Master of Arts in Contemporary Crafts

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

Tourism is a career that can take you anywhere. Our course is recognised by the Tourism Management Institute (TMI) and is ranked inside the top 20 of the Guardian University League Table 2018 for tourism, hospitality and event management. It explores the latest trends and practices within the industry, examining the impact tourism has on destinations, as well as the sector’s sustainability, cultural influences and community engagement. You’ll also have the chance to take a six-month internship at Walt Disney World, Florida, and study at the University of California Riverside in an exclusive partnership with the University of Hertfordshire.

Partnerships and opportunities

As part of our enterprise and employability focus, we give you many options to gain work experience. You can undertake internships during the summer, engage in multiple work shadowing opportunities, and take on a year long placement between your second and third year. Our students have completed placements with a wide variety of businesses, such as Walt Disney, Rent-a-car Enterprise, TUI Travel, Thomson Cruises, Mundy Cruising, Wendy Wu Tour Operator, Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, Hilton Worldwide, Heathrow Airport and EasyJet.

Many students also choose to broaden their horizons through our study abroad programme in second year with one of our partner universities in Europe, North America or Australia. Some combine their language study options with a half-year of study in the language home country and then a further half year work placement in the same country. Without a doubt, they come back with excellent skills in a second language in addition to fantastic memories, experiences and career skills.

Our partnership with Walt Disney World Resorts and the University of California Riverside gives our students the chance to study and work in the United States of America on this fantastic internationally renowned programme.

You may also be interested in the following courses:-

• Event Management
• International Tourism Management
• Event Management and Tourism
• Event Management and Marketing

5 Reasons to Study BA (Hons) Tourism Management:

• The course is recognised by the Tourism Management Institute (TMI) and is a key partner of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA)
• You will get to study real world case studies and have the opportunity to visit an overseas destination
• The course gives you the opportunities to do a work placement in small or large corporations, developing key employability skills, both domestically and internationally
• All students have the option to study abroad.
• You will develop key tourism management and business skills at a leading international business facing University on a course ranked 5th in the UK for Tourism, Hospitality and Events Management.

Our BA English Language and Literature enables you to combine your study of the structure, development and use of English as a world language with your reading of literature written in English from all parts of the globe.

You’ll be taught by research-active academics who bring fresh thinking to our accessible, engaging courses. We’ll introduce you to writers who will open doors to contemporary worlds and cultures remote from your own, and also help you explore more familiar literature in ways that challenge your preconceptions.

You’ll enrich your study of English literature in its cultural and historical contexts through modules on the history of the English language. You’ll balance your reading of poetry and drama with analyses of how language is used in the media, to inform or persuade. The common link between the two disciplines will be your analysis of language and how it operates in literature and in real life.

A core module in your first year will equip you to read and interpret both traditional and contemporary literary texts critically as a scholar of English literature. You’ll also be introduced to English Linguistics, the scientific study of our language, from how language develops in children, to the ways it reflects society and how it changes over time.

Your second-year core modules will focus on English grammar and the sounds of English, and you’ll also study period-based literature from the Renaissance onwards, gaining an understanding of literary history, from Elizabethan verse and drama to the emergence of modernity in the 20 th century. A core module in English Literature will introduce you to a range of theoretical lenses which you can apply to your further study of texts.

You’ll have the chance to specialise in your final year, tailoring your degree to reflect your own interests. English Literature options include children’s literature, young adult fiction, 21 st century American literature and literary adaptations, amongst others.

Alongside these, a module on Corpus Studies in English Language will allow you to bring your literature and language interests together. Using Sketch Engine, a text analysis tool that enables you to search vast databases of language, you’ll be able to search literary texts to identify how particular words have been used in novels or literature. With more than 15 billion words available to you, you’ll be able to ask questions no one has asked before and pursue uniquely creative research projects.

Indicative course structure
The course looks in depth at a range of core business areas, including accounting, marketing, operations and human resources. At the same time, you’ll gain a specialism in tourism, in which you’ll explore career planning in the tourism industry, passenger tourism transport, visitor attraction management, strategic tourism planning and responsible tourism. There's also the chance to travel and experience different cultures and study tourism’s impact on domestic and international destinations.

• Gain the skills and expertise you need to start a career in the dynamic and challenging tourism industry.
• Develop a firm understanding of the role of organisations in society.
• Develop your knowledge in a broad range of business areas.

A degree in English Literature and Journalism will help you grow from passionate reader into a critical thinker and literary scholar; it will also develop your practical, professional writing skills, shed new light on how the media works, and get you some hands-on experience that employers are really looking for.

On a degree in English Literature and Journalism, we’ll introduce you to writers who will open doors to contemporary worlds and cultures remote from your own, and also help you explore more familiar literature in ways that challenge your preconceptions. This means you’ll study literature written in English by writers from all parts of the globe, whose voices are relevant and important in our modern world. You’ll also develop your journalistic skills in exciting ways: you’ll learn the different requirements of writing ‘news’ and ‘features’, while learning how to carry out research, conduct interviews, and structure your writing in order to get published.

You’ll be taught by academic staff who bring fresh thinking to our accessible, engaging courses. Some are active researchers of international standing who bring their own passion for their discipline into the classroom; others are dynamic teachers with extensive industry experience.

Whatever your taste in literature, there will be something to interest and provoke you. From The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Jane Eyre, from Paradise Lost to Zadie Smith’s Swing Time, we’ll broaden your literary horizons and hone your critical thinking.

A core Literature module in your first year will equip you to read and interpret both traditional and contemporary literary texts critically as a scholar of English literature. Alongside this you can choose to revisit Shakespeare and consider his cultural relevance today through fictional, cinematic and TV adaptations; or to deepen your understanding of Gothic writing by tracing its origins back to the Romantic era.

In your second year you’ll focus on period-based literature from the Renaissance onwards and gain an understanding of literary history, from Elizabethan verse and drama, via Augustan poetry and the emergence of the novel in the 18th century, to the radical transformations of the Victorian age, and the emergence of modernity in the twentieth century. You’ll also have the opportunity to consider ways of reading that go beyond textual analysis or historical context, such as understanding literature through the political or ideological lens of Marxism, feminism and post-colonial theory.

You’ll have the chance to specialise in your final year, tailoring your literary study to reflect your own interests. Themed options include children’s literature, young adult fiction, Renaissance tragedy, European crime fiction, literary adaptations and the culture of print in the 18th century.

Your study of English Literature will enhance your ability to analyse and synthesise complex ideas, and to express yourself clearly in both written and spoken English. These skills will be hugely beneficial to your study of Journalism, but this part of your course will extend your range far beyond just print media. As the course progresses, you’ll discover how journalism varies across video, radio and the internet, hear from inspiring industry guest speakers, and take placements in real newsrooms.

MSc International Business is an innovative flagship programme designed to help you build a strong understanding of the way organisations operate globally, and help develop specialist skills that enable you to work effectively across national borders.

The programme gives you the opportunity to explore international business from a number of perspectives, including economics, finance, strategy, marketing, management, human resource, and supply chain. There will also be the opportunity to conduct an independent major research project in your area of interest.

Throughout the programme, you will gain a unique combination of skills sought after by employers all over the world. These include communication, numeracy, graphics, team-working, cross-cultural awareness, reflective learning and the ability to critically analyse complex business challenges to reach considered creative solutions.

You will also build a strong network of international contacts – some will become their close friends and a few may even become their future business partners.

Our Politics and History programme gives you the opportunity to study current challenges in national and international politics while gaining an understanding of the wider historical context of our modern world. 

The course brings together the two naturally close disciplines of Politics and History through a focus on political history. Studying history and politics in tandem will develop your ability to understand how people lived and thought in the past, and the ways in which they act politically in the present.

You’ll study with a top history department – we’re ranked first in the country for the social and cultural impact of our research - and be taught by political historians working at the cutting edge of their research disciplines.

Alongside core politics modules in your first year introducing you to contemporary British politics and international relations theory, you’ll study history modules that will give you an insight into the making of the modern world, such as campaigns for freedom and equality and America from Hamilton to Trump. 

Modules devised for this joint degree such as Political History: Milestones, Change and Continuity provide a bridge between history and politics. In your second year you’ll continue this interdisciplinary approach with a module on Nation and Identity, which examines the growth of new states and the political landscape of interwar Europe.

Just as an historical approach brings breadth and depth to your study of politics, the theories of political science you’ll study in our core politics modules will give you the analytical tools to explore the implications of major historical events, alongside their socio, economic and political impacts. 

In your final year, you demonstrate your research skills by producing a dissertation on a topic of your choosing. Previous students have been inspired by their year of study abroad, while others have worked on women code breakers at Bletchley Park, the Notting Hill riots, and vice and sexuality in 17th -century London. You’ll also have the option to follow an oral history project, or study modules ranging from the challenges and opportunities of Brexit, to terrorism and security, to the politics of gender.

• Allocated specialist support.
• Time to reflect and develop as a designer.
• Flexibility of core module delivery.
• Supported studio & workshop space.
• Collaborations with other Creative Arts disciplines.
• Take a look at our MA Design Leaflet.

Why choose this course?

MA Product Design is a Masters award within the MA Art and Design programme at the School of Creative Arts. Within the programme there is strong emphasis on professional practice and the real-world applications of art and design. You will develop key research skills and gain a good understanding of the work of other practitioners in your field.

The aim of the postgraduate programme is to equip you with the skills, knowledge and understanding required to practice at an advanced level, to foster your creativity and enhance your employment opportunities. You will work alongside artists and designers who are involved with a wide variety of media and forms. Induction, seminars and social events for students and staff mean that you will be part of a friendly and supportive postgraduate community, which also includes film makers, musicians and professionals working in new media. Senior research staff and internationally renowned artists work with postgraduate students, helping you to develop original and challenging work.

The MA Product Design degree aims to provide you with an understanding of the cutting-edge of design practice and to develop your creative and technical abilities as a designer. It will be of interest to product and industrial designers and design professionals working in related fields.

You will develop the entrepreneurial and industrial skills you need to develop your career to its full potential and gain a detailed understanding of the commercial and industrial contexts of contemporary design, alongside some of the theoretical and cultural ideas that shape contemporary design practices.

You will also consider design from the perspective of the society and people who use it. The course looks at practical approaches and the research methods involved in product design. Attention is focused on human users from ergonomic, ecological, social and psychological perspectives and the development of products in a post-industrial age where technology and production may respond to customer demands with speed.

Our staff are experienced in research and professional practice, and you will also benefit from contributions from visiting designers, makers and design professionals, as well as from involvement with our international exhibitions programme and close links with industry partners.

Many exciting opportunities await the graduate with an LLM in IT Law and Policy. Graduates with specialist knowledge of IT law and policy are in high demand in this fast-moving and swiftly growing sector.

You will study two compulsory modules – International Electronic Communications Law and Emerging Technologies and Law – in combination with two further modules of your choice from a wide range of options. This will give you a solid grounding on which to build with further specialisations, and you can tailor your course specifically according to your desired career path.

The International Electronic Communications Law module explores the existing legal framework around the electronic communications sector in the UK and Europe. It also examines emerging areas such as cloud computing, net neutrality and surveillance, along with questions relating to spectrum management. Changes to European law are also investigated.

In the Emerging Technologies and Law module you will study a range of internet and emerging technologies law and policy principles. You will also consider consumer protection online and the rules relating to digital marketing, distance selling and e-payment, as well as the legal requirements for online company presence and advertising. The module also offers the exciting opportunity to examine in depth any emerging legal issue in the area of the internet and emerging technology.

Why choose this course?

This highly relevant, contemporary course will provide you with the knowledge and understanding you need to work within the exciting, dynamic technology sector. Taught by specialists in their fields and continually updated and underpinned by the latest research and practice, you can be sure that you will graduate with up-to-date knowledge and skills to thrive in your chosen career.

Innovative, practical teaching methods are designed to develop your intellectual, transferable, interpersonal and practical skills. These skills, in combination with the knowledge and critical understanding you will receive of the history and current and emerging developments within the sector, will ensure that you are very attractive to potential employers!

In addition to your study modules, the University’s co-curricular programme offers a wide range of options that will further enhance your skills.

This course focuses on contemporary approaches to fine art and the practice and theories that inform it. You’ll be actively encouraged to explore your ideas through a range of media including painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, video, installation, photography and digital media. Supporting you will be a team of internationally practising artists, each bringing their unique research, experiences and interests directly into their teaching. The lively and diverse lecture program sees visiting artists and art professionals discuss their own practice while encouraging debate and discussion. Throughout the course, we’ll foster your natural abilities and interests in a stimulating environment. Excellently equipped facilities and your own personal studio space allow you to experiment and develop your practice.

Our course has an international and outward-looking approach. From year one, our students are offered a range of external opportunities, including:

• The option to take a semester-long, funded Erasmus residency in one of our overseas partner institutions in Europe
• A year-longer Study Abroad residency, in one of our global partner institutions, e.g. North America, Japan, Canada, Australia.
• The chance to exhibit their work nationally and within the region, in venues such as Courtyard Arts, Hertford, the Truman Brewery, London and the renowned UH Arts Gallery on campus.
• Participation in collaborative projects with our international schools in places such as Moscow.

Closer to home, students benefit from opportunities to:

• Undertake a sandwich year placement to gain more extensive experience within the creative sector.
• Benefit from the programme’s close ties with University of Hertfordshire’s MA in Art Therapy, through access to staff and when relevant, taught modules.

A distinctive feature of the programme is that from the outset students develop a strong and supportive peer group dynamic that frequently results in ambitious collaborative projects, sharing of opportunities, a growing network and a proactive alumnus.

Teaching and technical Support
The program values one-to-one teaching in support of individual development, alongside peer learning within technical skills workshops and group seminars.

Teaching on the program is delivered by tutors who are practicing artists exhibiting internationally and supported by a vibrant program of visiting artists and industry professionals. Within the School, there is a lively and diverse lecture program with contributions from artists, poets, art critics and curators, so our students can link with practicing artists and contemporary artwork.

Taught workshops traverse all areas of contemporary practice, including painting, sculpture, digital imaging, printmaking, moving image, installation, photography, moving image and more. Alongside this, the Critical and Cultural Studies modules provide students with the skills to critically analyse contemporary visual arts and culture, both in written studies and within the context of the studio.

Find your voice, both critically and creatively, as you develop an in-depth understanding of today’s media world and hone the skills you need to play your part. Harnessing two fascinating subjects, this course opens your eyes to the evolution and influence of the media industry, while inspiring creative thinking, writing and career pathways.

Today’s media industries are becoming more diverse and dynamic as digital and social media platforms thrive. Our practical course nurtures your hands-on technical skills, original creativity and entrepreneurial attitude, giving you the versatility for a successful media career.

You’ll develop the ability to critically comment on media practice and produce new creative work for websites, blogs, print, video, audio and multimedia. We’ll help you develop research, editorial, storytelling and targeting skills, building your confidence in creating, editing and submitting work. You’ll produce short stories, drama, poetry and creative nonfiction, as well as having opportunities to work with schools or museums, study abroad or take a year’s work placement.

This course will help you to develop professional writing skills to engaging your reader and write for a target audience. Creative writers on this course will develop: research skills, editorial skills, storytelling, effective use of imagery, and skills in writing across a range of platforms including web, blogs and media, print, video, audio and multimedia.