Liberal Arts with Integrated Master's

Liberal Arts with Integrated Master's - MLibArts

Liberal Arts gives you the flexibility to study a broad range of subjects that will develop your oral and written communication skills, and your ability to think critically and creatively. You will cover various subject areas based on your interests, and have the opportunity to research problems apparent on a local, national and global scale. You will explore theory and practical approaches as well as share innovative ideas, preparing you to be a confident, open-minded graduate.

Year of entry

2023 - for 2024 entry see here - for 2023 entry see here

Course type

Integrated Master's

Location

Keele University campus

Subject area / School

School of Humanities

UCAS code

Y005

Duration of study

4 years / 5 years with international or placement year

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Why study Liberal Arts with Integrated Master's at Keele University?

Global Top 300 for Social Sciences (Times Higher Education World University Subject Rankings, 2022)

Work placement opportunities – a great way to network with professionals and build key transferable skills, ready for employment

Opportunity to take an International Year to experience different cultures and gain study skills that will enhance your prospects after graduation

Course overview

Liberal Arts at Keele allows you to explore a diverse range of subject areas in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Our flexible approach allows you to tailor your degree programme to your individual interests and career aspirations.

Liberal Arts fosters a deep understanding of a variety of subjects, and develops strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills. This will involve exploring major societal challenges in a critical and open-minded manner.

You will study the traditional three year Liberal Arts programme, with the addition of a master's year to further develop your knowledge and skill set. This experience will be valuable to your future career as you will gain an in-depth understanding of your chosen subject areas and demonstrate your ability to think critically and communicate effectively.

The course contains core and optional modules which encourage you to delve deep into topics that fascinate you and that you consider important. This diverse and broad insight into multiple subject areas will prepare you for employment, enabling you to develop key transferable skills such as evaluative skills, communication skills and teamwork.

As a Liberal Arts student at Keele, you will have the opportunity to explore subject areas which span the Humanities and Social Sciences such as

Media
Politics
Sociology
Education
English Literature
History
International Relations

Apply your knowledge

You will have the opportunity to apply knowledge by engaging with real communities. You will pursue hands-on research into Britain’s industrial, social, economic, and cultural history as well as current and future-oriented issues which may include economic regeneration, social and political challenges, environmental sustainability, citizenship, and creativity. For example, you may explore issues in the local area (‘The Potteries’) where you can discover the challenges faced by local citizens and identify solutions. This will demonstrate your acquired knowledge and develop your analytical, communication, presentational, writing and research skills. It will show your ability to apply what you learn practically, which is invaluable for employment after graduation.

Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences

The Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (ILAS) is a vibrant hub which promotes interdisciplinarity for all staff and students across all faculties in the university. Through a stimulating events programme including the Global Challenge lecture series, plus a range of conferences, workshops and seminars, ILAS provide spaces to engage with academic colleagues, practitioners and policy makers and to nurture new ideas and approaches that cross disciplinary boundaries.

Work Placements

There may be an option to do a work placement module in The School of Humanities which helps to provide you with a platform to work within an organisation and further develop your professional skills. Under the guidance of module tutors, you will identify an organisation based on your interests and will spend a semester engaging with projects and tasks set out by the employer.

You may secure a role in the heritage, education, charity, marketing and management sectors, the creative industries, or in other areas where the research, analytical, and communication skills developed as part of a Humanities degree can be used. Our alumni have previously taken work placements in museums, schools, charities, and businesses, enhancing their career prospects upon graduation. You will engage with taught sessions in addition to your time at your chosen organisation and will be expected to reflect upon your experience to identify how you can apply your learning to your studies and beyond.

You will also have the opportunity to opt for a Work Placement Year between Year 2 and 3, that allows you to practice your knowledge and prepare for employment after university. This opportunity will enable you to build confidence in the workplace and demonstrate your abilities in a professional environment, using the skills you have gained throughout your degree programme. You will be supported with your preparation for your placement with advice on CV writing and cover letters, as well as the chance to attend Q&A workshops to discuss individual experiences with alumni and employers. This is a valuable experience that allows you to develop both personally and professionally.

International Year

Enhance your career prospects with an International Year at one of our partner institutions. Utilising this opportunity between 2nd and 3rd year can help in your employment search to stand out from the crowd and broaden your horizons, potentially working across the globe.

On successful completion of all modules across the year, you will graduate with a degree title ‘Master in Liberal Arts (M.LibArts) with International Year’. This can be highly beneficial for your career prospects. Through experiencing different cultures, you will not only grow as an individual, but you will also further strengthen your knowledge and interests within society. You can find more information here.

You may look to study in Australia, North America or Asia to name a few possible destinations. Our Global Opportunities team will support you through the process, ensuring you are able to get the most out of your international experience.

Related courses

Liberal Arts (BA)

Next Steps

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Additional opportunities

Foundation year Learn a language Placement year International year GCP Elective Pathways Explore more

There are a range of additional opportunities available when studying this course.
Please note, undertaking one may impact upon the availability of another.

Entry requirements

Keele strives to be a place where learning, living and working is a positive experience for our entire community, and we're committed to ensuring equality of opportunity to all our applicants with the potential and motivation to succeed, regardless of background. That's why we operate a range of 'alternative offer' schemes with clear eligibility criteria, including contextual offers, offers for those studying within the Keele region, and recognising a range of additional qualifications in your offer.

The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the likely offer or range of offers which would be made to candidates along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application.

A Level requirements

A Level requirement BBC

GCSE requirements

English at C or 4 (if IELTS, 6.5 with 6.0)

BTEC

BTEC requirements DMM

International Baccalaureate

29 points

Access to HE Diploma requirements

Obtain Access to Higher Education Diploma with 112 UCAS Tariff points including 15 Level 3 credits at Distinction.

If you don't think you'll meet the entry requirements specified, you may be able to gain entry to this course via a Foundation Year.

Preparation programmes for international students

International students who do not meet the direct entry requirements for this course have the opportunity to study an International Foundation Year programme.

These courses are designed to prepare international students to enter into Keele University undergraduate degrees.

Next Steps

Entry requirements

The following section details our typical entry requirements for this course for a range of UK and international qualifications. If you don’t see your qualifications listed, please contact us to find out if we can accept your qualifications. If you don't think you'll meet the entry requirements specified, you may be able to gain entry to this course via a Foundation Year.

Additional information

A Level requirements

A Level requirement BBC

GCSE requirements

English at C or 4 (if IELTS, 6.5 with 6.0)

BTEC

BTEC requirements DMM

International Baccalaureate

29 points

Access to HE Diploma requirements

Obtain Access to Higher Education Diploma with 112 UCAS Tariff points including 15 Level 3 credits at Distinction.

English Language Requirements

All of our courses require an English language qualification or test. For most students, this requirement can be met with a 4 or C in GCSE English. Please see our English Language guidance pages for further details, including English language test information for international students. For those students who require an English language test, this course requires a test from .

Alternative and contextual offers

We're committed to ensuring equality of opportunity to all our applicants with the potential and motivation to succeed, regardless of background. That's why we operate a range of alternative offer schemes with clear eligibility criteria, including contextual offers, offers for those studying within the Keele region, and recognising a range of additional qualifications in your offer.

General information

The entry grades outlined in this section indicate the typical offer which would be made to candidates, along with any subject specific requirements. This is for general information only. Keele University reserves the right to vary offer conditions depending upon a candidate's application.

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Foundation year

Our Foundation Year provides an excellent alternative route to Keele, providing a unique opportunity to better prepare for your chosen degree, and with guaranteed entry onto your undergraduate course once you successfully complete your Foundation Year.

This extra year of study can improve your academic skills, expand your subject knowledge, give you a better understanding of higher education and, perhaps most importantly of all, build your confidence.

Keele University is consistently ranked among the top universities for student satisfaction, and we have over 70 years' experience of teaching a foundation year to students. On the Keele Foundation Year, you'll study on campus, joining our undergraduate community from the outset, with access to all the facilities and support that you'd get as an undergraduate student at Keele.

The information in this Foundation Year section is for UK/Home applicants. Where an international Foundation Year is available, please see the 'Information for international students' tab.

The information within this section is for students wishing to start their studies in September. If you would like to start this course in January, please visit our January pages for further details.

Course content

Our Foundation Year allows you to develop your critical thinking, academic reading and writing skills along with subject-specific knowledge and skills which will be invaluable. Upon meeting the progression criteria and successfully completing our Foundation Year, you will automatically progress into your Keele undergraduate degree with the confidence that you have the skills, and knowledge needed to successfully complete your course.

This Foundation Year is a two-semester programme that provides a tailored pre-degree programme of study to better prepare you for this course. For example, the University Research Portfolio module will expand your research skills and develop a wider appreciation of your subject area, you will investigate a topic you have learned in more detail. In doing so, you will learn to obtain, critically select and analyse information from a range of sources to demonstrate your understanding. You will gain valuable experience and techniques to present your evidence, findings and conclusions. Course content has been developed in collaboration with degree teaching teams, so by the time you begin Year 1, you will be ready to excel at your studies, as the majority of our Foundation Year students do. In addition to meeting the Foundation Year progression requirements, students must also meet all credit requirements in each year of their studies to be awarded a Master’s Degree.

Find out more about the Keele Foundation Year, including information about teaching and assessment methods by visiting the Foundation Year homepage.

Course structure

The module details given below are indicative, they are intended to provide you with an idea of the range of subjects that are taught to our current students. The modules that will be available for you to study in future years are prone to change as we regularly review our teaching to ensure that it is up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods. The information presented is therefore not intended to be construed and/or relied upon as a definitive list of the modules available in any given year.

Semester one

You will be able to build your own module combinations to a total of 60 credits from the following modules:

FYO-00247	Foundations: Breaking the code - Understanding Academic Writing	15 credits
FYO-00263	Foundations of Social Sciences - 1	15 credits
FYO-00265	Foundations of Social Sciences - 2	15 credits
FYO-00257	Foundations of Humanities 1	15 credits
FYO-00259	Foundations of Humanities 2	15 credits
FYO-00267	Foundations in Social Sciences 3	15 credits

Semester two

FYO-00271

University Research Portfolio

30 credits

FYO-00269

FYO-00261

Advancing Social Sciences OR

Advancing Humanities

30 credits (each module)

Entry requirements

Between 40-48 UCAS points from at least 1 A level/level 3 qualification or equivalent, or
Relevant work experience

AND

GCSE English Language at grade 4 (C), or Level 2 Functional Skills, or
IELTS 5.5 (with 5.5 in all subtests)

How to apply

Students will need to apply for BA (Hons) Liberal Arts with Foundation Year (UCAS code Y007) through UCAS at www.ucas.com

Direct entry students

If you already have your qualifications, are not expecting any further results and only wish to apply to Keele, please contact the Admissions Office directly.

The information in this Foundation Year section is for UK/Home applicants. Where an international Foundation Year is available, please see the 'Information for international students' tab.

We also offer a January start for some of our Foundation Year courses. Adopting a blended learning approach, the January start is particularly useful for students wishing to return to education following time out of studying, or who are seeking a flexible approach to their Foundation Year studies. Our January start is available across most of our Science, Humanities, Social Science and Business courses.

Whilst still being a full-time course, our blended delivery model combines live teaching sessions - both online and on-campus - with self-directed study, enabling you to predominantly study at a time that suits your lifestyle. You will benefit from weekly online taught sessions which encourage you to engage with your teachers and peers.

In addition to online study there will be a series of full study days that you will be required to attend throughout each semester. These sessions may include lab-based activities, group work, review of course and assessment materials studied online. They will emphasise opportunities for you to deepen your knowledge and understanding of your chosen route.

Please refer to the September start tab for more information about the entry requirements and what you will study. The modules that you will take on a January start Foundation Year will be similar to those for the September start, but in a slightly different order and pattern.

For more information, including fees, the UCAS code for this course, how to apply, and how you will be taught, please visit our January Start Foundation Year webpage.

Our International Foundation Year is delivered on campus through Keele University International College (KUIC). Find out more about the International Foundation Year options on the KUIC website.

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