Master of Science in Media Management

at University of Stirling United Kingdom

Attracting students from all over the world, this unique course is designed to meet the sport sector’s need for well-qualified managers who can combine management and financial skills with a specialist knowledge of sport and its unique institutional nature. You’ll learn how to apply your insights to the inherent challenges of sport management – from conducting research into event planning, to advising organisations on the impact of policy changes.

The course is taught by leading experts in the subject, whose research helps to ensure you’re being taught about the most up-to-date industry trends. You’ll also have invaluable opportunities to undertake a period of professional practice with a sporting organisation, either virtually or in person, and be involved in organising a sports event with our industry partners. By the time you graduate, you’ll be well equipped to turn your passion for sport into your profession.

The University of Stirling MBA (accredited by the Chartered Management Institute) is designed to transform capable managers into successful business and organisational leaders. Our MBA qualification is unique in the way it focuses on the practices, processes and outcomes of managing in a range of contexts, from large multinationals to small and medium sized enterprises. There is an emphasis on personal development, responsible business, strategy and how to effectively manage limited resources with maximum impact. These are supported by the professional and personal development modules that are designed to help each individual focus on developing current skills as well as identifying and developing new skills.

This sought-after qualification will give you a thorough understanding of the functional areas of business and management including:

• Accounting and finance
• Marketing
• Operations management
• Human resource management

By completing this course, you'll gain the confidence and resilience to respond to continually developing circumstances, the skills to build and lead a team, and the theoretical knowledge and its link to practice to successfully manage the challenges of the modern business environments.

The course provides a thorough grounding in the latest theory and analytical techniques used by finance professionals, allowing you to understand how money influences the world we live in.

You’ll gain hands-on experience of the process of financial decision-making and practical knowledge of the workings and role of financial markets in the allocation of capital. The course also gives you an understanding of the qualitative and quantitative techniques needed to interpret market reactions to geopolitical events such as Coronavirus, Brexit, oil-price shocks and financial crises.

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. 

The Master of Science in Historical Research is a one-year research preparation course intended to prepare postgraduates for a research-based career and enable specialisation in social and/or economic history.

The MSc is designed to:

• train historians in social research methods
• demonstrate your ability to undertake interdisciplinary research to doctoral level at Stirling; or other universities in Britain and overseas
• provide a foundation for applications to research councils (AHRC, ESRC) and doctoral training partnerships (including SGSAH) that fund PhD research
• specifically prepare graduates to apply to the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science for PhD studentship funding in social and economic history (see below under professional accreditation)
• enhance career prospects and career development

These aims are achieved through the completion of independent study modules, taught modules in applied social research, optional study modules appropriate to your field of study, and skills training conducted under supervision. You’ll be allocated an individual supervisor to direct your dissertation and plan your programme.

Our course prepares you for further research by:

• compulsory taught modules in project design, qualitative and quantitative data analysis
• directed independent study in the historiography of a research topic
• skills development in statistical and database packages
• self-directed skills training
• practical experience in applying research methods to interrogate primary sources and datasets in the dissertation
• developing written and verbal critical analysis

Choose our Criminology and Sociology degree and you’ll benefit from studying two closely related disciplines; with training both in criminology and the theory and methods of applied social science. Learn how to ‘think like a criminologist’ and apply criminology to the context of modern life, social diversity and inequalities in society. Criminologists are interested in how activities are defined as criminal, explanations for crime and social reactions to crime.

You’ll explore fascinating questions surrounding the criminal justice system, the social contexts of crime, and the relationship between behaviour and punishment. Why and how do people break the law? How can the criminal justice system define this, and how do we police, prosecute and punish people?

Our Criminology and Sociology course reflects the latest developments in social research and is taught by experts in their fields.

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.

Business Analytics focuses on understanding the data generated by individual organisations, and how it can be used to improve business practices.

As a conversion course developed in close partnership with industry, we welcome students from any academic discipline and you will learn to use powerful visual programming and scripting tools, such as Orange, R, Power-BI and Python. These tools will enable you to learn how to deploy statistical analysis, predictive analytics, text analytics and data-mining tools to provide clear actionable solutions for business leaders and influence business strategy.

Scotland is internationally recognised for its crucial contributions in drug discovery and development, medical technologies, stem cells, bio-manufacturing and bioinformatics.

We’ve worked with Forth Valley College and business to develop a fully integrated degree course in Applied Biological Sciences. Our course is making a difference by solving the problem of skills shortages in life sciences. We’ll give you technical expertise and proficiency in the vital practical and research skills sought-after by employers.

The degree is taught jointly at Forth Valley College and the University of Stirling and also receives input from employers across the Scottish life sciences community. Classes for the first two years will be delivered at Forth Valley College’s campus in Falkirk. Classes for the last two years will be delivered at the University of Stirling campus.

Your study will begin with fundamental science and laboratory skills before focusing on the cellular and molecular aspects of biological sciences.

Your final year will focus on proteomic and genomic aspects of biological sciences, plus your research project. Our research-led teaching, together with the experience and insight gained by your work placements, will make you work-ready for a modern career in biosciences.

If you’re planning a career in the legal profession, our LLB degree provides a well-rounded qualification that can be your first step towards becoming a Scots lawyer or entering other prestigious sectors.

The University of Stirling LLB offers in-depth knowledge and understanding of legal principles, theories, institutions and rules – as well as the wider social and political context in which law operates. You’ll benefit from the knowledge of our expert teaching staff, whose own legal research is widely published and feeds back into the LLB programme. You can also rest assured that everything you’re learning is in line with the highest professional standards, as our LLB Hons is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland and recognised by the Faculty of Advocates.

Field trips give you an opportunity to experience how courts function in practice, while the opportunity to apply for a work placement in a legal organisation will equip you with a comprehensive understanding of what professional life is like. Our LLB graduates have gone on to a wide range of successful careers, and our LLB is a rigorous degree that develops important intellectual and personal skills. That’s why our graduates are attractive to employers both in the legal profession and beyond.