Student Stories

SALFORD SCHOOL OF ARTS, MEDIA AND CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY is a highly creative community, with a comprehensive portfolio of programmes including art and design, creative media, film, journalism, music and performance, English, politics and contemporary history.

We have excellent links with the digital technology, media and creative industries including key organisations such as the BBC, ITV, HOME and Manchester International Festival. These provide many opportunities to work on live projects and connect with industry. Our facilities at MediaCity and New Adelphi, our £55 million state-of-the-art building in the heart of our Peel Park campus, are world-class and are the driving force for the creative and cultural life of the University.

OUR ACADEMIC EXPERTS

Dr Jade Munslow Ong, English Literature

Dr Jade Munslow Ong is Principal Investigator on the AHRC-funded project, South African Modernism 1880-2020 and her research specialisms include global modernisms; colonial and postcolonial African literatures; and animals and the environment in world literatures.

Jade is author of Olive Schreiner and African Modernism: Allegory Empire and Postcolonial Writing (Routledge, 2018) and is currently working on a co-authored book with Matthew Whittle entitled Global Literature and the Environment: Twenty-First Century Perspectives (Routledge, forthcoming).

Jade was named by The Arts and Humanities Research Council and BBC Radio 3 as one of ten ‘2022 New Generation Thinkers’.

“Opportunity - the industry links the University has developed allows you that potential ‘foot in the door’ opportunity which can be so crucial when taking the next step towards your chosen career. Development – Salford allows you to develop in your chosen specialisms whilst being surrounded by support and knowledge from a wide range of academic and technical support staff.”

Paul Taylor, MA Media Production

“The course has given me a real insight into the industry, the skills needed to break into it and the knowledge of how to make a good wildlife film.” Tom Rowlands, MA Wildlife Documentary Production

“The University's location in the heart of MediaCity was a massive draw. Many students find industry opportunities abound at the adjacent BBC and ITV buildings and there’s an undeniable buzz about the campus.”

Ben Reese, MA Journalism: News/Broadcast/Sport

“The faculty of instructors were very helpful and the course was all-encompassing. I would highly recommend this programme for prospective students interested in understanding how terrorism, intelligence and security affect the new world order.” Francis Okpaleke, MA Terrorism and Security

“I gained skills and confidence in visual editing, press releases, academic theory and professional practice. I was able to focus on political PR which has given me a platform for a new career. The placements offered were invaluable opportunities to network and build on my CV.”

Mark Lees MA Public Relations and Digital Communications

“The course gave me a nurturing, playful and intellectually rigorous framework in which to challenge my practice. There is a great balance between robust theory and lab practice, with highly supportive lecturers and practitioners.”

“The University of Salford postgraduate course has opened many doors previously locked. It has given me time to develop, refine and explore my own creativity alongside providing practical challenges to test and develop my own professional practice.”

Jenny Richards, MA Media Production: Children’s Television Production

Owen Davey, MA Contemporary Performance Practice

“The programme’s interlinking of literature, theory and culture highlights how all three strands feed into and enrich one another, and offers students a wide range of ideas to explore.” Andrew Marsden, MA Literature and Culture

POSTGRADUATE STUDY AT SALFORD BUSINESS SCHOOL

POSTGRADUATE STUDY AT SALFORD BUSINESS SCHOOL combines academic rigour with real-world experience so you can develop your skills, enhance your professional development or re-focus your direction at any stage of your career.

Salford Business School has forged strong links with industry to give you access to live briefs and work placements with partners ranging from small local businesses to global organisations.

“I enjoyed the mode of teaching and the fact I got to learn a lot of things that I can apply when I get a job. I also like that it gave me an opportunity to network with different people from different parts of the world. I love the exposure it has given me in general.’’

Teni Ijabiyi, MSc Digital Business

“The University of Salford seems to be the most responsive in terms of making enquiries, and also I had a mentor then that was always following up with me when I was back home in Nigeria.”

Blessing Godwin-Ativie, MSc Digital Business

“I had the opportunity to join the Global Business Challenge. My team had students from universities in Ecuador, Finland and America. We worked on a live project for a company, looking for ways to learn how they can drive their business growth and their customer retention. So what we were doing was finding tools and ways to analyse the business’s current situation and find ways they can improve. I was on a sub team in charge of the market analysis.”

Nkeiru Okeke, MSc Accounting and Finance “ There was a lot of theory that I learnt during my degree that was applicable day-to-day during the internship, because it was just so relevant. During one of my assignments I touched upon business improvement methodologies, and when I started at Siemens, they were using the same ideas! My manager was impressed that I already knew some of the basis of what they were teaching me.” Ryan Snape MSc International Business

“I chose this university because of the programme specifications, and also the accreditation with CIPS. For my particular field, it’s very important to have this accreditation. Also Manchester is a very nice city to live in.”

Prattay Wahab, MSc Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management

OUR ACADEMIC EXPERTS

DR MARIE GRIFFITHS, READER AND DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRE FOR DIGITAL BUSINESS

MAIN TEACHING FOCUS: The role of digital technologies in the business setting specialising in the convergence of the ‘real’ and digital worlds and the social influences of technology.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Young people and digital media, exploring their behaviour in virtual spaces, their roles as ‘prosumers’ in social networking sites, the extensive media hubs that now surround even very young children and understanding the potential consequences of this digital saturation.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: Worked on two gender and technology related projects, Women in IT (WinIT) and Disappearing Women from ICT. Previously worked as an IT manager at a Managing Consultants Outplacement company based in the north-west having started her working life as a chef.

DR YIANNIS POLYCHRONAKIS SENIOR LECTURER AND RESEARCHER IN OPERATIONS, LOGISTICS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

MAIN TEACHING FOCUS: The broad area of operations management and operational research. Yiannis is also visiting Professor for Manchester Business School, Sheffield Business School, Bordeaux Business School, Lyon Business School, RISEBA and the Manufacturing Institute in Manchester.

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Yiannis’ research focuses predominantly on the theoretical and empirical interactions between supply chains and project management in the following sectors: hospitality, city councils, health care, heavy manufacturing, small medium enterprises and more.

GET READY FOR

YOUR FUTURE CAREER

AT SALFORD BUSINESS SCHOOL, OUR TEACHING IS HIGHLY PRACTICAL AND YOUR LEARNING IS INFORMED BY OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS. Every postgraduate course includes a work placement or work experience project in the UK or internationally, so you can put your learning into practice before you graduate. We are proud that our industry collaborations and partnerships benefit students, businesses and the community.

We know that the future will be characterised by ongoing technical disruption and rapid and continual change. That’s why all our academic programmes equip you with the skills, attributes and aptitudes to thrive in an uncertain and complex world, including:

/ An entrepreneurial mindset characterised by flexibility, agility, and a willingness to experiment / Life-long learning skills, including curiosity, meta-cognition, and self-reflection / The confidence to question, collaborate and innovate

Our goal is to prepare you for a fulfilling life and professional career. Along the way, you’ll learn to be curious, adaptable and confident, ready to meet the digital, ethical and sustainability challenges of the 21st century.

MSC DIGITAL MARKETING STUDENT SNEHA KARUNAKARAN SHARES WITH US HER TIME AT SALFORD, HER INDUSTRY PLACEMENT EXPERIENCE AND HER TOP TIPS FOR STUDENTS.

THE SALFORD EXPERIENCE

My course, MSc Digital Marketing is covered over five modules, it doesn’t focus on just one area of the business and hence I will have exposure to all the segments of Digital Marketing. The final module, the Industry Collaboration Project, makes the University stand apart from its competitors and allows you to complete a paid placement as part of your final module.

MY PLACEMENT EXPERIENCE

I was placed with Self Storage Tameside as a Digital Marketing Intern, managing two of their important websites: Storage Stockport and Storage Oldham. I would call myself lucky, and the careers and employability team were very hard working and persistent in getting me this opportunity.

Having found a paid placement during a pandemic and in my area of interest is more than I could have asked for and it is the University’s careers team that I have to thank. Right from reviewing my CV to setting up interviews, taking feedback, to all the guidance and help that the team provided was commendable.

PLACEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

The best part about the placement was that I still got to work from the office, meet new people and all of this while following the government’s COVID-19 guidelines. I was able to use the best-in-class Digital Marketing tools. I had a daily meeting with the owner of the company in which we prioritised the tasks of the day, looked at what revenue we had made and tweaked the strategies we had in place for the next day. During a typical day at work, I was tasked with writing blog posts, creating new webpages, managing the website content, PPC and more. I enjoyed going to work and taking on new challenges. There are plenty of people out there who absolutely love their careers, and today I can proudly say I am one of them!

MOULDED FOR THE JOB MARKET

On day one of this course, I was given a task and asked to do a presentation in front of a class of 30 students - yes, 30 eager and intellectual students! I was quite nervous at first, but I absolutely nailed it! Writing assignments, working in groups, writing blog posts and researching topics have all helped me develop my skills. The course has helped me enhance and apply my skills such as time management, decision making, planning and organising projects and group work, which is an essential part of being an extraordinary employee in today’s competitive job market. After having this placement and gaining the knowledge and experience with the help of my supervisors, I’m sure that life after university is going to be a fun ride.

TOP TIPS FOR INQUISITIVE MINDS

The time at hand is limited so try to make the utmost use of it, have fun but keep an open mind. Ask questions, connect with people as much as you can. Create achievable milestones. Get your social media profiles such as LinkedIn and Twitter updated. Create a CV that is smart and tweak it for every job you apply for based on the job description. Make new friends and try to learn a new thing every day.

I would recommend the University of Salford to everybody who truly values being a part of a splendid community and would love to experience togetherness. The University is my home and it could be yours too!

IN THE SCHOOL OF HEALTH AND SOCIETY, our expert teaching staff, strong industry links and excellent facilities, equip you with the knowledge and experiences to advance your research or career.

Combining innovative teaching with hands-on skills development, we offer academic, pre-registration and professional postgraduate and CPD programmes across a range of subject areas:

Counselling and Psychotherapy / Criminology / Midwifery / Nursing / Occupational Therapy / Physiotherapy / Podiatry / Prosthetics and Orthotics / Psychology / Public Health / Radiography / Social Work / Social Policy / Sociology / Sports and Exercise

Our course content is developed in partnership with key stakeholders and we deliver specialist education, drawing on our own research via a rich interdisciplinary network. Our researchers have made positive change at regional, national and international levels and their work is fed back directly into our teaching so that you benefit from relevant, evidence-based lectures.

Your studies will be focused in the real world, allowing you to develop skills relevant to the workplace along with the needs of your patients or clients.

OUR ACADEMIC EXPERTS

PROFESSOR CHRIS NESTER Foot and Ankle research; Published over 100 journal articles; attracted more than £6 million in external research funds including multiple EU projects and direct commercial sponsorship; invited speaker to more than 15 major conferences across the world; led several major partnerships with UK industry, academia and NHS, and extensive experience of working directly with industry across Europe; Academic Director of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Prosthetics and Orthotics.

DR PAUL COMFORT Strength and Conditioning, Biomechanics and Sports Science; Head of strength and conditioning for England Men's Lacrosse (20092012); head of sports science support for Salford City Reds Rugby League Football Club (2008-2013); founder member of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA); member of the editorial board for the UKSCA journal Professional Strength and Conditioning; author of over 100 published works. Awarded Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year for Education and Research by the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) 2018.

PROFESSOR LISA SCULLION Social Policy, SHUSU (Sustainable Housing and Urban Studies Unit), welfare and poverty research University of Salford representative for the Greater Manchester Poverty Action (GMPA) Principal Partner Scheme; Editorial board of the journal Social Policy and Society; member of the Salford Sanctions and Conditionality Task Force; researcher with Welfare Conditionality, a project studying access to welfare and welfare support; over the last 12 years has delivered research projects assessing the needs and experiences of a range of socially excluded/vulnerable communities, including a portfolio of projects assessing the needs of Black and Minority Ethnic communities (eg Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, Central and Eastern European migrants, asylum seekers and refugees), homeless people and those experiencing welfare interventions.

PROFESSOR TONY LONG Child and family health; Editorial board of Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing; founder member of CYP Nurse Academics UK; international scientific committee member RCN international research conference and IEEE international conference on systems, man and cybernetics; expert reviewer British Medical Association update on child maltreatment in the UK; Kidscan policy committee member; Visiting Professor Liverpool John Moores University; reviewer for 17 international medical, nursing and psychology journals; research grant reviewer for 14 national/international funding bodies.

“The team are open to recognising and valuing prior learning and clinical experience in the mature student. Salford gave me the encouragement and vision to drive me to achieve my full potential.”

Chris Navin, MSc Midwifery

“The support network from the tutors was fantastic. Being so far from university, I used email as a point of contact and I could always guarantee that my email would be responded to quickly. This course allowed me to formulate a module to cater for my specific needs. I would definitely recommend this course.” Claire Johnson, MSc Advanced Medical Imaging

“I chose to study at the University of Salford as it was the only university in the UK offering Media Psychology. The energy, enthusiasm, knowledge and encouragement of the lecturers was absolutely brilliant. I really enjoyed working on an interactive TV study with the BBC, which formed the basis of my dissertation. The opportunity to apply knowledge gained with an industry partner is one of the strongest selling points for the course.” Allie Jones, MSc Media Psychology

“Being able to interact with other healthcare professionals on the programme taught me to holistically assess my patient. The degree taught me knowledge and the lecturers taught me how to treat my patients with compassion, love and dignity. The MSc helped me expand my horizons.”

Fani Mela, MSc Diabetes Care

“The programme is run by world leaders in their research areas. The knowledge and experience that they will provide you with can either impact your current practice immediately or set you up for when you get a full-time role. I am now a Physical Performance Coach with the FA, a role in which I support England national teams during training and across international tournaments. This came about due to a funded PhD with the FA, also undertaken at Salford, and the master's programme set a really strong foundation for that as it allowed me to develop from both a practical coaching perspective and with conduction applied research.” Matthew Cuthbert, MSc Strength and Conditioning

“A challenging yet very enjoyable and enlightening course. Coming from a medical background, the most important take home was gaining a broadened view of health, through learning about the social determinants of health and how important they are.” Miriam Bamidele, MSc Public Health

“The course enabled me to find my job as a Psychological Therapist within the Early Detection and Intervention team (EDIT). I work in Primary Care within a Specialist Psychological Service. I work with young people who are 14-35 years old, delivering CBT to an 'at risk of psychosis' population.” Matthew Riley, MSc Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy

“My favourite piece of work has to be engaging in my placement. The University supported me in finding a placement with a client group that I am passionate about working with. I thoroughly enjoy getting stuck in and learning as I go.” Leah Lowe, MSc Counselling and Psychotherapy Studies (Professional Training)