Overview

The Aberystwyth MscEcon Digital Connectivity: Communications, Networks and Revolutions focuses on the creation and functioning of new communications technologies (such as the internet, digital technology and multiple media platforms) and their impact on social, cultural and political life.  You will be challenged to explore specific disciplinary perspectives on information and communications technology, as well as addressing some of the largely unexplored questions related to the impact of web-based media.  These include its potential as a transformative and democratic agency and the challenges it creates for human organisation, behaviour and thinking.  You will also wrestle with the tension between arising techno-pluralism and the oft-cited dissolution of boundaries that technological integration is supposed to bring.

This course examines the macro- and the micro- dimensions of the subject; you will consequently study in breadth and in depth across a diverse range of subjects including international politics, art, computer science and management.  No part of the study programme will be delivered in isolation; instead, each module will inform the whole so that you are comprehensively equipped to take this course to meet the challenges of the workplace.

Based primarily in the Department of International Politics, you will have access to experts from: the departments of Computer Science, of Information Studies, of Law and Criminology, of Psychology, of Theatre, Film and Television Studies; and the Schools of Art and of Management and Business.  These leading researchers and lecturers will teach you everything from the technology which makes the ‘Connectivity’ phenomenon possible and the implications of the internet for data management to issues of cyber security and cyber warfare and much more.  You will become well-versed in how politics, law, human communication, media and performance and business application pertain to the fascinating subject of Connectivity. 

The course is a full-time programme, taught over one year, and is divided into two parts over three semesters.  In part one, you will study a comprehensive and innovative core module alongside a range of specialist and vocational optional modules, together worth a total of 120 credits.  In part two, you will apply your learning in the individual dissertation worth an additional 60 credits. 

The dissertation task will enable students to undertake an advanced exploration of a topic of their own choosing which is related to new digital and web-based communications, with the guidance of an advisor from a department specialising in the chosen topic.  The descriptions relating to this dissertation and all the study modules can be found on the At a Glance tab.

Upon graduation from the Master’s in Connectivity, you will have demonstrated possession of genuinely cutting-edge expertise in a dynamic and rapidly evolving subject.  You will also have proven your academic excellence, personal rigor and interpersonal adaptability - traits which are required by recruiting corporate bodies, government agencies and research institutes alike.  In a competitive jobs market, your particular skill set will make you highly desirable to employers from a range of industries.

Fact file

Duration:	Twelve months full-time. The academic year (September to September) is divided into three semesters: September to January; January to June; June to September.
Contact Time:	Approximately 12-14 hours a week in the first two semesters.  During semester three you will arrange your level of contact time with your assigned supervisor.
Assessment:	Assessment will be through a combination of examinations, project work, short reports, laboratory- and studio-based exercises, essays and dissertation.  It may, depending on the modules chosen, include seminar presentations, review essays and literature searches.
Entry Requirements:	An Honours degree (Class 2 division 1) or equivalent, plus two satisfactory references. Candidates who do not meet this requirement will be considered on a case by case basis via interview.
English Language Requirements:	If you have a Bachelor’s degree from a UK University, you do not need to take an English proficiency test. Non-native English speakers who do not meet this requirement must take a University-recognised test of academic English language proficiency. For further information please see our English Language requirements page.
Course Fees:	Please see the tuition fee pages for current tuition fees. Please note that all fees are subject to an annual increase.

At a glance

Part One Core Module	Part One Option Modules (continued)	Part Two
Connectivity: Digital Spaces and Cyber Worlds	ILM0820 Records and Information Governance	Master’s Dissertation (60 credits) After successful completion of Part One at the required assessment level, those wishing to gain the Master’s qualification will need to complete a 60 credit dissertation. Candidates who attain the required 120 credits but do not wish to gain the Master’s qualification may exit with a Diploma.
Part One Option Modules Candidates will choose 60 credits from the following:	ILM5120 Information Society
	ILM7510 Digital Information: Discovery to Delivery
CHM5720 The Internet and How it Really Works	IPM1230 Critical Security Studies: Emerging Issues
CSM6120 Introduction to Intelligent Systems	IPM1030 Contemporary Strategic Problems
CHM5410 Forensic Computing and Ethical Hacking	IPM2430 Power, Culture and Identity in International History	Click on any module code to find out what the module covers, how it is taught and delivered and how it is assessed.
ILM0520 Publishing and the Web: Exploring New Technologies	LAM3320 Computer Systems and the Law
MBM9110 Information Systems and the Digital Firm	MMM4010 Internet Marketing and the E-Business
AHM0330 Art and Visual Culture A	AHM0410 Art and Visual Culture B
ARM0130 Portfolio Development	TPM0130 Theoretical Practices
	Digital Cultures



Career Development

Qualification:             MscEcon in Connectivity

This degree will suit you:

• If you wish to understand the force which is driving the world-wide change in politics, business and societal relations;
• If you wish to gain the knowledge and skills for professional work within the field of Connectivity;
• If you wish to understand the impact of global access to information on the world’s economies, cultures and governance;
• If you wish to continue your studies to a more advanced level through undertaking further postgraduate level research.
  

Employability

Employability is an essential feature of your study of ‘Connectivity’ at Aberystwyth.  As part of the course, students are required to build a working relationship with a business or other functioning body within the realm of information and communications technology.  This engagement with external businesses and organisations, combined with the ‘hands on’ experience gained through the range of laboratory and studio-based research, will provide you with a unique and highly employable set of skills.

By the time you graduate, you will possess a thorough understanding of the wealth of factors, processes and interest groups which control the flow of information via technology.  You will be able to direct your learning into areas of specialism which relate to your career aspirations so that you can achieve your goals more efficiently.  Once graduated, you will possess enviable understanding of communications and technology issues and the ability to approach any arising subject or challenge with clarity, knowledge and authority.  These qualities will set you apart in the jobs market or the employed environment.

In addition, the study skills, research methods and interpersonal awareness that you will learn within the context of study can be applied in any place of work where the analysis of information flow is critical.  In such situations, you will be at a tremendous advantage over your competitors.

The Master’s is designed to give you a range of transferable skills that you can apply in a variety of research interests and employment contexts.  A significant proportion of postgraduate jobs demand both particular expertise and strength in breadth.  Not only will you have subject-specific knowledge, you will also be trained in the thought processes that drive the communications revolution: originality, interconnectivity and innovation.

Contacts

For further information:

Sarah Whitehead

Admissions & External Affairs Administrator

Department of International Politics

Aberystwyth University

Aberystwyth, Ceredigion

SY23 3FE

 

E-mail: sarah.whitehead@aber.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)1970 622625

Apply On-line

Department Website

 

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