/CAM
• You will benefit from studying at a very well established university within the automotive industry as we have been running automotive degree programmes for some forty years
• Our MEng Automotive Engineering with Motorsport students have previously completed work placement years at companies including: McLaren Automotive, Mercedes-Benz Grand Priz Limited and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains;
• Your MEng studies involve an extra year and will provide you with a broader and deeper understanding of the subject;
• Recent Automotive Engineering graduates have gone on to work at organisations including: Williams Grand Prix Engineering, McLaren Racing Limited, and Renault Sport.

Why do we carve pumpkins, blow out birthday candles or leave ‘love-locks’ on bridges? When and where did these customs start? From urban myths to local legends, the stories we tell and the traditions we follow are part of our folklore, the shared beliefs and oral traditions that are handed down through generations.

The University of Hertfordshire’s MA Folklore Studies explores legend, ritual, belief and tradition in British society, providing students with a thorough grounding in the history of the discipline of Folklore Studies and examining current work in the field.

Aimed at recent graduates in related subjects such as literature, history, archaeology, anthropology or religion, who have perhaps touched on folklore in their dissertations and want to develop this further, this MA also offers opportunities for mature students looking to turn their interest in local folklore into an academic qualification.

Motorsport’s not just exciting entertainment, but also an important part of automotive development. It challenges engineers to be innovative in using the latest technologies to design high-performance vehicles. You’ll find most modules on this course are common with those on our general automotive engineering degree. However, you’ll also learn about aerodynamics of high- speed vehicles and high-performance engine design, testing and mapping. One of the big highlights is to get involved in designing, building and racing a Student Formula car. This course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and is the first step towards chartered engineer status.

• This BEng Honours in Automotive Engineering with Motorsport will give you the opportunity for hands-on motorsport from your first year onwards, if you wish by getting involved in the design, build and racing of a single-seater race car in the UK Formula Student Competition;
• Your studies will reflect the latest thinking in the industry as the School is supported by a Motor Industry Advisory Panel which includes representatives from many well-known automotive companies;
• Our MEng Automotive Engineering with Motorsport students have previously completed work placement years at companies including: McLaren Automotive, Mercedes-Benz Grand Priz Limited and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains;
• Your MEng studies involve an extra year and will provide you with a broader and deeper understanding of the subject
• Recent Automotive Engineering graduates have gone on to work at organisations including: Williams Grand Prix Engineering, McLaren Racing Limited, and Renault Sport.

The MPhys allows you to study physics in greater depth and breadth than our BSc. It’s particularly recommended if you’re interested in pursuing research in industry, government or academia, or if you want to go on to postgraduate study. During the course you’ll study more advanced topics such as atmospheric physics, medical physics and computational fluid dynamics. You’ll also undertake a large research project with one of our research centres. We have an innovative strand of industrial projects, supported by the Institute of Physics, that gives you direct experience of working in industrial research. You’ll also have the option of studying abroad or spending a year in industry or at a research institution.

• The MPhys programme allows students to study physics to a greater depth and breadth than our BSc programme.
• An MPhys is particularly recommended for those students interested in pursuing research in the industrial, government and academic sectors, and who are likely to consider undertaking further postgraduate study (MSc and/or PhD degrees).
• In the MPhys year you will study more advanced courses in a range of Physics specialisms (including Atmospheric Physics, Medical Physics and Computational Fluid Dynamics), plus undertake a large research project with one of our research centres.
• Your research project will form a third of your final year and you will be closely supervised and guided by one of our experienced researchers while you work on a cutting-edge problem in modern Physics.   Previous projects include work on the physics of aerosols in the atmosphere, inductive charging losses in electric vehicles, and using Josephson junctions as measurement standards.
• We have an innovative strand of industrial Physics projects supported by the Institute of Physics that give you direct experience of working in industrial research.