Possible Majors and requirements

You can pursue a large range of Majors at Birmingham.

A Major is a subject you specialise in as part of your degree.  This will become the main focus of your degree and you will study it alongside other subjects.  If you choose to Major in a subject, you will still have the freedom to study other subjects.  The flexibility of the degree means you can change your Major or choose to double Major in Year 2.  You can also choose to drop your Major at any point in your degree, and many of our students choose not to have a Major.  

You do not require specific A level subjects or IB higher level subjects to be accepted onto the Liberal Arts and Sciences course itself, but you may need specific subjects to study certain Majors after you enrol, as shown below. In some cases, a Major can be pursued without specific subjects provided you perform well in particular first year modules.

 

Arts and Law Majors

MajorEntry requirements
African Studies  
Anthropology  
Archaeology & Ancient History  
Classical Literature and Civilisation  
Classics A level Latin at grade B or above or GCSE Latin, Greek or a Modern Language at grade 7 or above.  
Creative Writing A level in English Literature or English Language & Literature at grade B or above. 
Digital Media and Communication   
Drama A level Drama and Theatre Arts at grade B, if taken at A level.
English Language A level in English Language, English Literature, English Language & Literature or a Modern Foreign Languages at grade B or above.
English Literature A level in English Literature or English Language & Literature at grade B or above.
Film  
French A level French at grade B or above.
Gender Studies  
German A level German at grade B or above.
Hispanic Studies A level Spanish at grade B or above.
History A Level History, Medieval History or Ancient History is preferred, but applications from candidates who can demonstrate an interest in and an aptitude for the study of history.
History of Art  
Italian A level Italian at grade B or above.
Music A level Music at grade A or alternatively grade 7-8 ABRSM.
Legal Studies  
Philosophy  
Portuguese  
Russian A level Russian at grade B or above. 
Theology  

Science Majors

 

MajorEntry requirements
Biochemistry A level Chemistry at grade A and a second science at grade B. Five GCSEs to include Mathematics, English and double award Science at grade 4/C or above.
Biological Sciences A level Biology at grade A and a second science at grade B. Five GCSEs to include Mathematics, English and double award Science at grade 4/C.
Biomedical Science Two A levels from Biology, Chemistry, Maths or Physics. GCSE grade A/7 in Mathematics, and grade B/6 in Biology and Chemistry (or double award science) if not taken at A level.  
Chemistry A level Chemistry at grade B. Minimum Mathematics requirement GCSE at grade 7/A.
Computer Science A level Mathematics at grade A.
Earth Sciences A level in either Biology/Human Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Electronics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Geology, Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Statistics.
Environmental Science A level in either Biology/Human Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Electronics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Geology, Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Psychology or Statistics at grade B.
Geography  
Materials Science and Engineering A level in Maths and at least one of Physics, Chemistry or Design Technology.
Mathematics A level Mathematics or Further Mathematics at grade A.
Physics A level Mathematics and Physics at grade A*A - or grade AA if taking four A levels.
Psychology  A level in either Biology/Human Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Physics or Psychology.
Sport and Exercise Sciences A level in either Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Geography, Human Biology, Maths, Physics, Psychology, Sport Studies/Physical Education or Statistics at grade B or above. GCSE Maths, English and Science at a minimum of grade 4/C.
Human Neuroscience  A level in Biology/Human Biology is required and A grades (or equivalent) are recommended in all A levels.

 

Social Sciences Majors

MajorEntry requirements
Business GCSE Maths at Grade 7/A or above and English at Grade 6/B or above. 
Economics GCSE Maths at Grade 7/A or above.
Gender Studies  
International Relations  
Political Science  
Sociology  
Criminology  

Innovative Majors

Beyond the traditional majors in subject disciplines, you can also choose one of our innovative majors exclusively offered in LANS (no pre-requisites). These interdisciplinary majors integrate modules from across the five Colleges and engage with principles of justice – relating globally to the environment, to civil society, and cultural agenda, but seek to root themselves in local challenges and actions in order to make a tangible difference to the communities we live in. 

Gender Studies

Gender Studies is a broad interdisciplinary field of enquiry that crosses the arts, critical humanities, and social sciences, and that intersects with psychology and medicine. This Major draws on modules relating to gender and feminist theory, LGBT and queer studies, the private/public spheres, the body, media, postfeminism, gender identity, masculinity, class, and race. It encourages students to explore gender differences and the translation of difference into inequality – with the aim to enable students to engage with policy-making, activism and social justice work.

Sustainability

Sustainability defines and connects the complex of issues producing the twenty-first century’s greatest global and local challenges: the environment, cultures, politics, economics, nutrition, security, wellbeing. This Major draws on modules relating to any combination of sustainability challenges, and encourages students to understand sustainability as an evolving and complex topic within which interdisciplinary insight and capabilities are key features.

Examples of Real Student Timetables

These examples of real student programmes show how six of our students progressed throughout their four years of study. You can see the modules they chose, where they spent their year abroad and which subject they hope to Major in. As you can see, every programme is completely unique!

Study with Languages for All

If you are interested in doing a language as part of the degree (but not necessarily as a Major) then you have the additional option of taking languages from Languages for All either for credit or as an extracurricular Open Access Course. There are a wide variety of possible class time slots, including evenings, to facilitate busy schedules.