Human Sciences degrees

UCL's Human Sciences programmes combine the study of life sciences with social and historical sciences and offers you choice and flexibility. We are looking for independent and confident thinkers who not only love science but also have broader interests.

Programme details
Start date	September
UCAS code	BSc Human Sciences BCL0 MSci Human Sciences and Evolution BCL1
Duration	BSc 3 years Full Time MSci 4 years Full Time
Location	UCL Bloomsbury

Why study Human Sciences at UCL?

Human Sciences is run across two world-leading departments; the Division of Biosciences and the Department of Anthropology. UCL has been ranked second in London and ninth in the world for Life Sciences and Medicine in the 2023 QS World University Rankings. For Anthropology, UCL is ranked number one in London and fourth in the world in the 2023 QS World University Rankings.
In years two and three, you can choose from a wide range of modules from departments across UCL. This allows you to tailor your degree to your specific interests.
In year two of the BSc Human Sciences degree, you can choose to transfer to our four year BSc Human Sciences with Year Abroad programme, where you will spend your third year studying at some of the world's most prestigious universities before returning to complete your degree at UCL.
You can either study a three year course in Human Sciences providing you with a Bachelor's degree, or a four year course in Human Sciences and Evolution providing you with a Master's degree.
In year three, MSci students have the option of undertaking a field course module at the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya in either the Autumn or Spring term. The field course provides an unparalleled opportunity to understand our origins as a species due to its remarkably rich fossil record which has been intensely studied for over six decades.

Course structure overview

In year one, you will mostly follow a common syllabus, taking modules in human structure and function (Anatomy, Physiology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Genetics) and in human evolution and behaviour (Biological Anthropology and Psychology). Students may also choose between the modules Human Ecology, Social Anthropology, History and Philosophy of Sciences, and a modern foreign language.

In year two, you will take the compulsory module, The Human Sciences in Society, in which you will explore the engagement between science and other disciplines, such as social science, to solve problems of global and local concern. These include climate change, pandemics, loss of biodiversity, air quality, water supply and nutrition. You will also take a module on Statistical Methods in Computing.

In year three (and year four of the Study Abroad degree), your compulsory module is the Human Sciences Seminar Project, in which you will write an interdisciplinary dissertation on a topic of your choice that integrates data and approaches from both the natural and social sciences. You will choose your remaining modules in years two and three from an extensive range of modules offered by departments from across UCL.

For those enrolled in the MSci programme, in year four you will carry out a research project and choose modules in human evolutionary sciences.

Year one course content

Six compulsory modules are undertaken by all Human Sciences students and you can choose one optional module.

Compulsory modules

ANAT001 Introduction to Anatomy and Development (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Eric Lambie

ANTH0008 Introduction to Biological Anthropology (30 credits)
Leader: Dr Alecia Carter

BIOL0003 Introduction to Genetics (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Lawrence Bellamy

BIOS0005 Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology for Human Sciences (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Tom Hawkins

PHOL0002 Introductory Mammalian Physiology (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Richard Tunwell

PSYC0039 Introduction to Psychology (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Jennifer Mcgowan

Optional modules

ANTH0004 Introductory Social Anthropology (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Lewis Daly

GEOG0007 Human Ecology: Geographical Perspectives (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Seth Gustafson

HPSC0009 Revealing Science (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Erman Sozudogru

A modern foreign language offered by CLIE (UCL Language Centre).

Year two course content

Compulsory modules

HPSC0019 Human Sciences and Society (15 credits)
Leader: Professor Joe Cain

STAT0021 Introductory Statistical Methods and Computing (15 credits)
Leader: Dr Tom Honnor

Elective

Group 1: minimum of 30 credits must be chosen from modules with codes beginning ANTH, ANAT, ARCL, BIOC, BIOL, BIOS, CELL, NEUR, PHAR, PHOL.

Group 2: minimum of 45 credits and maximum of 60 credits must be chosen from modules with codes beginning ANTH, ANAT, BIOC, BIOL, BIOS, CELL, CIHD, COMP, ECON, GEOG, HIST, HPSC, IEHC, IMMN, INFN, INIM, MATH, MSIN, NEUR, PALS, PHAR, PHIL, PHOL, PLIN, POLS, PSYC, SPSC, STAT.

A 15 credit elective module may be chosen from either:
Faculty of Arts & Humanities OR
Science Faculties (any Faculty with 'Sciences' in its title) OR
CLIE (UCL Language Centre).

Year three course content

BSc Human Sciences

Compulsory Modules

ANTH0035 Human Sciences Seminar Project (30 credits)
Leader: Dr Gul Deniz Salali

Elective

Group 1: minimum of 30 credits must be chosen from modules with codes beginning ANTH, ANAT, ARCL, BIOC, BIOL, BIOS, CELL, NEUR, PHAR, PHOL.

Group 3: A 15 credit elective module may be chosen from either:
Faculty of Arts & Humanities OR
Science Faculties (any Faculty with 'Sciences' in its title) OR
CLIE (UCL Language Centre).

MSci Human Sciences and Evolution

Compulsory modules

ANTH0035* Human Sciences Seminar Project (30 credits)
Leader: Dr Gul Deniz Salali

ANTH0050** Paleontology and Paleoecology (15 credits)
Leader: Professor Christophe Soligo

ANTH0051 Geology of the Turkana Basin (15 credits)
Leader: Professor Christophe Soligo

ANTH0052 Ecology of the Turkana Basin (15 credits)
Leader: Professor Christophe Soligo

ANTH0053 Archaeology of the Turkana Basin (15 credits)
Leader: Professor Christophe Soligo

* Students who choose not to attend the Turkana Basin Institute Field Course in Kenya MUST include ANTH0035 Human Sciences Seminar Project (dissertation, 30 credits) in their list of module selections.
** Students who choose to attend the Turkana Basin Institute Field Course in Kenya MUST include ALL of the following four 15 credit courses in their list of module selections: ANTH0050, ANTH0051, ANTH0052 and ANTH0053.

Elective

Group 1: minimum of 30 credits must be chosen from modules with codes beginning ANTH, ANAT, ARCL, BIOC, BIOL, BIOS, CELL, NEUR, PHAR, PHOL.

Group 3: A 15 credit elective module may be chosen from either:
Faculty of Arts & Humanities OR
Science Faculties (any Faculty with 'Sciences' in its title) OR
CLIE (UCL Language Centre).

Year four course content

Compulsory module:

ANTH0163 Human Sciences and Evolution
Leader: Dr Emily Emmott

Elective:

Group 1: minimum of 30 credits must be chosen from modules with codes beginning ANTH, ANAT, ARCL, BIOC, BIOL, BIOS, CELL, NEUR, PHAR, PHOL.

Group 3: A 15 credit elective module may be chosen from either:
Faculty of Arts & Humanities OR
Science Faculties (any Faculty with 'Sciences' in its title) OR
CLIE (UCL Language Centre).

Careers

After graduation, 95% of our graduates were in work or further study (Graduate Outcomes 2018-2020). Our alumni can be found in areas such as academic research, business, civil service, higher education, law, media, medicine, recruitment and more.

We focus on teaching our students highly sought after transferable skills from the first week of the programme. These include but are not limited to teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking/evaluation, data literacy, analysis and visualisation, literacy, scientific reading, presentation training, written/verbal communication and IT skills. In addition to the development of these skills within the formal structure of the programme, UCL provides many opportunities for students to practice these skills in other environments. These include our student societies, and our entrepreneurship/start up programs. In addition to being enjoyable and educational, these opportunities provide students with examples of their abilities in the key skills sought by employers for their CV and to use in job interviews. These are the examples that can clearly differentiate recent graduates from the rest of the crowd and assist them in landing their first major career role.

Find out more about our graduate employability and earnings statistics at Discover Uni.