BA Liberal Arts (2ZB7)

2024 entry | view 2025 entry

Course summary

Our rich and challenging three-year BA Liberal Arts course allows you to explore the arts and humanities while building crucial skills in analysis and communication that will be valuable throughout your degree and beyond.

The course combines in-depth study of a single discipline (your subject 'pathway') with the exploration of other subjects within the Faculty of Arts. This combination of depth and breadth enables you to develop innovative ways of thinking and provides you with an enviable range of abilities.

In the first two years of your degree, you will devote at least a quarter of your studies to your subject pathway. Alongside this, you will be enrolled on a combination of bespoke core units exploring foundational and interdisciplinary issues in the arts and humanities, which may include the art of writing, the ways history shapes the present and the present shapes history, and concepts of nature and beauty. Additionally, you will study a language of your choice and learn how to visualise and understand data. You will also be able to take optional units from a wide range of arts and humanities disciplines.

In the final year, you will research and write an interdisciplinary dissertation and take your final pathway and optional units. You'll also participate in our capstone unit, which helps you understand the professional value of your degree, encourages you to think like a global citizen, and includes opportunities for working with organisations outside the university.

If you are interested in the modern languages pathway, we strongly encourage you to enrol on the MLibArts course. This four-year degree includes a year abroad, which will accelerate your language skills and provides an invaluable opportunity to develop your cultural knowledge. If you are unable to go abroad, the three-year degree with a modern languages pathway remains available.

Please note that the English, History, and Music pathways are available only to students who hold an A-level or equivalent qualification in that subject. For English, this must be English Literature or English Language and Literature.

In order to follow a language pathway, you must hold an A-level or equivalent qualification in any ancient or modern language.

Course structure

Pathways currently include:

  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Classics and Ancient History
  • English
  • Film
  • Historical Studies (History and History of Art)
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Portuguese
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Religion and Theology
  • Theatre.
Full details about the course structure and units for this course can be viewed in the programme catalogue.

Go to programme catalogue

Entry requirements

We accept a wide variety of qualifications and welcome applications from students of all backgrounds. Below is a guide to the typical offers for this course.

AAA
DDD in any Applied General BTEC National Level 3 Extended Diploma

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36 points overall with 18 at Higher Level
32 points overall with 16 at Higher Level

Find out if you are eligible for a contextual offer
85% overall
Advanced Higher: AA and Standard Higher: AAAAB
Access to HE Diploma in Humanities, Social Sciences, Law or History (or similar titles). The 45 graded Level 3 credits must include: at least 30 credits at Distinction and 15 at Merit or above.

More about Access to HE entry requirements
Requirements are as for A-levels, where you can substitute a non-subject specific grade for the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate at that grade.
Requirements for principal subjects are as for A-level, where D1/D2 is A*, D3 is A, M1/M2 is B, and M3 is C.
The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students, and we accept a wide range of qualifications for undergraduate and postgraduate study.

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More about UK qualifications.