UNIVERSITY
DEGREES ABERTAY
POSTGRADUATE
Welcome to the Abertay Graduate School. We pride ourselves on being a small and friendly University with an excellent research environment, extensive researcher development opportunities, close links with industry, the public and third sectors, and a welcoming student support service. We’re particularly effective at cross-disciplinary working to innovate and find creative solutions for the modern world. This is possible and indeed promoted because of our compact campus and pan-University Graduate School, which encourages collaboration. Doing a postgraduate research or taught degree is a big commitment; it can sometimes be challenging and always involves hard work. But ultimately it’s enjoyable, rewarding and often transformational. We’re here to help you reach your full potential and to achieve your ambitions and goals. Join us at Abertay where you can meet, work, learn and socialise with our vibrant community of postgraduate students and academics from Scotland, the UK and beyond. Abertay University offers over 50 postgraduate degree opportunities, including: • • • •
Taught MSc (12 months full-time) Research MSc (10-14 months full-time) MPhil (1-3 years full-time) PhD (2-4 years full time)
Abertay postgraduate researchers work across academic schools to devise innovative approaches and solutions that address complex local and global challenges. Our approach helps us drive development of new research areas and strengthen disciplines through cross-fertilisation.
We welcome your application to join our dynamic postgraduate community. Best wishes, Professor Nia White Dean of Research and the Graduate School 01
CONTENTS About the Abertay University Graduate School
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Postgraduate taught degrees
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Postgraduate research degrees by subject/school 07 School of Design and Informatics
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School of Applied Sciences
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School of Business, Law and Social Sciences
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Postgraduate research degrees by theme
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How to Apply
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Funding
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About the Graduate School Abertay’s small size enables us to work across discipline boundaries to facilitate knowledge exchange. Central to this strategy is Abertay’s Graduate School – a unique, dedicated facility providing support, training and professional development opportunities to our vibrant postgraduate community. Our shared space has been designed to promote exchange amongst the student and academic community so that ideas and expertise might permeate across discipline boundaries to spark innovative discoveries, creativity and new thinking. Whether you join us as a postgraduate student or researcher, you’ll be joining a community of creative, likeminded scholars and will automatically be provided with access to our dedicated study and social spaces – a forum in which you can meet, work, collaborate, learn and socialise with other researchers and graduate students from across the University. The Graduate School offers an integrated training and professional development programme to enhance research excellence, impact and individual employability. You’ll benefit from support with funding applications, placement opportunities, industry collaboration, teaching practice, public engagement and outreach activity.
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Postgraduate Taught Degrees MSc Accounting & Finance (CIMA Gateway) Designed in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), this programme will prepare you for a successful career in finance by enhancing the skills you need to succeed at management and strategic level within any organisation. MSc Computer Games Technology Expand and focus your existing programming skills for the development of computer games. Abertay’s postgraduate games courses are the best in the world outside North America, according to the prestigious Princeton Review. MSc Counselling Gain comprehensive training in the pluralistic framework for counselling and psychotherapy integration. You will delve into a wide range of theories and interventions and learn how best to adapt your approach to the needs of your clients.
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MSc Ethical Hacking and Cyber Security Aimed at Computing/IT graduates, you will cover the latest techniques in penetration testing, digital forensics, IS management, Malware analysis, port scanning, buffer overflows and password cracking. MSc International Human Resource Management Develop your understanding of HRM practices and employment systems in varying countries as well as multi-nationals, and the economic, political and social factors that influence them. Professional Masters in Games Development (MProf) Improve your professional skills – be they creative or technical – through applied project work, supported by our highly respected and experienced industry practitioners. Interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork are at the heart of this degree. For more information on our postgraduate taught degrees please visit abertay.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-taught/
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Postgraduate Research Degrees Abertay University’s three academic schools support Masters by Research (MSc, MA or LLM), MPhil, and PhD research degrees in a variety of subject areas. Our postgraduate programmes are flexible, which means that students registered for Masters by Research or MPhil can seek to transfer to PhD study or study in part-time mode*. Research areas may be disciplinefocused or cross-disciplinary in nature. As a postgraduate research student, you’ll carry out an original independent research and/or practice-based project whilst being guided and supported by a team of expert academic supervisors located within our academic schools: School of Design and Informatics, School of Applied Sciences, and School of Business, Law and Social Sciences. Throughout this, you’ll develop appropriate professional and academic skills and attributes required to deliver research excellence, by engaging with an extensive programme of researcher development tailored to your own background, needs and future ambitions. Our range of postgraduate research degrees include:
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Accounting and Finance Agile Organisation AI and a Human Resource Organisation Behavioural Science Bioethics Biomedical Sciences Business and Management Business Sustainability & Social Accountability Civil Engineering Civil Engineering – Geotechnics Civil Engineering – Structures Cognitive Psychology Community Resilience and Global Justice Computer Games, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Computer Games Design Computer Games and Media Computer Games for Social Change (Serious Games or Games for Change) Computer Science and Informatics Corruption and Economic Development Criminology Cross-Cultural Management Culture, Business and Society Cybersecurity Cybersecurity and Human Behaviour Design Data Science and Informatics Design and Environmental Impact Digital Business and Social Transformation Digital Marketing Digital Social Innovation and Co-design Duty of Care in Sport
Employability Energy, Environmental Sustainability and Management Entrepreneurship and Business Game Design Geotechnical Engineering Green Criminology and Environmental Sustainability Growth Environmental Microbiology Ethical Hacking/Penetration Testing Food and Consumer Science Food Nutrition and Health Food Science and Technology Foreign Direct Investment Forensic Science Forensic Science and Impression Evidence Graduate Recruitment and Selection Human Behaviour and Cybersecurity Human Behaviour and Computer Interaction Human Computer Interaction Human Resource Management Informatics Information Visualisation Interactive Sound and Music International Business and Management International Crimes and Policing Internet Marketing Internet of Things/Cybersecurity Knife Crime, Organised Crime and Policing Law Law and Human Rights
Leadership Life Sciences Marketing Management Managing Diversity Mental Health Counselling Mental Health Nursing Molecular Biology Oil and Gas Accounting Organisational Change Performance Management & Business Sustainability Performance and Play (performing arts and videogames) Psychology Psychological Contract Psychology and Gaming Psychology and Learning Security and Policing Sensory Science Sociology Social & Organisational Aspects of Cybersecurity Social Theory Sport and Exercise Science Sports Coaching Structural Analysis and Design Sustainability Sustainable Development Transnational Criminal Law Trafficking in Human Beings User Experiences in Immersive Environments (gaming) Wastewater Technology and Environmental Impact
*Students studying in Scotland on a Tier 4 visa can only undertake full-time study.
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SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND INFORMATICS
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GAMES AND ARTS The research profile in the field of Games and Arts is inherently interdisciplinary, encompassing subject expertise in digital art and performance, game design and game studies, and sound and music production. The research leads to the creation and evaluation of new and experimental forms of play, from curated digital performances to applied games. In applied games, we use a range of research methodologies – from serious game jams to full development projects – to explore the role and value of games in education, training and science communication. Sub-areas of research include (but are not limited to): • • • • •
Games and History Play and Performance Applied Games and Professional Training and Education Arts Research Game Studies
COMPUTING AND MATHEMATICS Central to the field of Computing and Mathematics research activity is its expertise in computer games technologies and the computer science and mathematics that underpin the exploitation of those technologies. In partnership with Games and Arts, the research drives new forms of game-based interactions and simulations. The field also exploits games technologies in food and energy security and in healthcare as part of the wider Research Themes. Sub-areas of research include (but are not limited to): • • • •
Real-Time Animations for Use in Games Real-Time Animations for Use in Virtual and Augmented Realities Complex Systems and Game Technology Games Programming
CYBER SECURITY Our Cybersecurity research field has developed strong links with government, police, and industry to collaborate on a range of research projects including improving the security of SMEs, training in cybercrime response using games technologies, and cyber security into the Software Development Lifecycle. Research is structured into four overlapping areas: responding to prevailing challenges of system security; vulnerability detection and the threats introduced by Internet- connected devices; the usability of security prevention measures; and using visualisation techniques to improve security. Sub-areas of research include (but are not limited to): • • • •
Secure system coding Threat detection and securing the Internet of Things Human-centred Security Visual Security
For more information about postgraduate research degrees in the School of Design and Informatics, please visit abertay.ac.uk/courses/postgraduateresearch/ For specific enquiries only, please contact the Dean, Professor Gregor White (g.white@abertay.ac.uk), or our Graduate School (GraduateSchool@abertay. ac.uk).
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SCHOOL OF APPLIED SCIENCES 11
MENTAL HEALTH NURSING AND COUNSELLING Our research field of Mental Health Nursing and Counselling has an ambition to respond to the growing needs within society concerning challenges to mental health, and the provision of mental health care. Research focuses on the quality of teaching and training in preparing professionals for practice, in the creation of Pluralistic approaches to mental health and the application of these to particular service-user and client groups. The research is closely linked to the teaching delivered at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Current projects include (but are not limited to): • • •
Tayside Centre for Counselling collaborative project Mental Health Nursing healthcare system assessment Pluralistic counselling
PSYCHOLOGY This research-active field is involved in many community projects, utilising strong research links with local, national and international organisations. Members participate in established research networks and collaborate with researchers worldwide. As part of a highly collaborative and diverse group of scholars at Abertay, there is particular investment in interdisciplinary research and innovation with creative technologies to understand and develop human behaviour. Sub-areas of research include (but are not limited to): • • • • • •
Vision science Self-processing Language learning and processing Evolutionary and biological approaches to behaviour Forensic psychology and missing persons Cognitive neuroscience
SPORT AND EXERCISE SCIENCES This research field focuses on two broad areas of complementary research: Biomechanics and Physiology; and Social Science of Sport. It prioritises research and puts special emphasis on populations with protected characteristics (e.g., age, gender, disability) in order to contribute to the duty of care in the sport agenda, which is increasingly salient as an issue in contemporary society. It undertakes high-quality collaborative research, disseminate research findings that impact positively and meaningfully in sport and exercise contexts, and work in partnership with key stakeholders to develop research programs. Current research includes (but is not limited to): • • • • • •
Women’s sport equity Sedentary lifestyle risk factors Exercise and health training interventions High intensity exercise Elite sports performance Healthy ageing
For more information about postgraduate research degrees in the School Applied Sciences, please visit abertay.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-research/
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SCHOOL OF APPLIED SCIENCES 11
NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT The applied research in the field of Natural and Built Environment (NBE) is aimed at providing technological and sustainable solutions to contemporary problems. Its research and knowledge transfer expertise assists a wide range of industrial and nonindustrial sectors, such as water companies and authorities, local authorities, NGOs, health boards, manufacturers, and private sector companies. NBE research and consultancy also relates directly to the construction and civil engineering industry, waste management companies, environmental managers and regulators and the food/ drinks industry. There is a formidable track record in combining academic skills with commercial expertise in its many projects. Sub-areas of research include (but are not limited to): • • •
Environmental Technologies Sustainable Assessment and Enhancement Structural and Geotechnical Engineering
FOOD AND DRINK This field has a research profile that is interdisciplinary across its primary subject areas. It focuses strongly on Knowledge Exchange and interacts extensively with industry. Over the years it has developed strong links with critical stakeholders, and received a number of esteemed awards for our collaborative projects, completed in partnership with more than 100 Scottish or international companies. British and International academic partnerships are integral to the research approach. Recently upgraded facilities include several well-equipped laboratories for food science and technology, including a processing plant, a state-of-the-art Consumer Experience Laboratory, and advanced analytical equipment. Sub-areas of research and projects include (but are not limited to): • • • • •
Food science and technology Sensory and consumer science Nutrition and Public Health Zymology & Alcoholic Fermentations Food Innovation @ Abertay (a commercial arm of the School)
For specific enquiries, please contact the Dean, Andrea Cameron (a.cameron@abertay.ac.uk), or our Graduate School (GraduateSchool@ abertay.ac.uk). 12
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, LAW AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
SOCIOLOGY The research interests within the field of Sociology takes a broadly social relational and social constructionist approach, placing specific emphasis on advancing theoretical developments. Current research touches upon addiction studies, the politics of immigration, policing and domestic violence, culture, communication and digital technology, and healthcare issues, working collaboratively across the University and in partnership with the Scottish Government and other agencies. Research interests cover four broad groupings: • • • •
Social Theory, Politics, Power and the State Crime, Risk and Criminalisation Culture, Social Divisions and Identity Digital, Media and Discourse Sociology
LAW Law has a research profile that looks both at law as an academic discipline - searching for justice, fairness, clarity and consistency across most areas of human activity - and as a means of interacting with the wider economic, political and social world. In particular, it reconciles technological developments with social norms. Sub-areas of research include (but are not limited to): • • • •
Developments in Technology and the Law Labour Law Directors’ Duties within Corporate Law Governance and corruption
ACCOUNTING, FINANCE AND ECONOMICS The field of Accounting, Finance and Economics (AFE) has a longstanding tradition of providing postgraduate research in areas that lie within the academic staff research expertise areas. The research atmosphere within AFE is inclusive, dynamic, and oriented to practice, policy and impact. Sub-areas of research include (but are not limited to): • 13
Carbon, oil and gas accounting
BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT Research culture in the field of Business and Management embraces theory, practice, and policy. There is an interdisciplinary research profile spanning across its three primary subject areas of Management, Human Resource Management and Marketing, and extends to cognate areas. Sub-areas of research include (but are not limited to): • • • • •
Human resource management Enterprise and entrepreneurship Consumer Psychology Consumer Engagement Digital Transformation
For more information about postgraduate research degrees in the School of Business, Law and Social Sciences, please see our website: abertay.ac.uk/ courses/ postgraduate-research/ For specific enquiries only, please contact Dean, Professor Mohamed Branine (m.branine@abertay.ac.uk), or Abertay’s Graduate School (GraduateSchool@abertay.ac.uk).
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POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH DEGREES: RESEARCH AREAS BY THEME 15
Research activity at Abertay is focused around four Universitywide themes to address key local, national and international priorities, and to build on our existing areas of expertise and our industry-facing heritage.
CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
ENVIRONMENT
Research Themes SECURITY
SOCIETY
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CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
The Creative Industries theme builds on established relationships with some of the world’s leading technology manufacturers, digital content creators and service providers to undertake research and development, knowledge exchange and collaborative content creation. Creative Industries draws on expertise in games and arts, computing and mathematics, business and management, sociology, and psychology. Research activity aligns with three broad, overlapping areas: • Games • Creative Technologies • Digital Culture For further information on research within the Creative Industries theme please contact the Theme Leader, Dr Robin Sloan r.sloan@abertay.ac.uk
ENVIRONMENT
The Environment theme draws on expertise in the disciplines of Science, Food and Drink, the Natural and Built Environment, Accounting, Finance and Economics, Computing, and Mathematics. Work in these areas deliver solutions needed to address a wide range of contemporary environmental challenges which affect us all at a personal, community, regional and global level. The research activities in this theme cover three general areas: • Life and Environmental Systems • Sustainable Technologies, Business Governance and Policy • Food and Nutrition For further information on research within the Environment theme, please contact the Theme Leader, Dr Andrew Spiers a.spiers@abertay. ac.uk
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SECURITY
The Security theme builds on established relationships with security companies, public authorities and bodies such as the police in order to undertake research, development and knowledge exchange activities. The strategic approach to these is an interconnected and interdisciplinary platform based around four areas: • • • •
Cybersecurity Forensic Psychology Law Forensic Science
For further information on research within the Security theme, please contact the Theme Leader, Dr Stefano DePaoli s.depaoli@abertay.ac.uk
SOCIETY
Research within the Society theme is aimed at understanding and improving human performance and interaction in different social contexts. Research utilises crossdisciplinary expertise in Business and Management, Law, Mental Health Nursing and Counselling, Psychology, Sociology, and Sport and Exercise Sciences in three broad subject areas: • Mental and Physical Health • Learning and Education • Governance and Social Responsibility For further information on research within the Society theme, please contact the Theme Leader, Professor Vera Kempe v.kempe@abertay.ac.uk 18
FUNDING New Scottish and EU students studying a Postgraduate Taught Degree or a Masters by Research/MPhil may be eligible to apply for support from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS). In the case of Masters by Research/MPhil, this funding is available for programmes lasting a maximum of two years full-time, or four years part-time. Research Masters leading to PhD programmes are not eligible for support. You can find out more information about eligibility on the SAAS website saas.gov.uk/index.htm Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland can apply for up to £10,280 to cover tuition fees and living costs. This should be done through the relevant student finance organisation for your country. International students are not entitled to help with tuition fees. However, there are scholarships offering financial support. Information on available scholarships can be found at abertay.ac.uk/scholarships. Information for all postgraduate students can be found at abertay.ac.uk/ funding. 2019/20 tuition fees are as follows: Postgraduate Taught Degrees • Scottish/EU students: £5,500 • Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland (rUK): £7,500 • International students: £15,250 Postgraduate Research Degrees (per academic year) • Scottish/EU students: £4,324 (full-time); £2,162 (part-time) • Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland (rUK): £4,324 • International students: £12,750-£15,250 (subject dependent) Check abertay.ac.uk/fees for full details.
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How to Apply The application for our Postgraduate Taught degrees can be found at abertay.ac.uk/ applymasters/ To apply for our Postgraduate Research degrees, you must prepare a research proposal with the help of a potential Abertay academic supervisor. Visit abertay.ac.uk/applyresearch for more information
For more information on applying to Abertay’s postgraduate degrees, please contact a member of our team: sro@abertay.ac.uk +44(0)1382 308080
Abertay University is a charity registered in Scotland, No: SC016040
Last update 210819