Nottingham Trent University Launches First Multidisciplinary Master’s Degree

Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Trent University has launched a master’s degree which allows postgraduates to study different academic disciplines as part of the same course.

The Multidisciplinary Master’s is set to launch in September and is the first of its kind for the university.

Previously, postgraduate students have studied multiple subjects from the same academic area. But now they will be able to combine different study fields to create a programme that meets their needs and career ambitions.

Chris Pole, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Nottingham Trent University, said: “This is an ambitious move which broadens our offering to students and enhances our credentials as a modern, forward-thinking university.

“Today’s businesses require people who are multi-skilled, so it’s essential that our students are able to develop both the knowledge and experience which are needed for their chosen careers.

“We want to stimulate postgraduate education and create an offering that’s more industry-focussed and which sets our students apart from other postgraduates.

“And – together with the financial support from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) – we’re keen to encourage more students from disadvantaged backgrounds into postgraduate education.”

The Multidisciplinary Master’s is funded with £1.47 million from the HEFCE Postgraduate Support Scheme and more than £1 million from Nottingham Trent University.

Students will choose a major and combine this with minor modules in other subject areas. Underpinning this is a core module to enhance students’ multidisciplinary skills.

Twenty-eight majors and more than 70 minors are available in areas including science, business, marketing, law, education, art and design, construction and social sciences. Entry requirements vary according to module choices.

Rather than undertake the traditional dissertation, students will complete a work-based project during a placement at a partner company. The university is actively looking to work in partnership with employers for placements.

Bursaries are available to full-time students. Students from groups under-represented in postgraduate education can apply for fee-waivers and living expenses.

Additionally, limited scholarships are available to any UK students who can demonstrate their academic excellence.

Funding towards fees will be available to employers who wish to sponsor their employees through the part-time route.

Angela Vickerstaff, Multi-Disciplinary Master’s course manager at Nottingham Trent University, said the course was a “very exciting” prospect.

She said: “Being multi-skilled at a high academic level is a valuable commodity in today’s working world, so this course aims to enable postgraduates to really hone those attributes in addition to the core subjects which they are studying.

“We expect it to work well from an industry perspective, for instance, by allowing employers to recruit postgraduates with technical and managerial qualifications.”

Prospective students and employers can learn more at Nottingham Trent University’s upcoming  Master’s Information Event on Saturday 14 June from 10.30am to 1pm at Nottingham Conference Centre.