www.swansea.ac.uk Postgraduate Prospectus 2012

MASTER’S DEGREESMaster’s degrees are academicallymore demanding than undergraduateprogrammes. They requirea higher level of self-directedlearning and are awarded tostudents who demonstrate advancedunderstanding of a particular subject.Master’s degrees are deliveredthrough a combination of taughtmodules and assessed coursework,and there is an expectation thatstudents will complete an in-depthresearch project or dissertation.Master's programmes are generallymodular in structure, meaning that studentsfollow a series of taught modules worth atotal of 180 credits. 120 credits aregained from taught modules during PartOne of the degree, and 60 credits fromthe dissertation (Part Two). All candidatesmust complete Part One before beingallowed to progress to Part Two.Master’s programmes generally includeresearch and methodology skills coursesand specific departmental training courses,which are essential for students at Master’slevel and those wishing to go onto higherdegrees. Additional specialised trainingcourses are also available during theacademic year.Some Master’s programmes offerPostgraduate Diplomas and PostgraduateCertificates as exit qualifications. To qualifyfor a Postgraduate Diploma, students mustpursue 120 credits, or 60 credits for aPostgraduate Certificate (please note thatnot all programmes offer this exitqualification). Specific regulations apply.Choosing a Master's programmeThe University offers a range of Master’sdegrees, including the MA, MSc, LLMand MBA.Students can pursue postgraduate coursesin the same subject as their undergraduatedegree or, in many cases, outside it. Manyof the University’s postgraduate courses aremultidisciplinary in nature, allowing studentsto cross boundaries between traditionalsubject areas and to follow courses outsidetheir first degree subject.In addition, conversion-style courses –available in Law, Business, ComputerScience and Engineering – are open tograduates of any subject.MA/MSc/LLM by Research:Typically one year full-time, two to threeyears part-time. This is an individualresearch project written up into a thesisof 30,000 words.Is a Master’s degree right for me?Yes, if you want to:• Prepare for a research degree• Acquire new and specialised skills• Enhance your career prospects• Develop your subject knowledge ofyour first degree subject• Study an entirely new subject.Can I study part-time?Master’s, Postgraduate Diplomas andPostgraduate Certificates can normally bestudied on a full-time or part-time basis ina wide variety of subject areas. You areencouraged to contact the academicdepartment in question before applying.The part-time study option is not normallyapplicable to international students.For details of the University’s range ofresearch degrees, please see pages18 – 75.77MASTER'S DEGREES – INDEX78 Ageing Studies80 Biosciences82 Business Management84 Childhood Studies86 Classics, Ancient History and Egyptology88 Computer Science91 Criminal Justice and Criminology92 Cymraeg – Academi Hywel Teifi94 Economics96 Engineering100 English102 Geography106 Health Science112 History114 Law116 Law: Department of Professional Legal Studies117 Lifelong Learning119 Mathematics122 Media and Communication Studies124 Medicine128 Medicine – Graduate Entry Programme MB BCH (Wales)130 Modern Languages132 Politics, International Relations and Development Studies134 Psychology136 Translation Studies139 War and SocietyMASTER'S DEGREES