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Discover more about your chosen subject at one of our Open Days or by asking us a question.
Let your curiosity take the lead - explore the connections between the social sciences, arts, humanities, and law.
Shape your degree, transforming your curiosity into expertise and your interests into your career. You’ll craft a programme unique to you and develop the interdisciplinary skills needed to make real-world impact throughout your degree and beyond.
Discover more about your chosen subject at one of our Open Days or by asking us a question.
Globally for Arts and Humanities
QS World Subject Rankings 2025
With a BA Liberal Arts, you'll be able to immerse yourself in a combination of disciplines curated by you. How can international law inform the future of the music industry? How does an understanding of social policy enrich careers in creative writing? Join the next generation of arts and humanities graduates using their unique interdisciplinary perspectives to tackle the world’s problems.
Hear more about studying at Birmingham. Chat to one of our friendly students to find out more about your favourite course, our beautiful campus and life in our vibrant and cultural city.
Study at the University of Birmingham and learn from world-class experts—authors of key works and leaders with global teaching and research experience.
At Birmingham, you’ll have plenty of support to help you adjust to university life:
Your degree is designed to help you achieve 120 credits per year, which equals about 40 hours of learning each week. This includes lectures, seminars, workshops, independent study, revision, and assessments.
You’ll be assessed in different ways to suit each module. At the start of a module, you’ll be told how and when you’ll be assessed. Methods will vary but may include coursework (e.g., essays), group or individual presentations and projects, exams, reports or computer-based assignments.
Feedback: You will receive timely feedback on each assessment, so you can learn from it and improve your performance in future assessments.
The modules listed for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. The optional module information listed for this programme is intended to be indicative, and the availability of optional modules may vary from year to year. Where a module is no longer available, we will let you know as soon as we can and help you to make other choices.
You can apply to study abroad for a year in an approved university around the world. If you achieve a grade of 2.1 or above in your first year, you will be eligible to apply for a Year Abroad in your second year. If your application is successful, you will go abroad in your third year and return to us for your final year.
2025/26 Session
The following must be taken:
Module title | Credits |
---|---|
Creative and Critical Thinking (B): The Stories We Tell | 20 |
Creative and Critical Thinking Across the Humanities (A): How do we know what we know? | 20 |
Students should take 80 credits of optional modules, balancing credits across semesters where possible.
Any Level C module subject to the limitations of the Block Timetable and the agreement with the Liberal Arts programme lead.
Students wishing to pursue a defined Major or Minor may be required to take one or more approved modules from a list provided by the programme lead each year.
Modules at levels other than Level C may be attempted, with the agreement of the Liberal Arts programme lead where the appropriate prerequisites are in place, or where this will not affect the overall credit requirements for a classified degree.
The programme lead, in conjunction with the relevant School/Department, will determine which ‘major’ or ‘minor’ fields are available and which modules may contribute to each major or minor.
Students can take up to 60 credits in any one subject.
To secure a place at Birmingham, you'll need to meet our general entry requirements as well as those specific to your course.
AAB
6,6,5 including 32 points overall.
BTEC Extended Diploma - DDD; BTEC Diploma - DD, plus a B at A level; BTEC Subsidiary Diploma - D, plus AB at A level
Number of A levels required: 3
You do not need specific A-level subjects or IB higher level subjects to be accepted onto the course itself, but you may need specific qualifications to study certain subjects.
If you are an international student, you will need to demonstrate you have a suitable level of English proficiency, usually through the form of an IELTS or equivalent qualification.
Students who are eligible and complete a Pathways to Birmingham programme will receive an alternative offer, which is typically two grades below the standard offer. For more information, please contact outreach@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
Our Contextual Offer scheme recognises the potential of students whose personal circumstances may have restricted achievement in school or college. If you are eligible to benefit from the Contextual Offer scheme, you will receive an offer which is one grade lower than the standard offer. You don’t need to apply for this – it will be assessed and applied at the point of application if you’re eligible.
BBB - A level
ABB - A level
The University tuition fee covers the cost of your tuition, examination and graduation, and includes membership of the Guild of Students.
The University will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year. If your offer is for 2025 year of entry, we expect that the tuition fee for your first year of study will be £9,535 for UK students. If Parliament agrees on an increase in tuition fees, the University will increase fees for each year of study normally in line with these changes and will communicate any change in the fees to you without delay. If you are applying for 2026 year of entry, you will be advised of the annual tuition fee closer to the time.
per year for domestic (UK) students for 2025/26
To help with the cost of studies, undergraduate students from the UK can apply for student finance through the Student Loans Company. The support available is made up of a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan which helps to cover living costs.
At Birmingham, we believe that financial worries should not be a barrier to accessing higher education. That’s why we offer a range of additional financial support for students through scholarships, bursaries and other awards.
Whatever your journey to university looks like, we’re here to support you every step of the way. For all undergraduate courses at Birmingham, you apply online through UCAS. The UCAS website has lots of information and advice around the process.
Application deadline for September 2025 entry. Applications close at 18:00 GMT.
View further information on how to apply for undergraduate courses, including advice for UK and overseas applicants.
Studying a BA Liberal Arts degree at Birmingham will set you apart in a competitive job market.
A Liberal Arts degree isn’t about specific content. It’s a way of learning, connecting and adapting. This programme will equip you with the knowledge and skills to develop and sustain a meaningful career in a range of industries. Skills include:
Supported by the University's Careers Network team, you will be encouraged to acquire and develop your skills for the jobs of tomorrow. Throughout the course of your degree, you will develop a range of abilities from communication to research, analysis to leadership which will equip you to succeed.
The unique benefit of a BA Liberal Arts is the access to discipline-specific services, support and centres. Whether you see yourself as a future lawyer or not, the Centre for Employability Professional Legal Education and Research (CEPLER) opens up a world of professional skills and networking through the Birmingham Law School.
The University is the top choice for the UK's major employers searching for graduate recruits.
The Graduate Market in 2024, High Fliers report
Receive one-to-one careers advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique.
Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations.
Our aim is to make sure that success in your studies leads you on to a fulfilling career. Whatever you plan to do after your degree, the Careers Network offer support to help you identify your options, develop your skills and gain access to opportunities that propel you towards your career goal.
Hear from some of our inspiring alumni who have gone on to work for leading employers such as the UK Space Agency and BBC Sport.
Your experience studying at Birmingham will give you the opportunity to discover new experiences, develop different skills and make friends for life.
Our bustling campus with its beautiful grounds, friendly community, and excellent facilities will quickly make you feel at home. We offer you a huge variety of accommodation options in the UK’s second city, exciting activities to get involved in outside your studies, as well as all the support and advice you need.
Coming to Birmingham to study might be your first time living away from home. In our student accommodation, you can enjoy your independence in safe, welcoming and sociable surroundings.
Our cosmopolitan city has a unique history and so much to see and do. With an ever-changing food and drink scene, a vibrant nightlife and plenty of culture, our city is more than somewhere to study.
Whoever you are and wherever you come from, we are committed to providing the best possible support to our students, both before you start and throughout your time on campus.
Our beautiful campus is the place where our diverse community comes together to learn and socialise. Like a town of its own, it’s just minutes from the hustle and bustle of the UK’s second city.
Explore our beautiful campus from wherever you are. Get a feel for the wide range of historic and modern spaces and state-of-the-art facilities.