Welcome to the School of Social Sciences

Dr Jason Hughes, Deputy Head, ExternalPostgraduate Programmes

2 July 2012

School overview• A vibrant, multi-disciplinary School with an

international outlook• One of Brunel’s largest Schools. Five

Departments with approximately 2,300 undergraduate students, 250 postgraduate taught students and 165 PhD students

• All Departments scored highly in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) and were ranked excellent by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) for teaching.

• NSS rankings are strong across the School• 15 research centres deliver influential and

innovative research

Head of SchoolProfessor Justin Fisher, Head of School• Professor of Political Science • Director of the Magna Carta Institute, an international think tank

bringing together leaders in politics, law, business, media and academia• Consultant to several key authorities including, the Electoral Commission,

the Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Council of Europe

Professor Clare Williams, Deputy Head of School• Joined the School of Social Sciences in June 2011 from King’s College

London• Professor of Medical Sociology and Director of the Centre for

Biomedicine and Society (CBAS)• Secured grants worth £2.4m for multi-disciplinary research on clinical,

ethical and social issues associated with innovative medical technologies

Our areas of expertise• The School consists of the following major disciplines:

Anthropology Economics & Finance Politics History Psychology Sociology Communications

What’s different about us?• Strong, well established programmes and expertise in several disciplines• World-class research centres, many academics are leaders in their

disciplines e.g. BCISS, CBAS• Inter-disciplinarity, provides a broader perspective to inform research and

enriches the student experience• Five excellent Departments• Policy-making research, regularly covered in the media• Many of our courses are specialist, unique and innovative e.g. Medical

Anthropology, Cross-Cultural Psychology, Intelligence & Security Studies; Public Affairs & Lobbying

• A School which inspires and develops its students for success

What will you experience?• Academically rigorous and taught by subject experts, focused on the

needs of students, and informed by the latest research• Career enhancing courses that develop the range of skills and attributes

increasingly required by employers• Structured, so that students achieve the required disciplinary expertise• Flexible, through part-time study, choice of modular options, and cross

disciplinary• Access to leading-edge technology, on-line services and excellent learning

facilities• Excellent services and support from the Graduate School

Brunel Graduate School• All postgraduate students become a member of the Graduate School

when commencing their studies

• The Graduate School supports all postgraduate students throughout their time at Brunel offering a range of development services and activities:– Skills training– Workshops and seminars– Social and networking events– Excellent facilities– Provides a voice for PG students

Training Opportunities• Master’s skills training programme – develops

transferable skills necessary to succeed in your chosen course of study, improve your employability and engage in personal and professional development

• Researcher development programme – engage in personal, professional and career develop via our continually evolving training programme

• Online courses – improve your skills anytime, anywhere with our Research Skills Online courses

We’re here to help• This session is designed to help you with

any queries you may have about starting in September

• We can provide you with more information today and put you in touch with other staff if required