Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Criminology and Social Policy

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

Health psychology is the study of psychological and behavioural processes in health, illness, and healthcare. It is concerned with understanding how psychological, behavioural, and cultural factors contribute to physical health and illness.

Health Psychologists promote healthier lifestyles. They try to find ways to encourage people to improve their health and also to improve the healthcare system as a whole. For example, helping people to lose weight or stop smoking, or advising doctors on better ways to communicate with their patients.

You’ll learn to use your knowledge of psychology to promote general wellbeing and understand physical illness. We will teach you the skills needed to help people deal with the psychological and emotional aspects of health and illness, and to support people who are chronically ill.

Our MSc Health Psychology has a strong experiential focus and emphasises the application of health psychology to real world settings. The course includes contributions from healthcare practitioners. You will carry out a brief placement in a healthcare setting, which can include the NHS, third sector (charities) or industry, and you’ll usually arrange this placement yourself with support from the course team. You are encouraged to carry out research in healthcare contexts where possible.

If you want a highly respected degree in Environmental  Science that also provides you with outdoor teaching and guiding activities, this unique degree has been designed for you.

The University of Stirling is a superb place to study Environmental Science, with our history of innovation in environmental research and study. This course blends the academic elements of our Environmental Science degree with practical training in navigation and outdoor safety. You’ll learn how to design, lead and deliver outdoor programmes with environmental and ecological learning outcomes.

You’ll explore global environmental issues, contemporary environmental science, landscape evolution, and scientific techniques.

Our leading mountaineering instructors and outdoor specialists will teach you outdoor leadership, mountain skills and environmental education.You'll have the opportunity to complete a work placement module and gain the Mountain Leader Award, endorsed by the Mountain Training Association. This is a physically demanding course requiring a certain level of health, fitness and mobility.

Fintech is taking over the banking and finance industry. The way we handle money is changing and the whole industry is taking note - from international banks to backroom start-ups. To do well in fintech, you need to understand technology, finance and business creation.

Our MSc Financial Technology (Fintech) provides a solid foundation in computing technology, financial theory, ethical and regulatory constraints, and business skills. It’s an innovative course designed for those looking to enter a career in the fintech industry.

Fintech includes the technology from big data and analytics, mobile computing and modern financial services. Some of the activity in the sector is being carried out by the large, existing financial institutions, but the majority comes from small companies who are developing disruptive technologies.

The course covers:

• Manipulating data and scripting in Python
• An introduction to blockchain
• Cybersecurity and data protection
• Bank Theory, Operations and Strategy
• An introduction to corporate finance
• Data analytics and machine learning
• Fintech app development
• Investment regulation and ethics
• Heuristics and bias in behavioural finance
• Innovation management and disruptive technology
• Business startup planning
• Professionalism, regulation and ethics in banking

Our Masters in Education is designed for established educationalists, aiming to advance their understanding of education, as well as those looking to convert their career to this field.

The University of Stirling has a strong reputation for the study of Education and we hold expertise in Digital Pedagogies, Leadership and Curriculum. Throughout this course, international scholarly perspectives are incorporated within learning and teaching, including blended learning and the inclusion of multilingual and translanguaging pedagogical practices.

The course will give you the opportunity to specialise in some of the most important fields in education: digital pedagogies, curriculum and leadership. You’ll be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to make identifiable contributions to public and private education spaces, including international government, research and practice.

You will study a compulsory diet of education philosophy, social justice, and policy, alongside research methods in the social sciences. You will also choose a modular pathway in either digital education, curriculum or leadership, or a combination of two modules from these pathways, completing your studies with a dissertation in a related topic of your choice.

The quality learning experiences offered by the MSc in Education are underpinned by international scholarly perspectives and approaches that enable you to facilitate and assimilate knowledge via your own and others’ cultural lenses and language practices.

Delivered by our experienced practitioners and leading scholars, our Masters degree in International Conflict and Cooperation prepares you to address a variety of challenges facing states and international organisations today. This course looks at the dynamics of international conflict and cooperation in light of major events such as the end of the Cold War, the 9/11 terror attacks, the Arab Spring and the COVID-19 pandemic.

We take a thematic approach to conflict resolution and the role of international organisations in order to focus on conflict prevention and management in specific geographical areas. The course also explores the development and regulation of conflict in relation to factors like natural resources and migration.

Contemporary dilemmas surrounding the politics of climate change negotiations, environmental and resource conflicts, civil war and ethnic tensions, human rights, international terrorism and humanitarian intervention provide some of the raw material for this MSc, which are studied in-depth over the course of the academic year.

If you have aspirations of working in the heritage, conservation or tourism sectors, our dedicated Heritage and Tourism degree is the perfect starting point. This course is a fully integrated degree taught in conjunction with Forth Valley College. You'll spend the first two years studying at the college and the final two studying at the University of Stirling campus, whilst benefitting from dual registration and the full range of their combined resources and facilities.

The course is supported and shaped by leading organisations such as Historic Environment Scotland, VisitScotland and Scottish Canals, and delivered jointly by the University of Stirling and Forth Valley College. Your studies will reflect the importance of combining academic knowledge with a firm grasp of management and business. You’ll learn about heritage, tourism, history, exhibition design, sociology, marketing and environmental studies – as well as the challenges facing the management and promotion of historic and natural environments in Scotland and beyond.

Every aspect of the course is informed by the internationally-recognised expertise of our academic staff and their extensive networks with professional partners, helping to distinguish our programme from other heritage and tourism courses. You can be confident that everything you’re learning is rooted in the latest academic and applied industry thinking, and designed to prepare you for a career in the heritage and tourism sectors. You’ll also apply your skills in real-world settings while you study – further sharpening the skills you’ll put to use when you transition into the exciting professional world of heritage and tourism.

Our English Language and Linguistics postgraduate degree gives you an excellent opportunity to study the complex workings of language and explore its central role in society. With the guidance of expert staff, you’ll explore how language works, how people use it, what people use it for, where it came from and how it changes.

You’ll learn to carry out independent research and engage with other researchers by writing, debating and delivering oral and written presentations. You’ll also play an active part in our regular Linguistics Reading Group meetings, which discuss articles on important and controversial linguistic topics.

The course also provides a grounding in theories and methods that are essential for a range of careers. You’ll graduate with an expert knowledge of contemporary linguistic theories and their application in a wider cultural context – including both generative and cognitive approaches to linguistic description, as well as the contexts in which these theories operate.

This is the only Human Rights and Diplomacy programme in the world taught in partnership with the leading training body of the United Nations: the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

This is an interdisciplinary course that combines Law, Philosophy and Politics of human rights.

You’ll learn about the practice and theory of human rights laws and politics, the UN human rights institutions, their history and their philosophical foundations. You’ll be taught by top human rights researchers and will be given practical training from experienced UN personnel in negotiating draft documents, and learning how to make a difference.

The course includes a 5-day study visit to Geneva for all students, to observe the Human Rights Council in session. Additionally, for the final three months of the course, if your profile is strong enough then you’ll have the opportunity to apply for a highly desirable internship, or else to pursue projects with human rights organisations or to tackle a traditional dissertation.

The growing pressure on natural resources has prompted a search for new and renewable energy forms. Alongside other significant impacts upon the environment, energy production, distribution and use have become a priority area for governments, businesses and non-governmental organisations across the world. With a growing demand for employees with specialised global legal knowledge in energy and environmental law, we’ve designed this course specifically to meet that need.

On this Masters course, you’ll explore the intersections between energy, environment and regulation. Expert staff have come together to provide graduates with an in-depth understanding of international energy and environmental law, as well as of key areas of energy management, environmental policy and economics.

You’ll be taught by expert staff in law, politics, economics and environmental science. They’ll give you clear insight into the relevant legal, political and economic issues related to energy and environmental law at the national, regional and, particularly, the international level.

Our Masters in Sustainable Aquaculture explores the principles of aquaculture and the key factors influencing the viability of aquatic animal farming and food production systems. You’ll develop an understanding of aquatic animal biology, environmental issues, nutrition, reproduction and genetics, disease and health management.

With practical application at the core of your studies, you can choose to focus on specific aspects of sustainable aquaculture, including:

• Advanced broodstock management
• Aquaculture policy and planning
• Livelihood analysis
• Environmental management and biodiversity
• Feed formulation and resources
• Aquatic animal health control
• Epidemiology
• Ecotoxicology

You can also explore the commercial business of sustainable aquaculture, with optional modules covering marketing, business studies and economics. You’ll learn the skills necessary to establish, manage and appraise aquaculture enterprises and development projects from within the industry or public sector.