Liberal Arts BA

Course overview

On this interdisciplinary degree we will encourage you to think independently as you work closely with experts from the Liberal Arts department and from across the University. In small groups you will explore challenging problems from different times and places, using a toolkit of emergent skills to create your own responses. This course is ideal for passionate students who want to learn across disciplines and build their degree around their own interests and unique ambitions.

Dedicated expert tutors with a passion for liberal education lead the Liberal Arts modules. These modules focus on investigating key issues from multiple disciplinary perspectives and developing your critical thinking skills. You will learn how to analyse cutting-edge problems and to think outside the box as you evaluate evidence and interpretations. These modules will also help you to build your primary and secondary research skills. We will ensure that you have the intellectual tools needed to undertake advanced interdisciplinary undergraduate research by your final year. We will also prepare you to engage in different modules as you explore what Warwick has to offer across the humanities, arts, sciences, and social sciences, while discovering where you wish to develop your expertise.

Within the first year, you will choose either a disciplinary route or a bespoke pathway, bringing together modules most suited to your interests and strengths. You will spend 25-50% of your degree studying modules relating to your chosen route/pathway. These modules will give you the knowledge, skills, and expertise to become a leader in an area you are passionate about. Our tutors will guide your decision about which route or pathway to choose and will provide support to you throughout the degree. As your interests may develop over time, a unique feature of this degree is the ability to adapt your route/pathway further down the line. Students on routes who complete 90 credits (CATS) in the route over the course of their degree will graduate with a “B.A. (Hons.) Liberal Arts With…..” featuring their route title on their degree.

We currently have routes available with the following departments: Classics, Design Studies, Economics, Education, English, Film and Television Studies, Global Sustainable Development, History, Life Sciences, Modern Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, and Theatre and Performance Studies. Students on a bespoke pathway will graduate with a “B.A. (Hons.) Liberal Arts” and will have their pathway title reflected on their Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) form.

Liberal Arts at Warwick aims to develop innovative critical thinkers who will be able to confront the global challenges of the past, present, and future. We also offer the opportunity of extending your degree by a year either to study abroad or to complete a work placement. To give you the time to consider whether these opportunities are right for you, we automatically enrol all our new students on the three-year course. Once you join us, you will have the option to change to a four-year course with an intercalated year of study abroad or a work placement in the third year. The year spent studying abroad or on a work placement is subject to departmental academic requirements.

The skills you develop during your degree are as important as the course content. You will also have the opportunity to complete co-curricular certificates and short work placements. These will help you develop your professional skills, giving you the edge when it comes to your employability. You will have the support of our dedicated Employability and Placement Manager who provides one-to-one careers guidance.

What is Liberal Arts?

A Liberal Arts education puts critical thinking and innovative problem solving at the heart of learning. It is based on a rich, two-thousand-year-old tradition of thinking across different disciplines to solve the most pressing challenges of the day and of the human experience. It aims to form critical global citizens who will be future leaders and independent thinkers in their own chosen field. By teaching you how to learn rather than what to learn, a Liberal Arts education will expose you to a broad range of knowledge and disciplines, allowing you to specialise in the issue or problem that matters most to you. Find out more about our approach to liberal education at Warwick.Link opens in a new window

Study abroad

As part of your Liberal Arts degree, you will have the unique opportunity to study abroad for one year at one of our Liberal Arts partners. We have exclusive partnerships with specialist Liberal Arts programmes in both Europe and Canada:

• Concordia University (Montréal, Canada)
• University College Leiden (The Hague, Netherlands)
• Constructor University (Bremen, Germany)
• Leuphana University, (Lüneburg, Germany)
• University College Freiburg (Freiburg, Germany)
• Rikkyo University (Tokyo, Japan)

By studying at one of our Liberal Arts partners, you will gain a unique understanding of the global context of your degree and how Liberal education is approached in different educational cultures. The year spent studying abroad will not contribute towards the overall grade of your degree, however, it will be recorded on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

During your study abroad experience, you will also benefit from the knowledge and understanding gained from experiencing of a different culture. Although the teaching is in English at our partner institutions, we strongly encourage students to acquire competency in another language while studying abroad.

Alternatively, you may also have the opportunity to study abroad at one of the University of Warwick's partner institutions. Please note that the availability of these partners varies each year, and we are unable to guarantee their availability for all students.

Additionally, we also offer short-term study abroad experiences through our School for Cross-faculty Studies (SCFS) Venice programme, which includes two SCFS Venice modules:

• A Sustainable Serenissima: Water and the Future of Venice (content applies to 2024/25 year of study)
• Venice: Resistance and Representation (content applies to 2024/25 year of study)

As a Liberal Arts student, you will have priority on these two-week intensive modules and they will count towards your optional core requirements on your degree course. You can study both if you would like to stay in Venice for a month! Venice is a fascinating case study for problem-based learning; from sustainability challenges to exploring traditions of resistance from the Renaissance to the present day. These modules can be taken after your second year (or your third year if you take a study abroad/work placement year). The work you do on these modules will count towards your final year of study. There is no additional tuition fee for these modules, though students are responsible for the costs of travel, accommodation, and subsistence while in Venice.

For more information about studying abroad please see our Study Abroad pages.

We welcome applications for our International Foundation and Undergraduate courses from applicants from Jordan.

High School qualification is not considered for entry. We would require completion of an approved international foundation programme, such as the Warwick International Foundation Programme. Alternatively IB, A Levels, or other European or North American system will also be considered.

If you need any advice or guidance on the qualifications above, our Middle East and North Africa Team are here to help. Contact them at mena@warwick.ac.uk.

See our Jordan Country Information page for guidance, contacts and upcoming events in your country.

All applicants have to meet our English Language requirementsLink opens in a new window. If you cannot demonstrate that you meet these, you may be invited to take part in our Pre-sessional English course at WarwickLink opens in a new window.

This course requires: Band B

Learn more about our English Language requirementsLink opens in a new window.

Placements and work experience

As part of your Liberal Arts degree, you will also have the opportunity to undertake a work placement. This will enable you to develop your skills in a professional environment whilst improving your employability prospects. Work placements allow you to apply theory to practice and learn from industry professionals. The two work placement options are:

1. Year-long work placement

You will complete a four-year degree and your work placement will take place in your third year. The work placement can take place in or outside of the UK and will be formally recognised on your Higher Education Achievement Report.

2. Short work placement

We also support students to undertake shorter work placements throughout the year.

Our students have been successful in securing work placements with employers from the private, public, and third sectors. These employers include research institutions, governmental bodies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), media organisations, fashion companies, environmental consultancies, financial consultancies, and many others. They have undertaken diverse roles such as Marketing Assistant, Researcher, Project Officer, and Editor.

Your career

Graduates from Liberal Arts courses pursue a wide range of careers and postgraduate study. As a Warwick Liberal Arts student, you will equally have a range of career opportunities available to you. The variety of opportunities will depend on your chosen pathway.

Liberal Arts graduates tend to gravitate towards research-intensive and/or leadership roles, where they can use their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Our graduates have worked in a diverse range of fields and sectors, with recent graduates in the public, private, and third sectors.

Find out more about Warwick Liberal Arts careers.Link opens in a new window

Helping you find the right career

We have a dedicated Employability and Placement Manager in our department who provides careers guidance. They work with employers to source work placement opportunities for our students and offer guidance to students before and during placements.

The University's Student Opportunity team also supports students to develop employability skills and guidance on careers options.

Find out more about careers support at Warwick