What causes riots? Is commercialisation eroding childhood? Does poverty lead to crime? The social sciences explore such questions and help inform professionals – from police officers to civil servants to business executives – who want to base their decisions on the best evidence. This degree is designed to be flexible, allowing you to specialise in a particular subject or to develop knowledge and skills from a combination of subjects including sociology, psychology, criminology, geography, politics and economics. You’ll be able to draw together ideas about the major issues that affect individuals and society, and you’ll acquire a wide range of valuable transferable skills – opening up employment opportunities in private, public and voluntary sector organisations.

Where do social order (and disorder) come from? How can we make ourselves richer, and does society always gain? What does justice mean, how do we define our rights? Politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) – and the ideas and values that inform them – are central to how modern societies are organised and governed. This degree explores fundamental questions of power and ideology, beliefs and values, and how income and wealth are produced and distributed.

What is the self? What makes us happy? How do we know what other people are thinking and feeling? Do humans display irrational biases? How does the environment affect people’s physical and mental health? What is justice and why does it matter? How does science make progress and can we trust it? Is there a God? This fascinating course explores how we seek the answers to profound questions about ourselves, our minds, our behaviour, and our place in the social and physical universe.

Our world is divided into different societies. Yet it is increasingly interconnected. Relationships between nations, companies, cultures and individuals extend across regions and the globe. This course explores the political, economic and cultural issues that these complex interconnections create – focusing on international politics, diplomacy, cooperation, war and security; international economics and development; cultural and religious interactions between different societies; and global environmental problems.

If you have a passion for history and are looking for an intellectual challenge, this fascinating MA course could be what you are looking for. It explores aspects of British and Irish local and regional history between 1750 and 1950, introducing the key themes of Poverty and welfare, Crime, Police and Penal Policy, The role of families, Urban History, Religion and Industrialisation. Using our world-class collection of online primary source materials, you will be encouraged to produce an independent research project on a topic of your choice.

This qualification is an exciting opportunity to develop your skills as a writer in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and scriptwriting for film, radio and the stage. You will be able to write in a genre of your choice and experiment with at least one other through practical and inspiring activities. You will hone your writing practice through sharing, reading and critiquing work in progress, and will work towards producing a substantial piece of your own creative writing to a professional standard. 

This fascinating course examines many different aspects of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds – their literature, history, philosophy, archaeology, language and material cultures – through a scholarly tradition that is both fast-moving and long-standing. You will investigate the different disciplinary fields of classical studies, bringing you into direct contact with a wide range of fragmentary evidence from classical antiquity such as surviving texts and artefacts, which you’ll examine from multiple theoretical and methodological perspectives. You will also acquire and develop research skills that will enhance your knowledge of the ancient Graeco-Roman world and prepare you for independent study, culminating in a dissertation.

The MA in Art History draws upon the exciting research and outstanding teaching expertise of the department. Studying art history at postgraduate level will deepen your understanding of art, architecture and visual culture, build your analytical and critical skills, and develop the skills needed for independent study and research. You'll start by exploring the core concepts and recent developments that have shaped art history from Renaissance Italy to the contemporary Caribbean, before building on these foundations to expand your understanding of visual and material objects – incorporating architecture, art and design. You'll complete this degree by researching and writing a dissertation on an agreed topic of your own devising. See short introduction.

This diploma of higher education encompasses a wide range of fascinating disciplines including art history, classical studies, creative writing, English language, English literature, French, German, history, music, philosophy, religious studies and Spanish. As you work through the course, you’ll develop your cultural literacy and deepen your understanding of the past – while sharpening your critical awareness and refining the skills of debate and analysis that are highly valued by employers. 

This certificate provides a broad introduction to the arts and humanities, including history, art history, philosophy, classical studies, religious studies, music and English – expanding your cultural horizons while training you to think and argue clearly. Apart from sheer enjoyment, it offers excellent preparation for further study and will give your career prospects a boost.