Defy traditional subject boundaries with our vibrant Liberal Arts degree
Explore countless connections across the humanities with our hands-on Liberal Arts degree. You will inspect various disciplinary approaches while covering topics like:
- revolutions and rebellions
- world religions
- digital production
- creative writing
- journalism and the media
- political communication.
Our BA Liberal Arts degree gives you a broad, interdisciplinary foundation while allowing you to specialise in the areas that excite you most. Major pathways on our BA Liberal Arts degree include:
- creative writing
- English
- film and screen media
- history
- theology.
Our liberal arts programme is also available as an accelerated two-year degree.
Why St Mary's?
Real-world experience
During your Liberal Arts degree, you can engage in real-world public presentations and creative projects through mediums like:
- film and tv
- magazines
- podcasts.
Learn in the capital
Our campus is located in the green and picturesque London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, so as a BA Liberal Arts student, you’ll have access to the capital's diverse creative, cultural, historical, and political scenes. You could explore places like:
We’ll also take you on exciting field trips to several cultural institutions as part of your degree, including:
A campus with a unique creative history
Our campus is attached to Strawberry Hill House. Here, renowned gothic writer, Horace Walpole, designed and lived to inspire his work. As a result, your degree will be a fully immersive and geographically distinct learning experience.
Expert teaching and support
You will learn from experts here to support your personal and professional growth.
Our student, Shekinah, explains that conversations with our academics help her feel "at home". Another student, Davin, says our lecturers are “very helpful and are always available to provide useful feedback”.
We’re rated:
- 1st in London for ‘Academic Support’ (National Student Survey (NSS), 2023).
- 2nd in London for ‘Teaching on My Course’ (NSS, 2023).
Paid work placements
You can complete a paid work placement to build your skills and network. You can work in:
- theatres
- concert halls
- museums
- heritage sites
- publishing houses
- charities.
Chat to us
Chat to us
Applying to university can be daunting, and you may have questions about applying, student life, or your course.
Course content
Modules
In the first year of your BA Liberal Arts degree, you will study two core modules and four modules of your own choosing from across a minimum of two subject study areas.
You will study two core Liberal Arts modules in the second year and select four optional modules. If you wish to follow a major pathway you will need to choose a minimum of three modules from that subject study area.
There is one Liberal Arts core module in the third year, the Independent Study, and you will need to select an additional four optional modules. If you wish to follow a major pathway you will need to choose a minimum of three modules from that subject study area.
Indicative modules might be as follows:
Please note: it is possible that a module listed on the website will not be able to run due to reasons beyond our control. For more information please refer to our course information disclaimer.
How the degree is taught
Teaching methods
You'll be taught on our beautiful and historic campus located in Twickenham, London.
You will study for your BA Liberal Arts accelerated degree on our beautiful and historic campus located in Twickenham, London.
Most modules will involve three hours of seminar study. All of our modules are taught in seminar groups, giving you a much better chance to discuss ideas and material with tutors and other students than in a large lecture format.
The applied nature of the BA Liberal Arts degree means that you will also have the chance to interact with, and learn from, figures active in relevant fields, such as Cultural Heritage, Government and Politics, and Journalism.
The independent project gives you a chance to shape your own programme of work. You can produce a traditional dissertation or create a website podcast series, short film, or piece of creative fiction. You can choose the media most appropriate to showcase your ideas.
Students on the BA Liberal Arts degree will be allocated a personal tutor, but in line with the focus on collective problem solving embedded through the course content each cohort will also meet as a group on a weekly basis.
Assessment methods
There are a large range of assessment strategies available to students on the BA Liberal Arts degree. You will develop skills as an academic writer through formal essays, as well as becoming a charismatic communicator through public presentations. The Liberal Arts degree fosters group problem solvers through project work and creative artists through media outputs, film, podcast and/or performance.
All forms of assessment will be designed to enable lecturers to meet the three-week turnaround requirement
Feedback
We adhere to the university’s policy of providing feedback on assessments within 15 working days.
Entry requirements
2025 and 2026 entries
Start date
Standard offer
112 - undefined UCAS points
Contextual offer
96 UCAS points
About Contextual Offer:
Not sure about your grades? We consider all factors when reviewing your application, as we know not everyone has the same support to reach their potential. So we may make a contextual offer below the standard Tariff if you meet our criteria.
We understand that sometimes barriers you can't control get in the way of academic achievement. You are more than just your grades. We'll consider your application as a whole, taking into account things like:
- subjects studied at Level 3
- your GCSEs (or equivalent) profile
- non-academic achievements you mention in your personal statement
- your references and motivation.
International requirements
International students should check our country-specific pages for equivalents. If English is not your first language you will need to achieve an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with no less than 5.5 in any section (or equivalent). (or equivalent).
UCAS Personal statement support
Create your UCAS personal statement through our online builder and we'll email you a copy of your completed version at the end.
Further Information
For more information about entry requirements please get in touch.
How many UCAS points my grades are worth
A levels
A*
56 pts
A
48 pts
B
40 pts
C
32 pts
D
24 pts
E
16 pts
My qualification isn't listed:
If you can't find your qualification in this list please check the full list of UCAS tariff tables.
Fees & funding
Tuition fees
Home
£9,535
International
£17,100
*Please note: these fees are annual and may increase as detailed in our tuition fee variation disclaimer.
For more information on foundation year fees for home students, please check the details on our tuition fee page.
Information about tuition fees, student loans, and funding your studies can be found within our fees and funding section.
Additional costs
Your tuition fees will cover the cost of all mandatory elements of your programme.
Additional costs could be incurred depending on optional modules chosen and other projects undertaken.
For further information about additional costs please see our additional costs webpage.
Scholarships
Find out more about our range of scholarships and bursaries available to undergraduate students .
Living costs
A guide to your living costs has been created by our Student Funding Team.
Accommodation costs vary depending on whether you opt for an en suite room and on-site catering. Take a look at our accommodation options and the prices you can expect to pay.
Career opportunities
Studying a Liberal Arts degree will help you develop essential transferrable skills, such as critical thinking, teamwork, and creative problem-solving.
Our Liberal Arts students have worked in a variety of fields, including politics and government, education, and marketing and communications.
Contact our Career Services at careers@stmarys.ac.uk for further information on work and postgraduate opportunities.
Some examples of job roles and areas of work for graduates of Liberal Arts BA (Hons) include:
Apply now
If you're currently living in the United Kingdom and Ireland, you'll need to apply directly through UCAS. You can check our step-by-step application guide for detailed information.
If you are living outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland, you can submit an application directly or add St Mary's University as a choice on UCAS. Check our guideline for more information.
Transferring from another institution?
St Mary's is happy to consider applications from students who wish to transfer from another university. If this is you, please follow these instructions.
More from St Mary's
Thinking about whether St Mary's is the right place for you? Come and visit it us on campus.
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Discover what life is like on our London campus.