Arts and Sciences BASc

London, Bloomsbury
Arts and Sciences BASc (2024)

This exciting three-year interdisciplinary programme linking the arts, social sciences and sciences provides great flexibility and choice across the breadth of UCL's teaching expertise, offering the range and depth of knowledge needed to thrive in our global society. Students create a programme incorporating both arts and sciences subjects, and study innovative modules to enhance the link between disciplines.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
Duration
3 academic years
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£9,250
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£31,100
Programme starts
September 2025
Application deadline
29 Jan 2025
UCAS course code
Y000

Entry requirements

Grades
A*AA
Subjects
Major pathway requirements: Cultures: at least one essay-based arts/humanities subject Societies: at least one social sciences subject; Sciences and Engineering: Mathematics and one other science. Health and Environment: Chemistry or Biology, and one other science or social science.
For more information about A level subject classification, see the BASc website at: Preferred A levels
GCSEs
English Language and Mathematics at grade B or 6.

Contextual offer information

Contextual offers are typically one to two grades lower than the standard offer. Grade and subject requirements for contextual offers for this programme will be published in Summer 2024.

Points
39
Subjects
A total of 19 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5. Major pathway requirements: Cultures at least one higher level from groups 1, 2 or 6; Societies: at least one higher level from group 3; Sciences and Engineering: to include higher level Mathematics at grade 6 and a further higher level subject from groups 4 or 5. The programme will accept either 'Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches' or 'Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation' at higher level; Health and Environment: to include higher level Chemistry or Biology at grade 6 and a further higher level subject from groups 3, 4 or 5.

Contextual offer

Contextual offers are typically one to two grade boundaries (equivalent to A levels) lower than the standard offer. IB Diploma grade and subject requirements for contextual offers for this programme will be published in Summer 2024.

UK applicants qualifications

For entry requirements with other UK qualifications accepted by UCL, choose your qualification from the list below:

Equivalent qualification

Pass in Access to HE Diploma, with a minimum of 36 credits at Distinction and 9 credits at Merit, all from Level 3 units. Please note, where subject specific requirements are stipulated at A level we may review your Access to HE syllabus to ensure you meet the subject specific requirements prior to a final decision being communicated.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

D2,D3,D3 in three Cambridge Pre-U Principal Subjects. Please see A levels for subject requirements.

A1,A,A at Advanced Highers (or A1,A at Advanced Higher and A,A,A at Higher). Please see A levels for subject requirements.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Not acceptable for entrance to this programme.

Successful completion of the WBQ Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate plus 2 GCE A levels at grades A*AA. Please see A levels for subject requirements.

International applications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

Additional tests

Eligible applicants will be required to undertake an entrance selection assessment. A student with three arts/humanities/social sciences subjects must take the compulsory Mathematics or Science question in the BASc entrance selection assessment in order to be able to minor in Health and Environment/Sciences and Engineering‚ and vice versa to minor in the Arts/Humanities/Social Sciences.


Access and widening participation

UCL is committed to widening access to higher education. If you are eligible for Access UCL you do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application. Your application will be automatically flagged when we receive it.

Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates

The Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPC) prepare international students for a UCL undergraduate degree who don’t have the qualifications to enter directly. These intensive one-year foundation courses are taught on our central London campus.

Typical UPC students will be high achievers in a 12-year school system which does not meet the standard required for direct entry to UCL.

For more information see: ucl.ac.uk/upc.

English language requirements

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.

A variety of English language programmes are offered at the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education.

Course overview

The programme offers a wide combination of specialist modules from across UCL and an interdisciplinary Core taught by the Arts and Sciences department. The Core modules enable you to acquire the skills and concepts you will need to work effectively across multiple disciplines. The programme links traditional UCL subjects in new ways, and explores the conceptual and methodological differences between arts, social science and science subjects.

You will study a modern foreign language throughout your degree and may gain work experience through an internship chosen to integrate your studies with your future employment aspirations. Possible internships include businesses, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and charities. Our students have had internships with a wide range of employers, including: Accenture, Disney, Goldman Sachs, The Met Office, Google, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Norton Rose Fulbright, HSBC, the United Nations, the Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK and many other organisations and businesses.

You will choose a major and a minor pathway on application. Your pathways determine the subjects in which you will specialise. We offer an arts pathway, a social science pathway and two sciences pathways:

Cultures (Humanities and Arts): Anthropology, Creative Writing, Cultural Studies, Design and Visualisation, Drawing Methodology, Film and Documentary Film-Making, History, History of Art, Languages, Literature, Philosophy

Societies (Social Sciences): Archaeology, Economics, Geography, History, International Relations, Law, Management, Philosophy, Political Economy, Politics, Sociology

Health and Environment (Sciences): Anthropology, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Biomedicine, Environmental Sciences, Geography, Geology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Psychology

Sciences and Engineering (Sciences): Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Economics, Engineering, Mathematics, Physics

What this course will give you

UCL's Arts and Sciences programme allows you to create a programme incorporating arts, social sciences and science specialisms.

The degree responds to increased demand from employers for outstanding graduates with interdisciplinary skills and experience, and will equip you with knowledge, skills and insight across arts, social sciences and sciences subjects. Core modules will enhance your understanding of how different branches of knowledge interrelate.

You also have the opportunity to undertake an internship, giving you the chance to explore future employment options.

You will study a modern foreign language throughout your degree, chosen from the wide range offered at UCL.

Teaching and learning

In each year of your degree you will take a number of individual modules, normally valued at 15 or 30 credits, adding up to a total of 120 credits for the year. Modules are assessed in the academic year in which they are taken. The balance of compulsory and optional modules varies from programme to programme and year to year. A 30-credit module is considered equivalent to 15 credits in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).

Upon successful completion of 360 credits, you will be awarded a BASc (Hons) in your chosen Arts and Sciences pathway.

Modules

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Year 1

In your first year, you will take four* compulsory modules from the Core of the degree, three modules from your major pathway and one from your minor pathway.

(*If Sciences and Engineering is your major pathway, you will take five compulsory modules from the Core of the degree, the compulsory MATH0012 Mathematical Methods for Arts and Sciences from your major, another two modules from your major and one from your minor pathway).

The choices available in your first year are deliberately limited and are deemed “gateway” modules as they will allow you the best opportunities to take follow-on modules in your second year.

As one of your Core modules, you are required to take a language as taught by the Centre for Languages and International Education (CLIE) or the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES). You can choose to begin a new language from beginner level or continue learning a language you have previously studied.

Year 2

You have greater flexibility in your module choices in your second year. You are required to take at least one Core module, at least one Interdisciplinary Elective and continue with your language. You can then choose to take one more Core or Interdisciplinary Elective or use the extra module in your major or minor pathway.

Providing you meet any specified module pre-requisites, the choices available to you in your major and minor pathway open up and you are able to take modules from across almost all UCL departments. Your Personal Tutor will help with module choices.

At the end of your second year, you are encouraged but not required to take an internship. You will receive support from a dedicated Arts and Sciences Work Based Learning Manager who will advertise internships for well-known schemes as well as source opportunities exclusively for BASc students.

Final Year

During your final year, you will continue with your Core language, take the compulsory 'The Knowledge Economy' module and complete an interdisciplinary dissertation or creative practice dissertation. You will choose the topic of your dissertation or creative practice dissertation, which is expected to draw upon one or more of your previous or final year modules.

The remaining 50% of your final year will be your pathway modules. You can choose to take three in your major and one in your minor or two in your major and two in your minor.

Your learning

You will be exposed to a wide range of learning opportunities, including lectures, seminars, tutorials, interactive groups and multimedia projects. Core modules will be taken alongside your fellow BASc students. Modules relating to your pathway subjects will be taught by specialist staff from across UCL and will provide you with an opportunity to learn alongside students on other programmes.

Due to the wide range of modules that may be taken by BASc students, there is not a typical timetable for a BASc student. Science majors typically receive more contact hours because of lab requirements. Arts and Social Science majors typically have fewer contact hours but are required to undertake more reading outside of the class. These may vary depending on the modules chosen. On all pathways, you would be expected to spend 40 hours a week in full-time study, which is made up of a mixture of contact hours and self-directed study.

Assessment

Both your pathway subjects and the language component will be assessed by written examinations, oral examinations and essays. Project work and a dissertation will contribute to your overall assessment. You will be required to give presentations and work on group projects.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

The foundation of your career

The Arts and Sciences programmes are designed to prepare students for a wide variety of contemporary careers and research.

Arts and Sciences graduates have become employed in a range of industries including IT, technology and communications, accountancy and financial services and health and social care. Employers include PwC, Goldman Sachs, the NHS and Amazon Web Services.*

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017 - 2021 cohorts.

Employability

On graduation, you will have at least two academic specialisms, strong leadership and communication skills, and the ability to work flexibly and creatively across a range of fields. Over 91% of BASc graduates were in work, further study or had just completed a course of study, 15 months after graduation.* 

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017 - 2021 cohorts.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £9,250
Tuition fees (2024/25) £31,100

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2024/25 academic year. The UK fees shown are for the first year of the programme at UCL only. Fees for future years may be subject to an inflationary increase. The Overseas fees shown are the fees that will be charged to 2024/25 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.

Full details of UCL's tuition fees, tuition fee policy and potential increases to fees can be found on the UCL Students website.

Additional costs

You may incur additional costs for materials for modules taken within the Bartlett School of Architecture and the Slade School of Fine Art. It is estimated this would be up to £100 per module taken in either of those departments.

A guide including rough estimates for these and other living expenses is included on the UCL Fees and funding pages. If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc., please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).

Funding your studies

Various funding options are available, including student loans, scholarships and bursaries. UK students whose household income falls below a certain level may also be eligible for a non-repayable bursary or for certain scholarships. Please see the Fees and funding pages for more details.

Scholarships

The Scholarships and Funding website lists scholarships and funding schemes available to UCL students. These may be open to all students, or restricted to specific nationalities, regions or academic department.

Next steps

Your application

Your application should provide evidence that the majority of the following qualities are applicable to you: Prepared for critical enquiry and in-depth academic work across a broad intellectual spectrum. Interested in engaging in wider societal, cultural and global issues. Interested in careers involving leadership, social entrepreneurship and intercultural exchange. Prepared to think critically and creatively to seek new connections between types of knowledge. Interested in combining non-standard areas of study in your degree.

How to apply

Application for admission should be made through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). Applicants currently at school or college will be provided with advice on the process; however, applicants who have left school or who are based outside the United Kingdom may obtain information directly from UCAS.

Selection

For further information on UCL's selection process see: How we assess your application.

If you are not taking a mix of arts/humanities/social science and science/maths subjects at A Level (or equivalent) and meet the minimum entry requirements, you will also be required to take a test in the subject area you're missing. If you do not have a science/maths A Level, you will take a test in maths, chemistry or biology or if you do not have an art/humanities/social sciences A Level, you will be set a timed essay and/or comprehension on a general subject in the humanities/social sciences.

On your UCAS application, you must indicate your choice of major pathway in the 'Further Details' box. We recognise you may not be able to write a personal statement which reflects your interest in this programme and that addresses your other UCAS choices. This will not adversely affect your application. If your application demonstrates your eligibility, we will email you and ask you to complete a questionnaire.

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.