Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics with Advanced Research

at University of Hertfordshire - De Havilland Campus United Kingdom

The aim of this programme is to equip you to meet the stringent demands of today's highly competitive industrial environment. The programme provides a balance of theory, practice and participation and includes visits to a range of organisations within the manufacturing sector. It provides an excellent basis for employment which has resulted in student employment rates upon graduation of over 95%. The programme is taught by staff from the School of Engineering and Technology which was recently awarded an excellent grading in the HEFCE auditors' report. All study is assessed through continuous assessment.

Study English Literature with us and we’ll help you grow from passionate reader into critical thinker and literary scholar.

You’ll be taught by research-active academics who bring fresh thinking to our accessible, engaging courses. 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.

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.

Whatever your taste in literature, our courses will 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 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 study international and American literature or revisit Shakespeare and consider his cultural relevance today through fictional, cinematic and TV adaptations.

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 20th 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 degree to reflect your own interests. Themed options include children’s literature, young adult fiction, Renaissance tragedy, 21st century American literature, European crime fiction, literary adaptations and the culture of print in the 18th century.

If you have a particular interest or independent research idea you can choose to work with a supervisor to write an extended dissertation. Previous dissertations have focused on subjects as diverse as anthropomorphism in Beatrix Potter’s animal tales; Black British identity in young adult fiction and grime music; women in Shakespearean tragedy; and slavery and the frontier in early American gothic short stories.

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.

We give you:

• A flexible program 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

Study with a top History department and be taught from the cutting edge of historical research. Learn to write for a broad audience and communicate your ideas effectively with our colleagues in Journalism.

Our BA History and Journalism gives you the opportunity to study two subjects that will help you to hone your investigative and analytical skills, while developing your writing style.

Through our diverse and inclusive History curriculum you will learn about an array of cultures and identities. What links our work is our focus on people’s history and everyday lives. This is represented strongly in our first year programme, which will give you an insight into the making of the modern world through exploration of faith, magic and medicine, campaigns for freedom and equality, Africa and the world, and America from Hamilton to Trump.

Throughout your degree, the common link between the two disciplines will be the development of research skills. As historians you will learn to analyse historical documents and debates among historians, while in Journalism you’ll explore print, digital, photographic and broadcast journalism.

This ability to work as an effective and confident researcher, honed over the course of your studies, will benefit you in the final year of History if you choose to write a dissertation. This extended piece of work will grow out of a topic that interests you. Previous students have been inspired by their year of study abroad, while others have worked on the history of jiu jitsu, women code breakers at Bletchley Park, the Notting Hill riots, and vice and sexuality in 17th-century London. One of our final year students won the British Commission for Maritime History Prize in 2016 for his dissertation on the East India Company.

We give you: 

• An exceptional History team, conducting world-leading research (REF 2014), and a team of industry-experienced journalists,
• Stimulating, innovative courses - our History students reported almost 94% overall satisfaction with their course (2018 National Student Survey)
• A flexible programme of study, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting and the scope to write a History dissertation on a topic about which you are passionate
• intensive, engaging modules in Journalism designed to help make you a confident journalist, ready for the digital age
• CV-building potential and practical experience through work placements and extra-curricular activities

Indicative course structure

Careers in event management and tourism are full of possibilities, with exciting projects in interesting places, all over the world. Whether you want to organise festivals and sports fixtures or develop thriving tourist destinations, this course will help you launch a really successful career. It uses the latest theories and real- world case studies to explore their successes and failings, as well as their sustainability, impact, cultural attributes and community engagement.

It’s a multi disciplinary, globally focused course developed in collaboration with business leaders and professional bodies and taught by Hertfordshire’s highly regarded, experienced academics.

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, Bluehat Group, British Fashion Council, Givergy Events and charity organisations including Hope for Children.

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:

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

5 Reasons to Study BA (Hons) Event Management and Tourism:

• The course is recognised by the Tourism Management Institute (TMI),  is a key partner of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and University is a member of the Association for Event Management Education (AEME).
• Studying Event & Tourism gives you the best of both worlds! You will follow two subjects that closely relate in both theory and in practice increasing your options for your future career choice.
• 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 to give you an edge in the job market.
• You will develop key 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.

This course specialises in the design and production of immersive, innovative and surprising interior spaces. There’s great emphasis on the understanding and use of materials as you explore surface design and detailing. Throughout the course you’ll work with existing buildings and conditions, producing refit, refurbishment, retrofit, re-use and place-making designs. As you progress you’ll develop an expertise in producing impressive drawings, images and models, as you not only design functional, contemporary and innovative interiors, but – above all else – create immersive atmospheres.

• Interior Architecture and Design students have participated in live projects with a number of commercial partners including Letchworth Garden City urban regeneration, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange, The Forum Hertfordshire, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and St Albans Museums.
• The degree focuses on working with existing buildings and spaces and exploring different possibilities for habitation.
• The Interior Architecture and Design degree pursues a progressive and holistic teaching approach as we consider the design process as something non-linear or sequential (i.e. research first, design later).
• Graduates from the course are eligible for associate membership to professional institutions such as: The British Interior Design Association, The Society of British Interior Design and The Chartered Society of Designer.

This degree is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS). Students who complete an IBMS portfolio during the placement year, which is successfully verified, receive the award of Applied Biomedical Science. With a career in biomedical science, you could help improve the lives of millions of people suffering from a wide range of diseases. You’ll study the causes, diagnosis and treatments of major diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, blood disorders, respiratory diseases, biochemical and endocrine disorders, and infectious diseases. Once you’ve developed a fundamental understanding of biology and chemistry, you’ll move on to specialised areas such as pathophysiology, molecular biology, haematology, clinical microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, histopathology and transfusion science. You’ll also have the exciting opportunity to study abroad or take a year-long work placement in industry. This degree is accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science and the Royal Society of Biology.

• Biomedical Science involves the study of disease, drugs and other topics related to human health.
• The biomedical sciences are made up of the following disciplines; biochemistry, haematology, immunology, microbiology, histology, cytology, bacteriology and transfusion (blood) technologies.
• In the UK the term 'biomedical scientist' is a protected title used by professionals working within the pathology department of a hospital. This group of healthcare professionals is the second largest profession registered by the Health Professions Council but not all students who study biomedical sciences end up working as biomedical scientists. Many graduates continue in pharmaceutical companies or other research institutes.

This course is ideal for students who wish to focus through the lens of broadcast and live event support. Practical techniques are developed within a range of different spaces to suit differing audiences, and students on this award pathway and you'll have a number of opportunities to apply their learning within live contexts.You'll also engage with the latest light-projection mapping systems, as well as design and specify venue-based audio systems and solutions. Core modules studied alongside live sound and lighting technology alongside practice modules develop your techniques and approaches using a range of sound technologies. They'll also foster professional and industrial contextual immersion and awareness, and experience with specialisms within connected audio and sound-related fields.

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 or writing.

Through the BA English Language and Creative Writing you’ll gain a better understanding about the English Language, as well as the process of writing so that you can find your voice, whether as a poet, playwright or novelist.

We offer a stimulating and supportive environment in which you can explore your ideas, hone your craft and understand how to use language effectively. 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.

In your first year, alongside core English Language modules, 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. The core Creative Writing module, Becoming a Writer, will introduce you to genres and forms and examine the universalities of dialogue, plot and language. A second core module, Writing for the Screen, introduces you to the key principles of scriptwriting, while the optional module Identity and Contemporary Writing introduces you to some of the most exciting new writing as a model for your own work.

Core modules in English Language in your second year focus on English grammar and the sounds of English. You can explore theories of how and why language developed and also study language-related real-life problems such as plagiarism and crime investigation in forensic linguistics. For Creative Writing you can explore the practicalities of getting published or working in literary publishing in a creative writing module taught by a former editor of Granta, the renowned magazine of new writing.

In your final year you can follow modules in different topics in English Language, including child language and communication, clinical linguistics, gender and language, and formulaic language, informed by our academics’ own research specialisms. For Creative Writing, your particular creative interest can be channelled into a long piece of writing, which can be poetry, prose or drama.

• An understanding of English language, to underpin a career in writing or publishing
• An exciting and creative environment where you are taught by published writers
• The opportunity to hone your craft through supportive feedback from tutors and peers
• A platform for publishing your work and a springboard for your future life as a published author
• An inspiring programme of visiting writers, workshops, readings and masterclasses
• A flexible programme of study, allowing you to concentrate on areas you find especially interesting

The School has a strong international reputation for research in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and this expertise influences this course which explores current research and practice in artificial intelligence and robotics. This MSc can lead to a career such as a designer of intelligent systems or in research.

Why choose this course?

• Through your placement year you will gain industrial experience and be able to practice applying the skills you have learned throughout your studies.
• 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 Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.
• Advanced topics studied include artificial life with robotics, neural computation and machine learning, theory and practice of artificial intelligence.
• 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, 2022).