Course overview

On this unique degree we will encourage you to think independently as you work with experts from across the University. You will create critical responses to both problems in the contemporary world and problems in different times and places. This course is ideal for students interested in taking charge of their own learning and becoming leaders in and outside of the classroom.

The core modules on this course are led by tutors with a passion for liberal education. Using a Problem-Based Learning approach, these modules focus on investigating issues from different disciplinary perspectives. You will learn how to analyse problems and you will investigate and evaluate evidence and interpretations. We will also encourage you to develop your own responses. The core modules will help you to build a toolkit of primary and secondary research skills. They will also prepare you to engage with confidence in different modules across the University.

At the end of the first year, you will choose a pathway. Your pathway allows you to select modules that give you the knowledge, skills, and expertise to be a leader in your area of interest. We will work with you to guide and support your decision about which pathway to follow. We understand that your interests will develop over time, so there is scope to adapt your pathway.

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

If you want to broaden your perspective by studying overseas, we can support you to apply for a year's study abroad. You will also have the option to complete a year-long work placement. Students are automatically enrolled on the three-year course. You will have the option to change to a four-year course with an intercalated year in the third year. The intercalated year spent studying abroad or on work placement is subject to departmental academic requirements.

Study abroad

It is not compulsory to study abroad as part of the Liberal Arts degree. However, we encourage you to consider this opportunity. We have exclusive partnerships with specialist Liberal Arts colleges in Europe and Canada:

• Concordia University (Montréal, Canada)
• Jacobs University (Bremen, Germany)
• Leiden University College (The Hague, Netherlands)
• Leuphana University, (Lüneburg, Germany)
• University College Freiburg (Freiburg, Germany)

By studying at one of our partners, you will gain an appreciation of the approach taken to liberal education by another leading institution. You can spend a full year studying at one of these specialist colleges. This year 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 develop knowledge and understanding of a different culture. Although the teaching is in English at our partner institutions, it is anticipated that you will acquire some foreign language ability.

You may alternatively opt to study abroad at one of the University of Warwick's partner institutions.

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

Core modules

In the first year you will study four core modules:

• Liberal Arts: Principles and Praxis
• Art and Revolution
• Science, Society, and the Media
• Qualitative Methods for Undergraduate Research

You will also have the opportunity to take the optional core module, Quantitative Methods for Undergraduate Research. This module is a requirement for certain pathways in Year Two, such as Economics. It will act as a prerequisite for advanced analytical modules.

The rest of the first year will consist of optional modules. These modules could be from within the Liberal Arts Department or from across the University. Some of the first-year optional modules you will choose from are 'required core optional modules’. These modules must be passed to proceed on your specified pathway in Year Two.

At the end of the first year you will choose a pathway. There are two types of pathways: Specialist Interest or Disciplinary Interest. Our Specialist Interest pathways are open to your interpretation. You are free to pursue your interests, whatever they might be. We will work closely with you to help you design a pathway that enables you to study the areas that you want to explore. Examples of Specialist Interest pathways designed by our students include: Apocalyptic Studies, Business Ethics, Communications, Critical Sports Studies, Culture and Identity, Health and Human Society, Social Justice, Sustainability, and Visual Cultures.

Alternatively, if your passions lie in a particular subject, you may choose a Disciplinary Interest pathway. You will select your optional modules exclusively from one of our partner departments. Our partner departments are Classics and Ancient History, Economics, Education, English, Film and Television Studies, History, Languages, Life Sciences, Philosophy, and Theatre and Performance Studies. Read more about our pathways.

In the second year you will study two core modules (comprising half of your workload):

• Consumption
• Sustainability

The remaining modules in the second year will be from your chosen pathway. Depending on your pathway, you may need to study certain modules to fulfil the pathway requirements.

In the final year you will complete the core dissertation/practical project. Your remaining modules will be from your chosen pathway. Depending on your pathway, you may need to study certain modules to fulfil the pathway requirements.

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

Optional modules

Liberal Arts

The optional modules you select will be dependent on the pathway you choose.

• Utopia: Text, Theory, Practice (Liberal Arts)
• Posthumous Geographies I: Underworlds (Liberal Arts)
• Posthumous Geographies II: Paradises (Liberal Arts)
• Quantitative Research Methods: Understanding Relationships in Data (Liberal Arts)
• An Introduction to Design Thinking Theory and Practice (Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning)
• Critical Security Studies (Politics and International Studies)
• Being Human: Human Nature from the Renaissance to Freud (History)
• Introduction to Art History: The Natural World and the Arts of Modernity (History of Art)
• Economics 1 (Economics)
• Molecules, Cells and Organisms (Life Sciences)
• Environmental Principles of Global Sustainable Development (Global Sustainable Development)

Assessment

Assessments in the Liberal Arts Department will enable you to develop your expertise in addressing different kinds of problems. You will do so by using a variety of perspectives from the arts, sciences, and social sciences. You will learn how to use a range of research methods. This will equip you with a foundation from which you can approach problems critically and creatively. Consequently, the range of assessments combines the traditional (essays and written examinations) with the innovative (creative projects, portfolios, and performance).

Our assessments are designed to be authentic learning experiences, not barriers. Few single assessments are worth more than half of a module’s total mark. Assessment types vary to support the development of a range of academic and professional skills.

Assessment methods will differ according to the optional modules that you choose from across the University. For example, if you take modules in the School of Life Sciences as part of your pathway, you may undertake laboratory-based assessments.

Assessments in each year of the degree contribute to the degree classification. For the three-year degree, the marks for each year are used to determine the degree classification. A 10%:40%:50% weighting is typically applied for Year One, Year Two, and Year Three. For the four-year degree (with a year abroad or on work placement), a 10%:40%:0%:50% weighting is typically applied for Year One, Year Two, Year Three, and Year Four.

Teaching

In Liberal Arts we use a unique Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach. This is where you understand a topic by examining complex problems from a variety of perspectives. You will then develop your own distinctive stance on that problem. Students are co-creators of knowledge in the classroom.

All of the core modules are delivered using PBL workshops, which are defined by the independent research conducted by students. There are no formal lectures. Instead, you will spend your time in the classroom debating, framing, and presenting research questions/responses. This is an active learning method that relies on your specific interests. Therefore, the content we teach (explored through in-depth case studies) changes depending on the student cohort.

Optional modules from across the University may involve lectures, seminars, tutorials, and/or laboratories. You will be taught by tutors from different disciplines. We will support you to bring together these various approaches in a way that makes sense to you.

Class sizes

Modules in the Liberal Arts Department typically range from 4 to 18 students per class. Most of the core modules have around 8 to 18 students per class.

Students taking pathway modules in other departments may find themselves in more varied class sizes.

Typical contact hours

Contact hours vary depending on your pathway modules. A Liberal Arts student can typically expect between 8 and 12 contact hours a week, including pathway modules. You may have more than 12 hours, depending on your module choices. Module offerings in other departments may involve different contact hours per week.

Core Liberal Arts modules in the first and second year consist of one two-hour workshop per week. Much of our teaching takes place over two terms. Most year-long modules each have around 44 hours of teaching time. We also offer regular out-of-classroom activities, including film screenings, skills sessions, discussion groups, reading groups, and field trips (COVID-19 allowing).

In addition, across terms 1 and 2 of the first year you will attend ten one-hour sessions as part of an introductory module (Liberal Arts: Principles and Praxis).

The final-year core dissertation module usually involves five hours of lectures and 12 supervision sessions across three terms.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees cover the majority of the costs of your study, including teaching and assessment. Fees are charged at the start of each academic year. If you pay your fees directly to the University, you can choose to pay in instalments.

Placements and work experience

We encourage you to undertake a work placement as part of your degree. This will enable you to develop your skills in a professional environment. It is an opportunity 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 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. 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

Liberal Arts at Warwick

Ask the questions that matter.

A liberal education is based on the idea of acquiring knowledge and understanding worthy of a free, active and engaged global citizen. You will ask insightful, investigative questions, and you will not be limited to a single academic discipline.

Your degree in Liberal Arts will demonstrate the ability to inspire others, provide creative leadership, and to untangle the trickiest and most complex problems. These are highly regarded skills that you can apply to any position in industry, creative endeavours, or future study.

Get to know us better by exploring our departmental website.

Hear from our Liberal Arts student bloggers Krishna and Jagoda. You might also be interested in taking a look at the posts from our previous blogger, Olamide.

Related degrees

• Economics (BSc)
• Biological Sciences (BSc)
• Global Sustainable Development (BASc)
• English Literature (BA)
• History (BA)
• Philosophy (BA)
• Modern Languages (BA)

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