'Studying the humanities in the UK will prepare you to enter many areas of employment, including the arts, media, education and politics'
The humanities are a wide range of subjects centred on human culture and ideas of the past and present. Archaeology, literature, modern languages, history, classics, cultural studies, theology, anthropology, philosophy and linguistics are all considered humanities subjects.
If you choose to study one of these subjects in the UK, your studies will be enriched by access to the art galleries, libraries, museums and cultural institutes that you'll find in smaller towns as well as in the big cities. The British Library in London, for example, contains Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and handwritten work by William Blake. Historians and archaeologists, meanwhile, benefit from the UK's incredible Roman remains such as the baths in Bath, the amphitheatre in Chester and Hadrian's Wall in northern England.
Complementing these resources, you'll find an array of online scholarly information sources, a number of which are supported by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), a world leader in the use of ICT to support education and research. One of these sources is Intute, a consortium of seven UK universities that brings together experts in the humanities to evaluate web resources and help students and teachers use them.
The UK Government funds and supports the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), which in turn funds training and research in arts and humanities subjects including archaeology, English literature, languages and philosophy.
Studying the humanities in the UK will help you develop a knowledge of contemporary culture and prepare you to enter many areas of employment, including the arts, media, education and politics.
What can I study?
Humanities: schools and further education
Many of the humanities are core GCSE, AS- and A-level (and Scottish equivalents) subjects, such as English language and literature, history and modern languages. You can also study archaeology, classical civilisation, government and politics, Latin and philosophy at these levels.
The theoretical nature of the humanities means courses are usually very academic and there are no significant vocational courses. If you'd like to progress to a humanities undergraduate degree, you should aim to study a combination of related subjects at A-level.
If you don't have the required qualifications to join an undergraduate degree course, you could take a one-year Access to Humanities course. Some universities and colleges offer an optional Humanities Foundation Year, providing an opportunity to sample humanities subjects at university level before making a final decision on your degree course.
History and classics: higher education
You can take a Diploma of Higher Education (Dip HE) in several subjects including archaeological practice, literature, theology and history. These courses usually last two years full-time or three or four years part-time, and could help you progress to the third year of a degree.
Whether it is ancient or modern history that interests you, you'll find a degree course somewhere in the UK to meet your needs. You can choose from 20th-century European, American, East Mediterranean, Irish, Jewish, Medieval, Political or Social History, to name just a few.
If your interest goes even further back in time, there are just as many options available in archaeology, classical civilisation, Greek and Latin, as well as degrees in museum and gallery management that will enable you to share the knowledge you gain with the general public.
Studies in history and the classics combine easily with other topics to create joint honours degrees. Choose from art, languages, film, media studies and politics, among others.
Vocational courses such as Foundation Degrees in Heritage Management, Archaeology, Historic Building Conservation and Tourism (Heritage and Culture) are also available, as are BTEC HNCs in field archaeology.
Literature, philosophy and religion: higher education
As with history, if you're interested in studying literature, you can choose to specialise in areas such as medieval, American, colonial or European. Philosophy is a diverse subject that gives you the chance to delve deeper into the way people think. It can be studied on its own, or combined with subjects such as politics, education, linguistics, sociology or religious studies.
You could also focus on religion by opting for a degree in theology or religious studies, or by combining this with gender studies, politics, social studies, languages or history.
Cultural studies and languages: higher education
If your interest is in culture and languages, you can study almost any combination of modern languages and/or cultures at a UK institution. There are interdisciplinary courses that focus on particular geographic regions, such as British Studies, African Studies, East Asian Studies and Latin American Studies. Language courses combine very well with these courses as do disciplines such as business, history, social studies and communications.
Combined degrees: higher education
Courses in humanities subjects are almost always modular. You may study for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in one major subject, joint subjects or a major-minor mix. Humanities subjects combine well with most social science, business and arts disciplines and can be a great starting point for a career in commerce, marketing, public administration, the arts or the media. A second or third language would equip you to translate, interpret or work in an international company.
If you choose to study one of these subjects in the UK, your studies will be enriched by access to the art galleries, libraries, museums and cultural institutes that you'll find in smaller towns as well as in the big cities. The British Library in London, for example, contains Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and handwritten work by William Blake. Historians and archaeologists, meanwhile, benefit from the UK's incredible Roman remains such as the baths in Bath, the amphitheatre in Chester and Hadrian's Wall in northern England.
Complementing these resources, you'll find an array of online scholarly information sources, a number of which are supported by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), a world leader in the use of ICT to support education and research. One of these sources is Intute, a consortium of seven UK universities that brings together experts in the humanities to evaluate web resources and help students and teachers use them.
The UK Government funds and supports the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), which in turn funds training and research in arts and humanities subjects including archaeology, English literature, languages and philosophy.
Studying the humanities in the UK will help you develop a knowledge of contemporary culture and prepare you to enter many areas of employment, including the arts, media, education and politics.
What can I study?
Humanities: schools and further education
Many of the humanities are core GCSE, AS- and A-level (and Scottish equivalents) subjects, such as English language and literature, history and modern languages. You can also study archaeology, classical civilisation, government and politics, Latin and philosophy at these levels.
The theoretical nature of the humanities means courses are usually very academic and there are no significant vocational courses. If you'd like to progress to a humanities undergraduate degree, you should aim to study a combination of related subjects at A-level.
If you don't have the required qualifications to join an undergraduate degree course, you could take a one-year Access to Humanities course. Some universities and colleges offer an optional Humanities Foundation Year, providing an opportunity to sample humanities subjects at university level before making a final decision on your degree course.
History and classics: higher education
You can take a Diploma of Higher Education (Dip HE) in several subjects including archaeological practice, literature, theology and history. These courses usually last two years full-time or three or four years part-time, and could help you progress to the third year of a degree.
Whether it is ancient or modern history that interests you, you'll find a degree course somewhere in the UK to meet your needs. You can choose from 20th-century European, American, East Mediterranean, Irish, Jewish, Medieval, Political or Social History, to name just a few.
If your interest goes even further back in time, there are just as many options available in archaeology, classical civilisation, Greek and Latin, as well as degrees in museum and gallery management that will enable you to share the knowledge you gain with the general public.
Studies in history and the classics combine easily with other topics to create joint honours degrees. Choose from art, languages, film, media studies and politics, among others.
Vocational courses such as Foundation Degrees in Heritage Management, Archaeology, Historic Building Conservation and Tourism (Heritage and Culture) are also available, as are BTEC HNCs in field archaeology.
Literature, philosophy and religion: higher education
As with history, if you're interested in studying literature, you can choose to specialise in areas such as medieval, American, colonial or European. Philosophy is a diverse subject that gives you the chance to delve deeper into the way people think. It can be studied on its own, or combined with subjects such as politics, education, linguistics, sociology or religious studies.
You could also focus on religion by opting for a degree in theology or religious studies, or by combining this with gender studies, politics, social studies, languages or history.
Cultural studies and languages: higher education
If your interest is in culture and languages, you can study almost any combination of modern languages and/or cultures at a UK institution. There are interdisciplinary courses that focus on particular geographic regions, such as British Studies, African Studies, East Asian Studies and Latin American Studies. Language courses combine very well with these courses as do disciplines such as business, history, social studies and communications.
Combined degrees: higher education
Courses in humanities subjects are almost always modular. You may study for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in one major subject, joint subjects or a major-minor mix. Humanities subjects combine well with most social science, business and arts disciplines and can be a great starting point for a career in commerce, marketing, public administration, the arts or the media. A second or third language would equip you to translate, interpret or work in an international company.
