Liberal Arts

Do your interests in the arts and humanities span across different areas? Would you like to study subjects like literature, art, history, law, politics and psychology rather than having to choose between them? Our BA Liberal Arts is a uniquely flexible degree which offers you this opportunity allowing you to plot your own path through an exciting array of subject areas.

Why choose this course?

• This BA Liberal Arts combines depth with breadth offering core modules developing key critical thinking, reading, writing and presentation skills, while our wide-ranging list of option modules empower you with a well-rounded education in the arts and humanities.

• You can choose to study literature, theatre studies, creative writing, film and media, modern languages, history, geography, law and criminology, management, philosophy, politics, psychology of education and psychosocial studies.

• Whether your interests lie in art theory, racial justice, environmental crisis, human rights or cultural studies, this degree will enable you to pursue them.

• You will be taught by leading experts in the field, who will help you unlock your intellectual potential and shape your future career.

What you will learn

You will gain specific knowledge in the subject areas you choose, as well as developing core critical and communication skills. You will graduate with confidence in your abilities to prepare a written paper, deliver an oral presentation, and construct a clear and concise argument. You will be equipped to think, speak and write articulately and critically about the world, in order to challenge orthodoxies and communicate your own ideas and perspectives.

How you will learn

You will be taught via a dynamic range of lectures delivered by leading researchers in the field, alongside small group seminars which will enable you to develop your own ideas and your own voice, and engage with others. Classes will also be supported by our virtual learning environment, which provides you with a vast amount of teaching and research materials, available wherever you have online access.

This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has an evening timetable with lectures, seminars and classes taking place in the evening.

Foundation Year

If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.

Highlights

• Birkbeck was ranked 2nd in the UK for its English Language and Literature research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

• You could be studying in a building that was once home to Virginia Woolf and frequented by members of the Bloomsbury Group. The building houses our own creative hub which includes the Peltz Gallery, the Gordon Square Cinema and a theatre and performance space.

• You will gain access to extensive careers support via our school’s career and employability-focused modules and support.

Careers and employability

Employers highly value the core analytical, critical and communication skills a liberal arts degree will give you. It will also prepare you for further postgraduate study.

On successfully graduating, you will have gained an array of important transferable skills, including:

• a sophisticated use of written and spoken English

• an advanced critical ability in the use of theoretical perspectives

• facility and precision in the use of analytical tools

• strong skills and initiative in collecting and organising complex materials and writing up clear, well-presented reports or fluent critical arguments.

Graduates can pursue career paths in education, public administration, legal work, business and management, the arts and creative industries, journalism and publishing, the third sector and campaigning.