Skip to main content
St Mary's University

Liberal Arts (Accelerated) BA (Hons)

Start date

September

UCAS code

LA11

Duration

2 Years

UCAS points

112 - 96

study-hub-library-cropped-2000x580
The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 - Top 10 for Student ExperienceThe Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023 - Top 5 for Teaching Quality

Make an impact sooner with our flexible Accelerated Liberal Arts degree

Explore countless connections across the humanities with our Accelerated Liberal Arts degree. Over two years, you’ll apply theory and skills to real-world issues. We’ll give your the skills and knowledge you need to make an impact, whatever your chosen area. Through interdisciplinary perspectives, you’ll cover topics like:

  • revolutions and rebellions
  • world religions
  • digital production
  • creative writing
  • journalism and the media
  • political communication.

You can design your degree to specialise in areas that excite you most. Our major pathways include:

Our accelerated liberal arts programme is also available as a traditional three-year degree.

Real-world experience

During your Accelerated Liberal Arts BA, you can engage in real-world public presentations and creative projects through mediums like:

  • film and tv
  • magazines
  • podcasts.

Learn in the capital

We are only 30 minutes away from central London. Therefore, you’ll have access to 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, 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’ll work closely with our expert team in seminars. Our student, Davin, tells us our academics are “very helpful and are always available to provide useful feedback”.

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2023) placed us in the UK’s top 5 for teaching quality.

stewart-mccain

Dr Stewart McCain

Senior Lecturer - History

View profile

Chat to us

""

Chat to us

Applying to university can be daunting, and you may have questions about applying, student life, or your course.

Chat now

Course content

Modules

The BA Liberal Arts (Accelerated) degree adopts a three-term per year structure, which means that you complete a normal 3 year BA honours degree in just 2 years. The third term runs from June to July at our Liberal Arts Summer School.

In the first year, you will study three core modules and three modules of your own choosing from across a minimum of two subject study areas. During the Summer School you will select three from four Liberal Arts optional modules.

In the second year, you will study two core modules and choose four optional modules. During the Summer School you will complete your core Liberal Arts Project and also select one of the two optional Liberal Arts Summer School modules.

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.

The Public Role of the Arts and Humanities

Current Writers and Writing

Introduction to Narrative

Entry requirements

80 UCAS points should include at least two B grades at A Level (or equivalent).

We will make you an offer if you are within the tariff band range and you meet subject-specific requirements (where applicable).

For undergraduate programmes we will take into account subjects studied at Level 3, your GCSEs (or equivalent) profile, relevant non-academic achievements outlined in your personal statement, references, and your motivation for study.

112 - 96

UCAS points

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 email apply@stmarys.ac.uk.

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.

Calculate your total UCAS points

Fees & funding

Tuition fees

Home

£11,100

International

£14,850

*Please note: these fees are annual and may increase in line with inflation each year subject to the Government's review of Higher Education Funding.

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.

How the degree is taught

Teaching methods

You'll be taught on our beautiful and historic campus located in Twickenham, London.

Most modules will share the common 4 hour per week structure of Humanities programmes. 3 hour: Seminar/ group tutorial, 1 hour: Lecture.

However, the applied nature of the programme means that much of the work is supported by consultancy with key industry figures/mentors.

The capstone project is assessed in a variety of different ways from traditional dissertation to website design, podcast, short film – the media most appropriate to showcase the learning aims defined at the project’s inception.

Students 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 the students who will be expected not just to develop their skills as academic writers through formal essay, but as charismatic communicators through public presentation, 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 for feedback.

Feedback

We adhere to the university’s policy of providing feedback on assessments within 15 working days.

Career opportunities

Our Accelerated Liberal Arts degree will help you develop essential transferrable skills, such as critical thinking, teamwork, and creative problem-solving.

Contact our Career Services at careersnetwork@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 (Accelerated) BA (Hons) include:

curationgovernmentevent managementthe film industryresearchcreative writingjournalism

More from St Mary's

alt=""

Upcoming Open Days

Thinking about whether St Mary's is the right place for you? Come and visit it us on campus.

alt=""

Student support

Find out more about the extensive support system available to you at St Mary’s.

alt=""

Student life

Discover what life is like on our London campus.

Open Days

Open Days are a fantastic opportunity for you to meet academic staff. You'll also be able to look around the campus, speak to current students and find out more about services such as Accommodation, Student Wellbeing and Study Abroad.

Book your place now