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.
You can design your degree, specialising in the areas that excite you most. Our major pathways include:
Our liberal arts programme is also available as an accelerated two-year degree.
Real-world experience
During your 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 will learn from experts here to support your personal and professional growth. Our student, Davin, tells us our lecturers 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.
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.
About the Placement Year
A placement year enables you to undertake a year of experience in an organisation between your second and final year.
It will enable you to:
- apply the knowledge and skills you gain from your course in a work setting
- build your commercial awareness and insights into organisations and industries you might want to work in
- develop your professional skills through company training, networking skills and confidence in the workplace
- get some great experience for future job applications or even land a graduate job.
Support from St Mary’s every step of the way
Securing a placement can really help you develop your job search skills and the Employability Service placement and Careers Teams can support you to find and apply for available opportunities.
Please note: in the event that you cannot secure a placement you will be able to transfer onto the three year version of your degree programme.
Dr Stewart McCain
Senior Lecturer - History
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Modules
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.
You will study two core 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 core module in the third year 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.
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.
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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.
Fees & funding
Tuition fees
Home
£9,250
International
£14,850
(£1200 during placement year)
*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 which includes 3 hours of seminars/group tutorials and a 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 Liberal Arts Independent 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. You'll be expected to not just develop your skills as an academic writer through formal essay, but as a charismatic communicator through public presentation, a group problem solver through project work and a creative artist 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 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 undefined include:
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