Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Politics

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

The increase in the collection and analysis of Big Data, — extremely large sets of information, such as social media comments or online product reviews — can provide valuable insight to consumer behaviors and preferences. As a result, businesses need market research analysts who are able to handle data and apply it to real-world marketing contexts.

This course is designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the industrial and scientific relevance of marketing analytics and their application in strategic and operational decision making for organisations that use Big Data. It has been developed to equip you with the practical, evaluative and analytical skills to allow you, as a future marketing manager, to influence and develop strategy and performance within organisations, as an expert in marketing analytics.

The course is multidisciplinary, combining the Stirling Management School’s expertise in marketing, business management and leadership with computing expertise. A key feature of the course is an Industry Partnership and Action Learning approach through consultancy projects with industry. To finish your studies you will undertake a three-month project giving you an opportunity to apply in the concepts and theories you have worked on during the course to a real-life topic.

BSc (Hons) Education (Secondary) degree and learn from world-leading academics and outstanding teachers who have strong partnerships with local schools. This gives you access to cutting-edge practice and research throughout your secondary teaching degree.

Our pioneering approach to professional education gives you time to develop as a secondary school teacher. With our four year teaching degree, you’ll be able to grow in confidence and critically reflect on your skills. The course gives you a more personalised learning experience than the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) route of only one year.

We'll teach you how to apply behavioural science in practice. Our recent students have worked on projects with Siemens, Tesco, Keep Scotland Beautiful, Volunteer Scotland, and Iceland’s Cancer Detection Clinic.
 
Our course motivates you to apply behavioural science to answer some of the biggest questions facing society – for example, ‘how can we improve people’s wellbeing?’, ‘how can we help people save more for the future?’, and ‘how can we foster more effective environmental behaviours?’. In addition, each year we award the Keep Scotland Beautiful Prize for Best Research in Behavioural Science relating to the Environment.
 
We have a regular series of seminars and events where students have an opportunity to chat to leading practitioners and researchers. Each year we host a conference focusing on an aspect of Behavioural Science. In the past these have focused on the ethics of behavioural science, behavioural science and health, and behavioural science in workplace.

Why do we behave the way we do, and what drives our behaviour? If you’re interested in the mind, and in human (as well as animal) behaviour, then Psychology is for you.

Our award-winning Psychology course sits at the cutting edge of inter-disciplinary scientific research. We focus on important societal problems such as detection of criminals and improvement of health outcomes. After introducing Psychology to you as a biological and social science, we’ll cover topics as diverse as brain functioning, child development, and social behaviour.

Big data is increasingly important in today’s commercial landscape. As a data scientist specialising in big data, you’ll help companies make sense of large amounts of structured and unstructured data, providing rapid insights that enable them to make better, quicker decisions.

The MSc Big Data is a taught advanced Masters degree covering the technology of Big Data and the science of data analytics. You’ll gain practical skills in big data technology, advanced analytics and industrial and scientific applications.

The course will teach you how to collect, manage and analyse big, fast moving data for science or commerce. You’ll learn skills in cutting-edge technology such as Data Analytics, R, Hadoop, NoSQL and Machine Learning. At the same time, you’ll delve into important maths and computing theory, and learn the advanced computational techniques you need to develop your career in data science.

Our MSc has been developed in partnership with global and local companies who employ data scientists. Since the course was launched in 2012 we have developed a great relationship with employers who are looking for the skills that we teach.

Our Masters degree in Gender Studies examines the history, context and development of key debates around gender, sexuality and identity, exploring commonalities and differences in the ways they have played out in a range of contemporary, historical and global cultures.

Developed by specialists who are passionately engaged with gender, feminist and queer issues, the strength of our programme lies in its interdisciplinary curriculum which branches across multiple fields ranging from: film, media and literary studies, sociology, history, philosophy, curation and politics.  

Through core modules like Understanding Gender, Researching Gender and Key Feminist Thinkers, you’ll explore a range of theoretical and methodological approaches for studying gender. You’ll also delve into the ways in which academic debate informs, is shaped by and is at times distanced from how gender actually ‘works’ in true situations.

The course places the application of learning to real-world contexts at the heart of its teaching. You’ll have the opportunity to apply your learning on a research placement. The course team has established links with potential placement providers from the third sector, as well as with a number of organisations who are committed to gender equality as part of their work in arts, culture and sport.

Sport is a global phenomenon that captivates audiences and transcends boundaries. Underpinning it all, the business side of sports is a dynamic, competitive industry in its own right, involving instantly recognisable brands and hugely popular products, services and events.

Our Sport Business Management course equips you to meet the industry’s need for technically competent, customer-oriented and commercially-minded practitioners who can apply their knowledge across the domestic and international sports markets. You’ll graduate with core management skills and an understanding of key contemporary issues in sport business – from marketing and branding, to sponsorship, event management and corporate social responsibility.

Everything you study will be rooted in the needs of industry, and you’ll be taught in realistic, sports-based working environments. As a top sports university, Stirling provides a unique context for your studies: a place where Olympians train combined with one of the best 25 business and management schools in the UK for research impact. Your career in the sports business starts here. 

Cell Biology is key to understanding how organisms develop, how they respond to their environment and how the diseased state differs from the healthy state.

Recent advances in cell biology are enabling cell biologists to:

• understand the basis of diseases in humans, animals and plants
• develop novel treatments and therapies for diseases
• explore the processes associated with ageing
• improve the quality and quantity of important food crops
• develop novel and sustainable fuels
• assess the impacts of environmental changes on biological systems

Our course offers you unique and flexible interdisciplinary training from staff whose knowledge is constantly refreshed by their active research work.

As you study, you will develop a thorough understanding of Cell Biology that will give you the choice to progress to more advanced and specialised topics. You will be given the support and encouragement to develop your passion and ideas for your research project where previous Stirling students have excelled in producing high-quality work. We will also make sure you will have the skills and work-placement experience to kick-start your career in Cell Biology.

Social statistics and social research provide policymakers, academics and others with valuable insights into the behaviour of people. This Masters course will give you an understanding of social research, with a particular focus on quantitative methods and social statistics.

You’ll learn about social research methods and the theories behind them, while undertaking detailed training on a wide range of statistical methods. You’ll also gain a thorough knowledge of statistical software and learn a range of highly sought-after technical skills, including accessing, preparing, analysing and summarising complex quantitative datasets.

Modules cover core and advanced issues of social research design and techniques of statistical analysis. There are specialist modules that address important emerging areas in social statistics, covering data management,big data, and social network analysis. Students also choose one option module in another area of social research, for instance on qualitative data analysis or policy research.

Sport plays an important role in society – contributing to health and wellbeing, community, education, social inclusion, and national prestige from success in global events. Its success depends upon skilled and enthusiastic individuals working to support athletes and clubs at all levels.

Our BA (Hons) course will teach you about:

• Sport in society
• The science of sports performance
• The nature of sports organisations
• Theory and practice of sport coaching and sport development
• Research underpinning sport coaching and sport development

Within those broader contextual themes, you will learn both the theory and research within the context of sports development and coaching, informing your personal development, skills and experiences, and laying the foundation for your future career.