Master of Arts in Professional Writing Extended Work Placement

at University of Westminster - Regent Campus United Kingdom

The question of security now dominates contemporary international politics. Issues such as the 'War on Terror', pre-emptive self-defence and humanitarian intervention constitute seminal international concerns that have implications for all states and all peoples.

This course provides you with a detailed understanding of the nature of the contemporary security agenda, its origins, theoretical foundations and future trajectory. You will examine the theories of international security and those key security issues that have dominated security discourse in the post-Cold War era. You will also develop your analytical skills in order to facilitate understanding of the seminal contemporary security issues in a broader theoretical and historical framework.

At Westminster, we'll train you to become a competent linguist in modern languages, ready to enter graduate employment.

We place particular emphasis on employability and the contemporary cultural context, and offer high-quality teaching in all language skills.

Our course offers you an opportunity to study the Arabic and English languages and cultures in an integrated interdisciplinary way, exploring the connections between them and the broader historical and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced.

This course will enable you to achieve a good or high level of linguistic competence in Arabic in all four skill areas (reading, writing, listening and speaking), it will enhance your skills in using English, and develop your linguistic and cultural knowledge and understanding.

You'll be able to work in different cultural situations and you'll gain the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Our Arabic courses are only available to beginner or 'false beginner' entrants – false beginners are students who may be able to read the Arabic script, and/or have completed the equivalent of one or two years' part-time study. Please note that we may need to test you to determine your entry point.

You’ll develop your understanding of the English language in terms of the way it is structured, its linguistic diversity in Britain and around the world as a global language, the ways in which it varies between different texts, and, at a wider level, the ways in which it reflects and contributes to wider meanings in society. You’ll also have the opportunity to consider the theoretical tools of both literary analysis and language research in detail.

You may have the option to spend a full academic year abroad at a partner institution and/or approved form of employment in a country where Arabic is the official language. You can also study an optional module from a range of topics across the University in each year.

History remains among the most fascinating and best-loved of the arts and social science disciplines. This is an exceptional degree which makes the most of our unique West End location.

Our course is modern, with a focus on British and European history, but there are many opportunities to study American, imperial and global history as well. A distinctive element of the degree is its focus on the extraordinary history of London.

You’ll explore the streets of the capital, learn how to conduct your own research in London’s unique archives, and graduate as a well-trained and experienced historian, ready to launch yourself into the world of work in careers such as the media, education, law and the Civil Service – or into further study or research.

You’ll also gain the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Research underpins much of our teaching, and we encourage you into a community of scholars, through teaching which will enthuse and inspire you.

The English Language and Linguistics MA aims to provide you with a thorough understanding of the linguistic features of English from a wide range of perspectives: theoretical and applied, synchronic and diachronic. It will enable you to understand and evaluate critically a wide spectrum of ideas put forward in the study of the English language (particularly in connection with linguistic variation in terms of space, time, communicative context and linguistic contact) and will equip you with the intellectual perspectives and the scholarly skills that will prepare you to conduct independent research.

The English Language and Linguistics MA is suitable for students who have taken English language and/or linguistics modules at undergraduate level, and others who have taken allied disciplines such as psychology, philosophy or TESOL. It is of particular interest to those wishing to pursue further study and those teaching English who wish to gain a further qualification and investigate recent and current developments in the field.

This course provides you with the foundation subjects required to obtain a Qualifying Law Degree along with the opportunity to spend a year of study in one of our partner universities in Europe, gaining knowledge of other legal systems, experiencing another legal culture, enhancing your European language skills and developing international links.

A law degree is seen as a valuable asset by a variety of employers, as is knowledge of another European legal system and another European legal language. When you apply, you'll need to demonstrate an aptitude for European language study, but this does not necessarily mean that you'll need to have a formal qualification. While abroad, depending on your language skills, you may study in English or in another European language.

You'll spend the third year of your degree studying at one of our partner universities in the EU, which offer a wide range of law courses, including some taught in English. We have partner institutions in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. On successful completion of your year abroad, you'll return to Westminster in Year 4 to complete your studies.

Top reasons to study with us

• International experience – our European Legal Studies course gives you the opportunity to live and study abroad with one of our European partner universities. You will gain invaluable international experience and can and learn a foreign language as a part of your studies
• Practise in a real-world environment – as part of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your legal skills at the Westminster Law School Legal Advice Clinic
• Develop mastery of an area of the law – with our subject streams, developed by our research-led experts, alongside the core professional modules, you can specialise in entertainment and media law, commercial law, international law, theory and human rights law, criminal law and justice, or welfare law
• Boost your employability – skills and work-based learning modules are available in every year of the course

Our English Language and Global Communication BA develops your understanding of the English language and the complexities of global communication in order to help you thrive in a professional global context.

You'll achieve a thorough knowledge of culture through comparative, cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches and via the analysis of the forms and practices of cultural transmission. You'll develop the linguistic resources, strategies and intercultural awareness and flexibility essential for effective communication in global professional environments.

Our combination of disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning will ensure that you graduate with an array of important transferable skills including cultural insight, the ability to evaluate and apply theory, undertake research and utilise creative and precise analytic capabilities. Engagement in small research projects and the associated ethical issues ensures that you'll have experience of considering and complying with ethical requirements.

Top reasons to study with us

• Enhance your communication skills abroad – You'll have the option to immerse yourself in another culture by spending a full academic year abroad. You can spend one or two semesters at a partner institution in Europe, the USA, Canada, or Australia
• Interdisciplinary learning – Our course enhances your written and spoken English skills while developing your knowledge of the English language and your understanding of communication within cross-cultural settings
• Become a global citizen – Studying our degree, you'll gain a high degree of linguistic and cultural autonomy, and develop the skills and international outlook to thrive in intercultural settings
• Learn transferable skills – Our degree will prepare you for a variety of careers by helping you to build your communication, research, critical and analytical skills

The Professional Writing with Extended Work Placement MA is designed for those who want to turn their love of words and writing into a dynamic and fulfilling career. It will give you the skills, motivation, networks and connections to work across a wide variety of industries – in publishing, journalism, public relations, advertising, as literary agents, copywriters and copyeditors. It will also allow you to explore the history and future of writing and the writing industries from a variety of perspectives, and to develop your own interests and specialisms.

The course takes a broad, holistic view of writing, because writing is not just about writing. It is about editing, about working with the words of others and with other languages, it is about the reader, it is about the form into which the words are packaged. It is about essays and tweets, novels and headlines, criticism and advertising, prizes and publicity. As a result, the course brings together the combined expertise of English, Creative Writing, Media, Communication, and Film and Cultural Studies to offer a truly interdisciplinary MA.

This course looks at the way that museums, galleries and other cultural institutions are changing to meet the needs of the 21st century. The MA has been designed for students who wish to work as curators, arts organisers, museum professional and other cultural managers and who want to know in particular how these institutions face contemporary issues. It looks at the changing role of cultural provision and how agencies, festivals and flexible organisations shape, house, fund, and disseminate culture today. The course also gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the contemporary debates about working practices in cultural institutions, and the changing context in which organisations operate.

The course concentrates on professional practice and you will work closely with institutions such as Tate Britain and the Museum of London, and conduct case studies into creative projects run by organisations as diverse as the Victoria and Albert Museum, smaller independent galleries and London-based festivals and arts organisations. Classes are taught off-site at other institutions, and involve professionals from the sector as much as possible to give you an understanding of vocational issues and a close involvement in the workplace.

Our Spanish and International Business BA will help you develop the skills and knowledge you'll need to succeed in the internationalised business world.

In today's global economy, language skills are of significant value to prospective employers when combined with business expertise. This combination can greatly enhance your career opportunities.

You'll have the opportunity to study Spanish language, culture and international business in an integrated way, exploring the relationships between these elements and the broader economic, financial and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced.

Our comprehensive language training places strong emphasis on the use of language in a professional environment, while our business modules will allow you to gain a solid understanding of international business – a combination that will enable you to gain the real-world skills required to progress to a rewarding career.

The training you'll receive in cross-cultural communication will equip you with the flexibility, adaptability and creativity required in global interactions.

Top reasons to study with us

• Gain practical Spanish language skills and intercultural awareness in simulated and authentic professional contexts  
• Experience a sophisticated business environment – our state-of-the-art Bloomberg Financial Markets Suite allows you to gain first-hand exposure to technology that’s widely adopted in leading global investment banks in the major financial centres of the world
• Benefit from an (optional) international experience through a placement, study abroad and/or field trips. Previous field trip destinations have included Morocco, Hong Kong, France, Cuba and Argentina
• Receive tailored academic support and career planning through our tutorials
• Enjoy opportunities to practise one-to-one conversation with a native speaker through the Languages Plus programme

Immigration, crime, social injustice and youth unemployment make headline news almost daily. These are the key issues of our time. If you’re interested in such issues, and want to understand how societal structures impact on people's everyday lives and interactions, or how criminal justice relates to social justice, then you should consider studying sociology and criminology. Combined, these two disciplines develop your sociological and criminological imagination and answer questions about society and its various institutions.

You’ll be taught by active researchers, whose expertise includes human rights, migration, comparative and transnational criminology, convict criminology, youth justice, terrorism studies, psychology of crime, education, gender and sexuality, 'race' and ethnicity, social movements, families, media and cultural studies. You’ll have access to a wide range of specialist option modules in both disciplines, and you’ll have the opportunity to take a work experience module where you can put into practice the personal and professional skills you've developed while studying.

This combined degree enables you to sufficiently specialise in criminology to enter professions connected to the criminal justice system, but also benefit from the broader careers available to sociologists. You'll also gain the transferable skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Our students go on to careers in the police and police-supporting organisations, crime prevention, the probation service, the charity and non-governmental organisations sector, local and central government, teaching, social work, youth work, and many more.

This course offers a unique curriculum. A distinctive feature of the course is our use of London as a learning and teaching resource, with several modules offering field trips around the city such as museum visits and themed street walks. You’ll be part of a diverse and international student culture, and you can also gain valuable experience studying abroad for a semester.

Top reasons to study with us

• Study in a multicultural city – London is one of the world's most diverse cities, making it a fascinating place to study sociology and criminology. We make the most of our central location, with field trips around the city, museum visits and themed street walks
• Thrive in an academically supportive environment – you'll be taught by friendly, dedicated lecturers who are all active researchers
• Engage critically with contemporary issues – our curriculum focuses on social and criminal justice and, together with students from diverse backgrounds, you'll explore some of the most important issues facing the world today
• A wide-ranging learning experience – by combining sociology and criminology you'll have access to a broad range of specialist modules, giving you a well-rounded learning experience that enables you to pursue a variety of careers