Human Sciences BSc

A Levels

UK applicants qualifications

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

International applications

In addition to A level and International Baccalaureate, UCL considers a wide range of international qualifications for entry to its undergraduate degree programmes.

Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates

UCL Undergraduate Preparatory Certificates (UPCs) are intensive one-year foundation courses for international students of high academic potential who are aiming to gain access to undergraduate degree programmes at UCL and other top UK universities.

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: www.ucl.ac.uk/upc.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency. Information about the evidence required, acceptable qualifications and test providers can be found on our English language requirements page.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

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

• You will benefit from being exposed to a variety of disciplinary approaches in the contributing departments and access to outstanding departmental resources.

• The programme offers a wide choice of individual module combinations from life sciences, social and historical sciences and physical sciences.

• This degree programme has strong pastoral and academic support. The Human Sciences Tutor and your Personal Tutor will be available for consultation on structuring your programme.

• A student committee organises academic and social events for Human Sciences students, such as a guest speaker series.

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).

In your first year 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 interactions (Biological Anthropology and Psychology). Students may also choose between the modules Human Ecology, Social Anthropology, Revealing Science, and a module in a modern foreign language.

In year two you will take the compulsory module, The Human Sciences in Society, in which you will work in a group to explore a topic of your group's choice within the social sciences. You will also undertake Statistical Methods in Computing.

In year three your compulsory module will be the Human Sciences Seminar Project, wherein you design and carry out a small research project, which you will then write up as a dissertation.

You will choose your remaining modules in years two and three from the extensive range of options in biomedical, biological, environmental, social, historical or philosophical subjects.

You will have the opportunity to study abroad in year three, returing to complete year three modules in year four.

Modules

An indicative guide to the structure of this programme, year by year.

Your learning

The first year is taught through lectures, small-group tutorials, workshops, practicals and laboratory sessions. Your second-year compulsory module will involve lectures, group work and debates. The optional modules taken in other departments will be taught in a variety of ways according to the nature of the module and the usual practice of the department concerned.

Assessment

Assessments include essays, web-based examinations, written examinations, practical reports, briefing papers and debating performance. The third-year dissertation is assessed solely on the basis of the written report. However, you will be required to make a short presentation of your topic in the second term.

Detailed course descriptions are available on the department website: Human Sciences BSc.

The programme aims to provide wide and scientific knowledge of the life of humans. Graduates of the programme will be scientifically literate, numerate and easily able to communicate across a wide range of disciplines.

The Human Sciences BSc teaches a broad range of knowledge across many different subject areas. It is therefore no surprise that our graduates have entered a variety of careers: journalism, nutrition, science communication, management, accountancy, teaching and the finance industry.

A number of graduates pursue further studies, including Master's degrees in various fields. Graduates have also gone on to study for qualifications in law and medicine (though the degree is not necessarily intended as a preliminary to them). 

UCL is commited to helping you get the best start after graduation. Read more about how UCL Careers and UCL Innovation and Enterprise can help you find employment or learn about entrepreneurship.

Tuition fees

The fees indicated are for undergraduate entry in the 2020/21 academic year. The UK/EU 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 2020/21 entrants for each year of study on the programme, unless otherwise indicated below.

UK/EU students

£9,250 (2020/21)

Overseas students

£26,490 (2020/21)

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

If you are concerned by potential additional costs for books, equipment, etc. on this programme, please get in touch with the relevant departmental contact (details given on this page).

Funding

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.

Departmental scholarships

Funding opportunities relevant to the department may appear in this section when they are available. Please check carefully or confirm with the programme contact to ensure they apply to this degree programme.

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.