Liberal Arts (with Placement Year) BA (Hons)

Defy traditional subject boundaries with our vibrant Liberal Arts degree
Explore countless connections across the humanities with our hands-on Liberal Arts degree. You will inspect various disciplinary approaches while covering topics like:

• Revolutions and rebellions
• World religions
• Digital production
• Creative writing
• Journalism and the media
• Political communication

Our BA Liberal Arts degree gives you a broad, interdisciplinary foundation while allowing you to specialise in the areas that excite you most. Major pathways on our BA Liberal Arts degree include:

• Creative writing
• English
• Film and screen media
• History
• Political science
• Theology

Real-world experience
During your Liberal Arts degree, you can engage in real-world public presentations and creative projects through mediums like:

• Film and tv
• Magazines
• Podcasts.

Learn in the capital
Our campus is located in the green and picturesque London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, so as a BA Liberal Arts student, you’ll have access to the capitals diverse creative, cultural, historical, and political scenes. You could explore places like:

• The British Library
• Shakespeare’s Globe
• The Tate Modern
• Houses of Parliament

We’ll also take you on exciting field trips to several cultural institutions as part of your degree, including:

• National Theatre
• Museum of London
• The Imperial War Museum

A campus with a unique creative history
Our campus is attached to Strawberry Hill House. Here, renowned gothic writer, Horace Walpole, designed and lived to inspire his work. As a result, your degree will be a fully immersive and geographically distinct learning experience.

Hear from our students
Shekinah, Liberal Arts student – “As a liberal arts student at St Mary’s, I can study and choose to major in, history, English, film, creative writing, and theology — all subjects that I love.”

Paid work placements
You can complete a paid work placement to build your skills and network. You can work in:

• Theatres
• Concert halls
• Museums
• Heritage sites
• Publishing houses
• Charities

Why St Mary’s?
You will gain skills and support to make a positive impact – for yourself and for others – through high-quality teaching, real-world experience, and a community that lifts each other up. Our campus is a London oasis – blending city energy with open green spaces to think, connect, and grow.

About the Placement Year
A placement year enables you to undertake a year of experience in an organisation between your second and final year.

It will enable you to:


- apply the knowledge and skills you gain from your course in a work setting


- build your commercial awareness and insights into organisations and industries you might want to work in


- develop your professional skills through company training, networking skills and confidence in the workplace


- get some great experience for future job applications or even land a graduate job.


Support from St Mary’s every step of the way
Securing a placement can really help you develop your job search skills and the Employability Service placement and Careers Teams can support you to find and apply for available opportunities.

Please note: in the event that you cannot secure a placement you will be able to transfer onto the three year version of your degree programme.