Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

Our Strategic Public Relations and Communication Management course gives you the chance to develop a critical appreciation of the role of public relations in contemporary societies, as well as key analytical, management and communication skills you'll need for a successful career in communications and public relations. You’ll gain a solid understanding of the theory behind public relations and communications, and have many opportunities to apply this theory to everyday communications and public relations practice, experience and phenomena.

By the end of your studies, you’ll have the necessary skills to work at managerial level in public relations. You’ll be able to analyse environments, issues, organisational cultures and relationships – as well as set objectives, and design and implement public relations and communication strategies.

We’re continually updating this well-established course in line with new advances in theory and practice, including how communication campaigns may successfully integrate digital media. Field trips and guest lectures offer opportunities to discuss strategic communication issues with leading practitioners. These also give you networking opportunities and an understanding of current best practice.

This course was established in 1988 and was the first degree in public relations in the UK and one of the first in Europe. Several prominent public relations academics and practitioners have completed their education at Stirling.

By aligning the course with the FRM curriculum, rigorous academic learning is coupled with practitioner-driven insight and certification. Through this combination, students are better prepared to succeed in the challenging field of risk management.

As you study you’ll acquire a broad knowledge of finance, financial theory and the practical methods used to analyse financial data. Further specialist knowledge and analytical skills are developed in financial risk management, including how to identify, measure and manage a broad range of financial risk types including operational risk, foreign exchange risk, liquidity risk and market risk.

You’ll have access to professional financial databases including Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters Eikon, Datastream and S&P Capital IQ. There’s also an opportunity to attend our series of guest lectures by professionals from the industry. All these features help to enhance employability, increase participation, improve learning, and play a part in a world-leading student experience.

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.

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.

Religion spans history, influences cultures and plays a major role in shaping today’s political landscape. It’s a subject that remains in the news constantly – in contexts ranging from discussions about marriage and gender identity to concerns about immigration and terrorist attacks. With all this in mind, it has never been more important to explore the many facets of religion, and understand the term’s meaning in a range of cultural contexts.

Studying Religion at the University of Stirling gives you a chance to do all this. You’ll explore how the meaning of “Religion” differs around the world, and take a positive approach to considering how the term might be re-interpreted. Our teaching team is dedicated to carrying out cutting-edge research into religion, and they feed their findings back into new books and papers – as well as your coursework. Through your studies, you’ll develop a critically analytical mind, as well as the valuable ability to understand other people’s point-of-view and understanding of the world.

We are committed to equipping you with transferrable skills that will make you a valuable asset to a range of employers. Join us and benefit from a fresh, innovative approach to studying one of the world’s most foundational topics.

Retailers are having to adapt to a new competitive reality. Actions by governments and the consumer response to the Covid-19 crisis has required retailers to alter how they operate, resulting in a different retail experience.

Our Retail Marketing course provides a solid grounding in the principles of retail business, including store operations, marketing and consumer behaviour. You’ll have the opportunity to develop an understanding of human resource management, international business, logistics and merchandising. Our staff are high-profile academics with excellent international reputations, and our teaching reflects the very latest research and industry thinking. You’ll also benefit from our extensive contacts with leading retailers, which open the door to invaluable field trips and guest lectures.

The challenges of the rapidly-evolving retail sector mean companies covet skilled, knowledgeable managers who can put theory into practice. With a Retail Marketing degree from the University of Stirling, you could be the difference they’re looking for.

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.

Our Psychological Research Methods course combines training in psychological theory with practical skills development - a modern approach to studying mind and behaviour preparing you for a future career in psychology. You’ll gain a thorough introduction to quantitative and qualitative research, the analysis and interpretation of data, and a critical, sceptical approach to psychological science.

The unique feature of this course is flexibility - you’re free to investigate a wide range of topics across the discipline while maintaining a high standard of training. This encourages an understanding of different methods and perspectives within the field of Psychology helping you make choices which will benefit your future career.

There are a number of degree pathways available:

• Child Development
• Cognition and Neuropsychology
• Evolutionary Psychology

Opportunities for practical hands-on skills development are built in, ranging from low-tech observational assessment to high-tech eye-tracking. You’ll carry out a work placement, typically in an external company, charity or third sector organisation. This provides you with a fantastic opportunity to develop relevant work-based employment skills, and to develop a network of contacts relevant to your future career goals. Students benefit hugely from this experience, combining skills and experience with personal and professional development.

You’ll be based in a dedicated MSc office, or within an appropriate research group, and allocated a peer mentor. You’ll also have an academic supervisor in Psychology who supports and guides your development, including your research dissertation project.

Adult nursing is a challenging and rewarding profession that offers a wide range of roles caring for people and promoting health.

Stirling is a superb place for you to learn the skills of modern nursing – which are valued around the world.  Our course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, and has also received multiple commendations.

Nursing is a dynamic profession, and we’ll give you the education and confidence necessary to fulfil your role in the healthcare teams of tomorrow. As you study, you’ll learn how to work with a range of multi-disciplinary professionals, groups and individuals to provide care and promote health. Our course is based on a philosophy that our graduates will develop values, integrity and resilience to become socially reflective practitioners  who will provide services based on excellence, compassion, safety and respect.

You’ll be allocated a personal tutor who will be a source of guidance, information and support during your studies. Whilst undertaking practice learning experiences, you’re also allocated a practice assessor and supervisor who will facilitate and support your learning in practice.

We’ll inspire and challenge you, so that you leave us as a confident and capable practitioner - ready to join a health and social care team upon graduation.

Humans share this planet with other animals and our interactions are at the core of our everyday lives. We farm and eat animals, we keep them as companions and for work, as models for humans in laboratory research, in animal-assisted interventions for positive behaviour change, and in education, entertainment and ecotourism. Depending upon our perceptions and attitudes towards animals, and in relation to the impact they have on us and the environment, we may actively attempt to conserve them, domesticate them or eradicate them.

In this Masters in Human-Animal Interaction you will learn interdisciplinary approaches and a diverse range of methods used to research our relationships with other species. The Masters covers a broad range of topics and looks at human–animal interactions across a wide range of contexts – from pet owning to animal-assisted interventions, zoos, farms and conservation.

You'll learn about the importance of both human and animal behaviour in shaping human animal interaction, and the associated ethical issues, as well as learning to critically evaluate methods for measuring attitudes, interactions and their outcomes.

You'll carry out a practical placement and research project to get direct experience tailored to your individual career goals. You will also learn from our recognised experts in human–animal interaction, whose specialisms include:

• The study of animal behaviour and animal welfare
• Animal-assisted activities and interventions
• Human and animal coexistence