Master of Science in Sociology and Social Policy

at University of Southampton - Highfield Campus United Kingdom

Discover micro and nanotechnology on this master’s degree. You’ll learn how microelectromechanical systems and nanoelectronics inform next-generation consumer electronics. Prepare for a career in industry or academic research.

On this Micro and Nanotechnologies MSc you’ll learn the scientific and engineering principles that support a wide range of micro and nanoscale technologies. 

There’s a particular focus on microelectromechanical systems and nanotechnologies on this course. These are vital to the research and development of modern electronics, including miniaturised sensors and nanoscale logic and memory devices. 

You'll also learn about microfluidic technology, enabling miniaturised biodevices for point-of-care diagnostic applications, and the fundamentals of photonic circuits and devices. 

You’ll be able to fit the master’s in nanotechnology into your interests or career plans by specialising in areas such as: 

• Microelectromechanical systems 
• Nanoelectronics 
• Biodevices 
• Optoelectronics 

You'll get training in the latest design, fabrication and characterisation methodologies, and benefit from using industry-standard tools and facilities such as our cleanroom complex. 

Specialist modules are taught by staff involved in leading edge research, so your learning will be informed by the latest developments in these areas. 

Our electrical and electronic engineering courses offer a breadth and depth of study that you’ll find at few other UK universities. This master's in electrical and electronic engineering builds on the BEng programme. The programme gives you the opportunity to learn the management skills needed to become a leader in this industry and to explore additional specialist modules.

Electrical engineering is about the generation, distribution and use of electricity on a large scale, while electronics is all about the components and systems that make electronic devices work. On this electrical and electronic engineering degree you’ll gain a thorough grounding in both disciplines, and learn how they interrelate.

You’ll learn from researchers who will share their passion for their areas of expertise, which include high-voltage electrical engineering, sustainable energy and machine learning. Examples of practical design work on this course include designing and testing a microprocessor, a robot, or a large integrated circuit.

You can choose to study topics to suit your career path, including:

• green electronics
• medical technologies
• nanoelectronics
• quantum devices

You’ll learn to use industry-standard software for tasks such as the simulation of power line systems. For some students, a design project can lead to the publication of their first scientific paper. You’ll also gain direct industry experience through work placements.

You can take this course with an additional year-long, paid placement. Apply with UCAS code HH60 for the Industrial Studies option.

This MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree is accredited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered Engineer.

Our MSc Water Resources Management master’s degree develops the professional skills required for a rewarding career as a water focused environmental scientist. The importance of accurately assessing potential and existing impacts on the water environment from industrial practices, abstraction and agriculture sits at the heart of this course.

Highly skilled water scientists and engineers are vital for the conservation and enhancement of our aquatic environment, both locally and globally. This programme will give you the ability to accurately assess the potential and existing impacts on the water environment from industrial practices, abstraction, and agriculture.

On completing this master's in water management, you should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

•  The importance of environmental concepts, terms, principles and methods
• The value of using techniques and ideas in different subject disciplines
• The socio-economic context of environmental issues and the legal framework for environmental regulation
• The contribution of science, engineering or communication to the identification and resolution of environmental issues
• The human causes and consequences of environmental impacts
• General environmental concerns, including biodiversity, environmental limits to economic or population growth

You’ll explore the scientific and engineering management of our aquatic resources and gain an in-depth understanding of freshwater ecosystems, visit river restoration sites and examine the state of fisheries.

This is a specialised integrated master's course, which covers a number of advanced naval architecture topics. Here you'll get a broad mechanical engineering degree with a focus on maritime engineering. You'll study topics like design, mechanics and hydrodynamics as you prepare for a range of science careers.

On this MEng Ship Science degree, you'll look at the design, construction and testing of ships and ocean structures. These could be for transport, recreation or harnessing marine resources.

You’ll learn the core principles of naval architecture and marine vehicles. Later you can choose to specialise your programme through one of 6 pathways:

• Advanced Computational Engineering
• Marine Engineering and Autonomy
• Naval Architecture
• International Naval Architecture
• Ocean Energy and Offshore Engineering
• Yacht and High Performance Craft

In year 3 you will complete an individual research project and in year 4 you’ll take part in a group design project.

As part of this course you can:

• Learn computational design and modelling techniques
• Use our state-of-the-art facilities, including the largest university towing tank in the uk
• Learn from internationally-renowned engineers from the wolfson unit and lloyd’s register
• Showcase your work in our annual engineering design show
• Visit sites to experience engineering in practice
• Join our hydro team to help design and build innovative marine vehicles
• Take a work placement during the summer holidays

You can take this course with an additional, year-long, paid placement.

You'll study all forms of marine life and learn how to solve environmental challenges on this master's in marine biology. You'll work on our research vessels in Southampton, and discover the marine environment in the Galapagos Islands or Thailand. Graduate with the ability to work in research, wildlife management or conservation.

You'll study biology and ecology within the specific context of marine systems. The course modules will improve your biological sciences, chemistry, physics and mathematics knowledge.

Our unique fieldwork locations will offer you the opportunity to broaden your field research beyond the environments found around the UK.

The facilities are exceptional at Southampton. You can go from classroom or lab to our research vessels within minutes on our Waterfront Campus. Be part of the National Oceanography Centre Southampton (NOCS), one of the largest marine science communities in Europe.

Depending on your grades, you can apply to study abroad at one of our partner universities. There you'll take specialist modules and projects that are not available in the UK.

With this course, you can:

• Get the opportunity to conduct supervised original research
• Examine the ecology of marine organisms, including feeding, reproduction, behaviour and migrations
• Discover a range of topics from hydrothermal vents to coastal lagoons
• Get extensive practical laboratory skills training at all levels
• Take part in relevant field experience and training throughout the programme
• Choose from a variety of semester abroad study opportunities

This degree is accredited by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST).

Become a clear, confident and comprehensive educational leader with our Masters in Education Management and Leadership pathway. Learn about professional development with strategies to overcome challenges faced by leaders in education all over the world.

This educational leadership course is for teachers and those working in administrative positions in education who are looking for the leadership and research skills to make a positive change. Learn about professional development with strategies to overcome challenges faced by leaders in education all over the world. You’ll learn how to identify opportunities for improvement within an educational institution, making decisions based on research and with a focus on outcomes.  

Leaders in education are expected to introduce continuous change within their organisation, you’ll understand how this impacts an academic institution or school and the people within it. To give you versatility in the profession, we look at a variety of learning environments within the public and private sector, as well as how educational leadership theories can be used by both teachers and leaders in schools, and educational practitioners outside of schools.   During this MSc educational leadership course, you’ll learn how to:

• Examine different teaching and learning methods
• Conduct reliable education research and reflect upon emerging research
• Apply your learning of leadership theories to your practice  
• Assess contemporary issues in the area of educational leadership
• Examine core management practices to educational institutions

You’ll learn about policies and research on a national and international level. During the course, you'll collate and evaluate the research you’ve found in order to communicate outcomes in a clear and convincing way.

We offer 3 pathways on our MSc Education degree.

Your other MSc Education pathway options are:

• Education - you'll learn teaching & learning methods, and how to conduct & analyse educational research.
• Education (Practice and Innovation) - study different teaching and learning methods and learn how to conduct and analyse educational research in the fields of innovation and inclusive practice.

Learn how a business operates and study key management concepts on our MSc International Management degree. You'll find out what makes an effective manager and apply your learning to hands-on practical exercises and simulations. This management master’s degree will give you the skills you need to work in organisations across the world.

Our MSc international business management course is open to graduates from a range of academic and professional backgrounds. This UK international management degree encourages you to explore different topics to help you discover what you want to specialise in.  

You'll learn:

• How organisations operate and are managed
• How to resolve issues through your understanding of management concepts   
• Analytical, communication and self-management skills  
• Industry speakers will provide regular insights into the latest practice and course lecturers will incorporate real-world case studies into their teaching.

The course modules cover:

• Management within a global context
• Strategic management
• Marketing
• Accounting and control
• Responsible leadership decision making
• Operations management

Our alumni actively share their career paths with new students. When you join this course, you become part of our successful international network of alumni, learning from one another.

Our MMus Music Education degree gives you the opportunity to specialise in various elements of music education. On this course, you’ll study:

• Current trends in musicological method and critical practice
• Key research skills in music education
• A range of instrumental teaching techniques, styles and methods
• The technique, history and repertoire of your instrument or voice, and associated performance techniques

Our academic staff are internationally noted performers with active solo and ensemble careers, and established composers of contemporary art music, electronic music, media music (for example, in film, TV and videogames), and jazz. These world-leading experts can offer you intensive one-to-one tuition in music history, culture and performance.

On the Music Education pathway, you’ll work towards a final project in the form of either an extended essay or a portfolio of recorded lessons accompanied by a written commentary. We’ll work with you to create a portfolio of work that’s relevant to your career aspirations. On completion of the course, you’ll be ready to:

• Continue your research at a doctoral level
• Work in the music industry or wider cultural sector
• Become a teacher
• Work as a freelance musician

Develop your critical skills on this Global Literary Industries Management MA at the University of Southampton. You’ll study Shakespeare, Austen and creative writing, and benefit from practical sessions and placement opportunities. Your learning will include exclusive access to curators, theatre directors, novelists and heritage venues. This master’s course will prepare you for a career in the literary or cultural industries.

This UK master’s course will provide you with the knowledge and practical skills for a career in literature and culture, in areas such as:

• Journalism
• Publishing
• Archiving
• Broadcasting
• Arts writing
• Heritage management

You’ll learn from academics with professional experience in these fields, and explore the latest literary and cultural developments. Areas you’ll explore include:

• New media
• Online and interactive publishing
• Gaming and narrative
• Adaptations and translation
• Literary tourism
• Heritage management

We combine practical and critical approaches on this course, meaning you’ll have the skills to work in these industries as well as the knowledge to understand their cultural significance.

You’ll be able to fit the course to your interests or career plans through your choice of optional modules, which cover everything from script-writing to literature and law.

You’ll spend a signficant part of the course working on a major independent research project, allowing you to create your own professional portfolio.

Is there a god? What is freedom? What makes a state legitimate? On this BA Philosophy and Politics degree with placement year abroad you’ll explore questions studied by philosophers and political theorists throughout history. Optional modules give you the freedom to pursue your own interests in topics as varied as Chinese politics and Ancient Greek philosophy.

This degree will give you an excellent education in philosophy and politics. In your degree you can:

• Develop an understanding of philosophical questions such as ethics, reason and responsibility
• Explore fundamental and far-reaching issues about human welfare and social justice, political ideals and political realities
• Gain foundational knowledge through core modules on democracy and the modern state
• Learn about subfields of  political theory, comparative politics and international relations
• Gain an advanced knowledge of economic skills and employability
• Learn how to conduct and present dissertations and research

You’ll be taught in small groups in a relaxed and friendly environment, and benefit from the expertise of academic staff whose research feeds directly into the course content.

You can take modules from other disciplines such as anthropology or psychology, studying a language, or choosing from a range of cross-disciplinary modules. These include topics such as social enterprise, risk management, and living and working on the web.