Arts and Humanities

Our BA Arts and Humanities is a flexible, cross-disciplinary degree that puts the arts and humanities at the heart of your understanding and responses to today’s global challenges. Its emphasis on career and employability learning and opportunities allows you to apply the diverse skills and understanding acquired on this course towards a wide range of careers.

Why choose this course?

• Rather than focusing on a single subject, this course offers you cross-disciplinary knowledge essential for navigating contemporary life. You will study topics and approaches from cultural studies, literature, film, digital media, socially engaged arts, creative arts practice, philosophy and history.

• It offers you the opportunity to tackle real-world challenges exploring how the arts and humanities can uniquely respond to urgent global issues such as climate change, AI, conflict and wellbeing.

• This course is about learning by doing, as you engage in problem-solving seminars, creative assessments and optional work placements.

• It allows you to develop adaptable skills for a range of careers, supported by employability modules at every level.

What you will learn

Through the themes of Identities, Places and Futures, you will learn how cultural, technological, historical and political forces shape the contemporary world. You will analyse how arts and humanities represent, challenge and shape society, and you will apply creative and critical thinking to produce meaningful change in diverse contexts.

You will explore fascinating questions such as:

• How is AI transforming how we create and share knowledge?

• How are identities evolving through migration and digital communication?

• How can art and culture respond to climate, conflict and inequality?

• What does it mean to be local, national and global citizens today?

• How can these insights help prepare me for a meaningful career?

How you will learn

You will learn through lectures, seminars, workshops, project work and digital content, with guest speakers and field trips to museums, galleries and theatres. Based in central London, you will benefit from the city’s rich cultural life. You can also choose a work placement as part of your employability modules.

This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has a daytime timetable with classes normally taking place in the afternoon, though some modules will also be offered 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.

• Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design 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.

Careers and employability

On successfully graduating from this course, you will have gained an array of transferable skills, including:

• communication skills

• collaborative-working skills

• problem-solving skills

• analytical skills

• digital and media-making

• creative communication and production.

Graduates from the arts and humanities at Birkbeck have pursued careers in a range of roles and sectors, including in:

• TV and film production companies

• theatres

• museums

• literary production and development

• the creative and cultural industries

• education

• NGOs, policy units and government departments.

Course modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.