Can I specialise within BA Humanities or do I have to study all four strands equally?

You take a foundation across all four in year one, then weight your degree increasingly toward your chosen strands in years two and three. Most students end up specialising in two of the four, with a dissertation in their strongest.

What kinds of essays will I write on BA Humanities?

Across the degree you'll write source analyses, critical essays, comparative pieces and longer research essays — culminating in a 10,000–12,000-word final-year dissertation on a question of your own choosing.

Is BA Humanities a good preparation for law or the civil service?

Yes — the analytical, writing and research skills the degree builds are precisely what law firm graduate schemes and the Civil Service Fast Stream test for. Graduates regularly progress into both, often via a conversion course (for law) or directly (for civil service).

Can I study BA Humanities online?

Yes. The online route mirrors on-campus delivery with live seminars, recorded lectures and supervised essay work. Distance learners follow structured deadlines and visit campus for one optional intensive week each year.

Will BA Humanities prepare me for a Master's in a specific humanities discipline?

Yes. The degree's interdisciplinary structure plus the final-year dissertation give graduates a competitive base for Master's applications across history, philosophy, literature, cultural studies and adjacent fields.

BA Humanities in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The BA Humanities at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a three-year UK honours degree for students who want a serious interdisciplinary grounding in history, philosophy, literature and cultural studies — and the analytical, writing and research skills graduate employers in publishing, policy, media and education consistently rate above any single-subject narrowness.

You choose where to weight your degree across the four core strands, build a final-year dissertation around a question that genuinely interests you, and graduate able to read widely, write clearly, argue precisely and make a case to a non-specialist reader without losing the substance.

Key Features

UK honours degree in humanities — three years full-time, with online and distance routes.
Four-strand interdisciplinary structure across history, philosophy, literature and cultural studies.
Final-year dissertation on a question of your choice, supervised by a specialist tutor.
Writing-intensive throughout — essay-based assessment with structured feedback at every stage.
London cultural-institution programme — British Library, British Museum, V&A and Tate visits and case studies integrated into seminars.
British Academy and Royal Society of Arts engagement — recommended events, reading lists, networking pathways.

What You Will Learn

The BA Humanities is structured around the four pillars of a serious interdisciplinary humanities education — historical reasoning, philosophical argument, literary interpretation and cultural analysis — woven together so each strand sharpens the others. You leave able to read primary sources critically, build an argument that survives scrutiny and write at the standard graduate employers and Master's programmes look for.

Historical methods — primary and secondary sources, historiography, archival research basics.
Philosophical reasoning — logic, ethics, epistemology, the major Western and non-Western traditions.
Literary analysis — close reading, period studies, narrative theory, critical traditions.
Cultural studies — semiotics, popular culture, identity, race and gender as critical categories.
Comparative thinking — across disciplines, periods and traditions.
Research design — formulating a question, selecting sources, structuring an argument.
Academic writing — essay construction, citation conventions, academic register.
Public communication — translating scholarly argument for non-specialist readers.

Who This Course Is For

School leavers with broad humanities interests who don't want to specialise narrowly at undergraduate level.
International students wanting a UK humanities degree taught in central London's cultural quarter.
Career-changers seeking the analytical and writing depth a humanities degree builds, particularly toward law, civil service, publishing or media.
Mature applicants returning to study with a portfolio of writing or significant professional experience.

Career Pathways

Humanities graduates remain among the most flexible and consistently employed cohorts across the UK labour market — taking up roles in publishing, journalism, civil service, education, the cultural sector and beyond. The qualification rewards the graduate who pairs it with placement experience and a clear next step. Typical destinations include:

Humanities Researcher (academic, museum, cultural institution)
Cultural Programme Coordinator (gallery, festival, foundation)
Policy Analyst (Civil Service Fast Stream, think tank)
Lecturer / Teacher (after PGCE or doctoral training)
Editorial Researcher (publisher, longform journalism)
Communications and Public Engagement Officer (research-led organisations)

Graduates progress to a Master's in any humanities specialism or directly into graduate trainee schemes in publishing, civil service or media.

Entry Requirements

Three A-Levels at BBC or above (or international equivalent — IB 28 points, BTEC DMM, or accepted national qualification).
GCSE English Language at grade 5 or equivalent English proficiency test.
IELTS 6.0 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
A short personal statement and an essay sample of up to 1,000 words.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with a portfolio and short interview.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.