Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Social Work

at University of Plymouth United Kingdom

90% of world trade is carried by sea, with a navigation and maritime science degree you can become a professional in this exciting and vital industry. Our graduates go on to careers in the shore-based maritime sector and, for those who follow the accredited route, to become a Ships Officer. Our degrees are accredited by the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and the Merchant Navy Training Board. You will study an exciting programme that develops the skills sought by employers across the sector.

You can increase your employability with an optional one-year industrial placement in a relevant maritime business or, if sponsored, work at sea towards the professional qualification of Officer of the Watch. We embed our full mission bridge simulator and sailing vessel in the teaching of this challenging applied degree. By studying with us, you will develop the skills required to join the next generation of leaders in the maritime sector.

Key Features

• Lay strong foundations for your successful career in the maritime sector. Our students go on to work in a diverse range of maritime industries. Whether you aspire to be a professional navigator, a marine manager or yacht racer, the world’s oceans could literally unfold before your eyes. 
• Distinguish yourself with a degree that’s accredited by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, as well as the Merchant Navy Training Board*.
• Immerse yourself in the latest technology; we've equipped our Marine Navigation Centre with an advanced full mission ship simulator and the latest in electronic charts.
• Develop your 'sea-sense' with hands-on experience on our dedicated 13 metre sail and navigation training vessel 'Take The Helm' on Plymouth Sound. If qualified and approved, you'll be able to skipper the vessel yourself.
• Ensure you have the practical, communication and problem-solving skills employers are looking for. With a mixture of lectures, tutorials, and practicals featuring group and individual problem-based learning.
• Many of our students gain sponsorship from shipping companies or training providers. In many cases sponsorship becomes available to students already on our programme.  
• Students may also receive funding towards tuition fees and living expenses from the sponsoring company, greatly reducing costs. They go to sea as trainee officers to gain practical experience from a seagoing placement year.

Do you have a passion to understand and protect life in our seas? This course offers an integrated approach to understanding the oceanographic processes that support life in our oceans, how marine ecosystems function and how marine activities can be managed sustainably. You’ll learn about the policy structures designed to protect marine ecosystems and our oceans, and be primed with the skills and enthusiasm to confidently start a job in marine conservation management and scientific research.

You will gain specialist skills including ecological survey methods and quantitative data analysis, and qualitative skills related to stakeholder data collection such as structured interviews and questionnaires. You’ll develop your range of practical skills with our own fully-equipped fleet of boats, a £4.65 million Marine Station used as a base for fieldwork afloat, and industry standard oceanographic and surveying equipment.

Key Features

• In the 2019 National Student Survey, 100 per cent expressed overall satisfaction with the course; 100 per cent of students felt staff on this course were good at explaining things; 100 per cent felt that the staff made the subject interesting and 100 per cent found the course intellectually stimulating.*
• Gain specialist skills including ecological survey methods and quantitative data analysis, and qualitative skills related to stakeholder data collection such as structured interviews and questionnaires. 
• Prepare for careers in marine conservation and other marine industries such as environmental consultancy and the marine energy sector.
• Draw on expert staff involved in internationally-leading research including managing protected populations and marine protected areas (MPAs), marine and coastal governance, marine ecosystem services and economics, and society and the sea. 
• Develop your range of practical skills with our own fully-equipped fleet of boats, a new £4.65 million Marine Station used as a base for fieldwork afloat, and industry standard oceanographic and surveying equipment.
• Option to take the industry-recognised professional diving qualification (HSE Professional SCUBA) alongside your degree and an optional dedicated scientific diving module to provide training and qualification for diving-based research projects and employment (limited places and additional costs apply).
• Experience an overseas field course that is aimed at integrating ocean science and marine conservation knowledge and understanding across the different sub-disciplines to address real-world issues.

Bring your creativity to the world of computer games. Learn 3D modelling, 2D art and animation, level design and gameplay coding. Games industry experts will guide you through all aspects of game design and development, building a full understanding of the game creation process and allowing you to specialise in the areas you find most engaging.

Key Features

• Learn 3D modelling with industry-standard software like Maya, Blender, ZBrush and Substance Painter.
• Hone your 2D art and animation skills, using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Animate and After Effects.
• Create epic level designs in Unity and Unreal Engine.
• Develop your coding skills with C# and Blueprints.
• Taught by industry experts, with a focus on preparing you for a career in the games industry.
• Amazing national and international field trips to gaming expos and festivals, such as meeting professionals from top games studios at EGX Rezzed in London and exploring immersive gameplay Amsterdam.
• Explore sound design, narrative and game design theory, and study the psychology of games and gamification.
• Access to the latest hardware, including high-spec gaming PCs and VR headsets.
• Get a head-start in the industry with an optional placement year (for example, one of our students has secured a placement at Criterion Games).
• Get ready for a career as a game artist, 3D modeler, game designer, level designer or gameplay coder, joining Plymouth graduates who have gone on to work at the world's top games companies including Electronic Arts, Frontier Developments and Bossa Studios.
• We annually review the skills, software and hardware we teach, to ensure the course is always up to date.
• Our dedicated lab space is open until 10pm, other amazing facilities, include our 35-seat, 360° immersive vision theatre, VR kits, graphics tablets, game controllers, 3D printers and even an extensive collection of boardgames.
• Teaching and learning are practical and project-based - sometimes working individually, and sometimes in teams.
• Your assessments are 100 per cent coursework – no exams.
• No prior knowledge requirements – we teach everything from the ground up (but if you do already have art and coding skills, we can’t wait to see how much further you can take them with our help!).

Geography explores the relationships between people, places and the environment. Our Geography with Ocean Science course allows you to focus on the physical side of this and also spend time studying ocean science. Plymouth is the ideal setting for this, giving you hands-on experience of the physical geography of a dynamic estuary and coast within walking distance of campus.

Our geography degrees make the most of geography’s strengths in tackling head on the biggest global challenges we face. Modules have been designed to address many of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – developed by the UN as the 'blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all' – all of our degrees are fully accredited by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Key Features

• Our newly designed Geography curriculum places sustainability challenges at the centre, with modules designed to help address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• Choose from an exciting range of physical geography and ocean science modules. Establish a sound knowledge base across all areas of ocean science, with options to study physical oceanography and meteorology, biological and chemical oceanography, and coastal oceanography.
• Our supportive staff are expert researchers and many are world leaders in their field.
• Teaching is innovative and student-centred. You will learn through lectures, seminars, practicals, national and international residential fieldwork, tutorials and one-to-one dissertation support.
• Learn to use Geographical Information Systems to analyse and communicate complex spatial data.
• Take advantage of a wide range of study abroad possibilities in Europe, North America and Australia.
• Experience a valuable work placement programme, opening up a range of career opportunities such as consultancy, policy development and management, teaching, planning and conservation.
• LABplus is a unique open access laboratory and resource centre designed for students studying science and engineering courses. The lab provides a flexible workspace, computing facilities, specialist software, access to microscopes, microscope cameras and bespoke resources.  
• Benefit from our unique location, in the heart of the historical city of Plymouth, bordered by Dartmoor National Park as well as the Tamar Valley and South Hams Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Devon and Cornwall have glorious beaches, coasts, rivers and estuaries.

From shipbroking, and the transport of goods, to salvage rights and piracy, 90% of world trade is carried by sea. On the BSc (Hons) Maritime Business course you’ll learn about the commercial, economic and operational aspects of the maritime industry, while gaining a grounding in the varied and fascinating legal issues that arise in the sector.

Our course has established a strong reputation within the industry and is accredited by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. We have an exciting active alumni network through the Plymouth Nautical Degree Association (PYNDA), where you’ll meet other students and graduates in the maritime field and make useful contacts.

Key Features

• Deepen your knowledge of the industry with field trips to ports and the City of London.
• Benefit from teaching by academic staff with relevant industrial and academic backgrounds including sea- and shore-based experience.
• Take advantage of our programme of visiting speakers to gain insider knowledge and important networking contacts.
• Join our active alumni association, the Plymouth Nautical Degree Association (PYNDA).
• Benefit from the strong reputation our course has around the world for the quality of our students. When you graduate you'll be sought after and ready for work or further study in your chosen maritime area.
• Get ahead with a course that’s accredited by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. The University also has links with many other professional bodies including the Nautical Institute, the Institute of Export, the International Association of Maritime Economists, Sea Vision UK and the International Association of Maritime Universities.
• Increase your employability with an optional one year industrial placement.
• Study maritime business and law in a city with a rich maritime history. The University has a tradition of maritime education stretching back to the mid-nineteenth century.
• See things from different perspectives - the wide ranging experience of the international shipping and logistics staff and the nature of the subject attracts a high number of international students. This creates plenty of opportunity for knowledge sharing.

This one year MA Architectural Design program explores architecture, design and urbanism, with an emphasis on the critical investigation of space through practical, theoretical research interests and creative activities. Design is the crucial agency for exploring spatial creativity, coupled with an experimental design practice that operates from a core architectural discipline, yet celebrates the blurring of disciplinary boundaries to forge innovation and new disciplines in spatial enquiry.

You will undertake architectural design studio projects that immerse you within spatial debates and cross-disciplinary activities, including working on live projects, community engagement and public events. Supporting your work in the design studio, you will engage with emerging research in architecture, connecting sustainable practices and integrated technology. You will generate a dissertation through detailed design development of a selected aspect of your design studio work. Support is provided in the design studio through weekly tutorials, workshops and seminars. All students will be encouraged to develop a personal and critical path of design discovery. The studio culture fosters a unique design-led research practice, converging theory, design and technology.

Key features

• Encouraging discovery and critical development in a studio-based culture that fosters a unique research-led practice, converging theory, practice and technology.
• Co-taught with the RIBA-validated Part II programme, sharing coursework, projects and studio space.
• Advances the understanding of the role architectural design plays in today’s most pressing societal, environmental and cultural challenges.
• Encompasses a wide range of skills, theory and practice from urban situation to building performance.
• Develops the capacity to conceptualise spatial thought in relation to architectural design and production at all levels of design, fabrication and use.
• Framed by issues of place, people, tectonics and environmental concerns

Greatly enhance your employability in areas of international logistics and supply chain management with a programme that includes options to study abroad, gain a dual award title and join the Plymouth Nautical Degree Association (PYNDA) upon graduation. With this professionally accredited programme you develop commercial focus through our visiting speakers programme and benefit from a research-informed and technology-enhanced curriculum

Key Features

Are you passionate about animal welfare and keen to shape the management of the zoos of the future? Our unique programme is the first of its kind in the world. Study factors affecting animal behaviour, conservation and welfare plus international zoo management and collaboration. Our partnership with Paignton Zoo gives you regular access to their connections, research and expertise – so you’re primed to make a difference

As a full-time student, you’ll study seven modules taking in everything from genetics to environmental enrichment, preventative health to budgeting. We update modules to reflect current thinking and you can specialise within them. For example, you can tailor your coursework to species of personal interest. You’ll be assessed through coursework with practical tasks focused on your future career. You cover a range of topics that are of central importance in managing animal collections. As a trained zoo biologist you study conservation, nutrition, welfare, bahaviour, and overall zoo management. You then conduct a final three month research project of your choice. Previous research projects have covered topics ranging from  female mate choice in white-faced saki monkeys to how visitor disturbance and keeper interventions affect the behaviour and enclosure use of captive sand tiger sharks.

Key features

Enhance your skills in the areas of management, leadership and innovation - required by a wide range of healthcare professionals and health service managers. MSc Healthcare Management, Leadership and Innovation is designed to be a highly flexible entry into management within the health and care service, whether your interests lie in leadership, quality improvement, innovation methodology, organisation development, patient safety, or education.

You will study aspects of management, leadership and innovation in healthcare, relevant to professionals seeking to lead services and organisations into the future and explore the management and leadership theories pertinent to health and care practice. Gain practical experience of multi-disciplinary team working through problem identification and problem solving to encourage innovation and creativity in project design, development and knowledge transfer. You'll also be offered the choice of a traditional research-based dissertation or the option to undertake a work-related professional project or quality improvement project built on improvement science principles

Key features

Experience research-informed education by exploring the scientific basis of human health, disease and therapeutics. You'll benefit from a rich and varied learning environment that highlights recent developments and examines how these inform clinical and diagnostic practice. Receive the input of internationally-recognised researchers and NHS staff and open up a range of employment opportunities in both industrial and public research laboratories.

You will stand out with a degree accredited by the Institute for Biomedical Science (IBMS) and benefit from an option to transfer to BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science at the end of your second year, complete a yearlong NHS placement and work as a professional NHS Biomedical Scientist. You will enjoy our unique open access laboratory and resource centre designed for students studying science and engineering courses and have the opportunity to experience more with an optional placement year.

Key Features

• Stand out with a degree accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS).
• Delivered by the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and enhanced by links with healthcare professionals.
• Develop practical skills, critical thinking and professional competence.
• Taught components of the course are enriched by the varied research activities of staff within the school.
• LABplus is a unique open access laboratory and resource centre designed for students studying science and engineering courses. The lab provides a flexible workspace, computing facilities, specialist software, access to microscopes, microscope cameras and bespoke resources. 
• Experience more with an optional placement year.
• Gain a positive learning experience within a work setting that will support your studies and future employability – the school offers 12 work placements between Stage 2 and the final year of your programme.
• Ten research summer placements are available between the first and second year and 20 between the second and final year. These competitive placements are available for students who demonstrate excellent performance in their studies and allow students to gain valuable research experience within the Biomedical Research Group.