Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History and Politics (Optional Year Abroad)

at University of Westminster - Regent Campus United Kingdom

Our Creative Writing and English Literature BA combines the study of literary and non-literary texts in English with the development of your own creative writing skills.

The study of texts and their background in the history of ideas informs your progress as a writer, while your experience of writing in a variety of genres (the novel, the short story, poetry and drama) enhances your appreciation of literature.

This course will be of particular interest to those who wish to write or develop their reading with the experience that comes from writing literary texts. You’ll gain the knowledge and understanding necessary to begin a career in freelance writing, publishing, theatre, or teaching literature and creative writing. The course will also equip you with the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Top reasons to study with us

• Fantastic location for the creative industries – London has unrivalled access to publishing houses, film production companies, theatre and poetry networks, and other literary opportunities
• Writer-led workshops – all of our creative writing tutors are either practising poets, dramatists or novelists
• Subject-leading researchers – our English Literature staff are leading experts in their fields, producing internationally recognised research that they bring straight back into the classroom
• Gain valuable industry contacts – you’ll have the opportunity to make writing contacts through our talented creative writing tutors, our expert guest speakers and our industry links
• Get experience before graduating – you’ll have the option to do a work placement as part of this course
• Opportunities to gain international experience – our students enjoy regular field trips and amazing opportunities to travel, work and study abroad

Our Chinese and International Business BA will help you develop the skills and knowledge you'll need to succeed in the internationalised business world.

In today's global economy, language skills are of significant value to prospective employers when combined with business expertise. This combination can greatly enhance your career opportunities.

You’ll have the opportunity to study Chinese language, culture and international business in an integrated way, exploring the relationships between these elements and the broader economic, financial and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced.

Our comprehensive language training places strong emphasis on the use of language in a professional environment, while our business modules will allow you to gain a solid understanding of international business – a combination that will enable you to gain the real-world skills required to progress to a rewarding career.

Top reasons to study with us

• Gain practical Chinese language skills and intercultural awareness in simulated and authentic professional contexts   
• Experience a sophisticated business environment – our state-of-the-art Bloomberg Financial Markets Suite allows you to gain first-hand exposure to technology that’s widely adopted in leading global investment banks in the major financial centres of the world
• Benefit from an (optional) international experience through a placement, study abroad and/or field trips. Previous field trip destinations have included Morocco, Hong Kong, France, Cuba and Argentina
• Receive tailored academic support and career planning through our tutorials
• Enjoy opportunities to practise one-to-one conversation with a native speaker through the Languages Plus programme

Our Spanish and Linguistics BA trains you to be a competent linguist ready to enter graduate employment.

Our degree offers the exciting combination of the study of Spanish language and culture alongside the wider study of the forms, structures and varieties of language itself.

You'll develop a high level of competence in oral and written communication in Spanish, proficiency in language transfer skills, and a thorough knowledge of Spanish culture. On graduation, you'll be able to thrive linguistically in diverse cultural situations.

You'll study an integrated curriculum with a focus on applied language skills and cultural studies, supported by a rigorous development of your foreign languages skills in all areas. We teach in an integrated interdisciplinary way, exploring the connections between language and culture and the broader historical and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced. 

We place particular emphasis on employability and the contemporary cultural context, and offer high-quality teaching in all language skills.

The linguistics component of your combined degree will develop your understanding and knowledge of language to an advanced and sophisticated level, while fostering and enhancing your skills in using English.

Between Years 2 and 3, you'll have the opportunity to spend a full academic year abroad at one of our partner institutions, or undertake an approved form of employment in a country where Spanish is the official language. You may work as a paid language assistant in a foreign school or undertake a work (or volunteering) placement, both of which give you a valuable opportunity to boost your employability while improving your language competence. 

Our Spanish courses are only available to beginner or intermediate entrants. Please note that we may need to test you to determine your entry point. 

Law is an interesting and challenging discipline that impacts at every level, from people's individual daily lives to the operations of government on the international stage. Increasingly the international dimension to legal study has become more important, across a wide range of legal areas, as the influence of European and international organisations has become so significant.

The Law LLB Honours offers you an exciting and dynamic educational experience, while also providing you with the core subjects required by the professional legal bodies. The legal profession requires graduates to possess both intellectual and practical skills, and the course explicitly addresses these requirements with a structured programme of skills development. It will equip you with the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

You can also add an international dimension to your studies through a further year of law study abroad in one of the School's partner institutions in Europe and overseas.

Top reasons to study with us

• Practise in a real-world environment – as part of the course, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your legal skills at the Westminster Law School Legal Advice Clinic
• Develop mastery of an area of the law with subject streams developed by our research-led experts – you can specialise in entertainment and media law, commercial law, international law, theory and human rights law, criminal law and justice, or welfare law
• An international outlook – the Law LLB has several international law options, the chance to study abroad, the option to learn a foreign language alongside your studies and is supported by our International and European Student Law Societies
• Boost your employability – skills and work-based learning modules are available in every year of the course
• Personalise your learning – with a vast range of optional modules to choose from

Our Arabic and Global Communication BA develops your knowledge of the Arabic language and culture, and develops your communication skills for the professional global environment.

Our course helps you to achieve a good or high level of linguistic proficiency in Arabic in reading, writing, listening and speaking. It also gives you insight into and practice in communicating internationally as well as mediating between English and Arabic speakers.

The curriculum integrates applied language skills and cultural studies, while ensuring a rigorous development of your foreign language competence in all areas. We teach in an integrated interdisciplinary way, exploring the connections between language and culture and the broader historical and cross-cultural contexts in which they are produced. 

You'll improve your ability as an intercultural communicator by studying how our ideas are shaped and communicated in a global society, where our interactions are no longer confined by national, regional or cultural boundaries.

Studying the Arabic and Global Communication BA, you'll acquire qualities and skills in areas such as interpersonal communication and organisational skills, analysis and argument, autonomy and team working, and team management. You’ll also build your flexibility, tolerance and organisational skills to enable you to be an effective international communicator. On graduation, you'll be able to thrive linguistically in diverse cultural situations.

The Professional Writing MA is designed for those who want to turn their love of words and writing into a dynamic and fulfilling career. It will give you the skills, motivation, networks and connections to work across a wide variety of industries – in publishing, journalism, public relations, advertising, as literary agents, copywriters and copyeditors. It will also allow you to explore the history and future of writing and the writing industries from a variety of perspectives, and to develop your own interests and specialisms.

Professional Writing takes a broad, holistic view of writing, because writing is not just about writing. It is about editing, about working with the words of others and with other languages, it is about the reader, it is about the form into which the words are packaged. It is about essays and tweets, novels and headlines, criticism and advertising, prizes and publicity. As a result, the course brings together the combined expertise of English, Creative Writing, Media, Communication, and Film and Cultural Studies to offer a truly interdisciplinary MA.

On the course you'll examine the changing role of professional writing through historical and theoretical debates and examples of contemporary professional practice across languages. From the story of the book to multimedia journalism, your modules will allow you to develop your skills and interests in a range of relevant professional contexts. You'll be taught through seminars, one-to-one and small group tutorials, practical sessions and workshops, together with independent, student-directed study where you'll develop your own project or special topic with the help of an expert mentor. You'll work with academics, practitioners and industry professionals to gain an understanding of vocational issues, practices and concerns, and will build up a network of contacts and connections within your chosen industries.

This Creative Writing: Writing the City Masters course is the first to focus entirely on the city of London. It will allow you to explore the city as subject matter from a range of perspectives and across all genres. It will also give you a theoretical and practical platform from which to develop your understanding, and become part of the London writing scene.

Taught by professional writers and researchers, the course offers plenty of opportunities to network with other writers, agents, TV producers and performance poets. As part of the MA, you will be part of the team managing the Wells Street Journal, our student-led in-house magazine. You will be based in the University's headquarters building at 309 Regent Street, which means you will be writing about the city in the heart of London, with ready access to the capital's excellent academic, social and cultural opportunities, including the vibrant West End theatre scene.

With globalisation, international law is becoming increasingly important and this course prepares you for a future career in the international arena. Our teaching team is composed of world-renowned scholars that are leading the way in their respective subjects, including - but not limited to - international human rights law, the law of armed conflict, development law, energy and climate change law, international cyber security law, refugee law, the law of the sea, international courts and tribunals.

Our LLM is one of the oldest and most popular courses in international law in London. It attracts students from every nationality and background, not only those who have previously studied law, but also those with a degree in political science, international relations, or other relevant discipline. This creates a uniquely vibrant and stimulating learning environment in which to study international Law.

The International Law LLM at Westminster Law School is taught in our central London campus, just a short distance from most major British institutions and international organisations. The Course can be taken full-time or part-time, and we have both a September and a January start each year.

Psychology is the study of the human mind and our behaviour, while criminology is all about the causes of crime and ways to prevent and control it.

This is a unique degree covering both British Psychological Society accreditation and QAA standards for criminology, which will allow you to study both psychology and criminology, and will equip you to understand human motivation and behaviour and apply that insight to legal and criminal contexts, opening up an exciting range of career opportunities once you graduate.

At Westminster, we have a solid background of teaching and research in these highly desirable subjects. We take an international perspective and draw on our expertise related to human trafficking and issues connected to the Global South.

We make the most of our long-established links with key partners in the criminal justice and forensic psychology areas to enhance your student experience. This includes links with a number of local Magistrates' Courts, the Central Criminal Court, Broadmoor Hospital, victim support at the Old Bailey, HMP Whitemoor, Feltham YOI, and the Metropolitan Police, all of which offer opportunities for educational visits and/or work placements.

We make full use of our central London location, with learning taking place both inside and outside the classroom and including visits to a theatre and a museum, field walks and opportunities for work-based learning.

Top reasons to study with us

• A wide range of option modules provides a truly multidisciplinary perspective on crime and psychology
• Our experienced team draw on their research and scholarly activity to provide you with a global perspective on crime and psychology
• Our degree is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). Gaining a BPS accredited qualification is necessary if you wish to pursue a career as a Chartered Psychologist in the areas of forensic, clinical, occupational, counselling, health, educational, and sports and exercise psychology
• Based in our Regent Campus and Cavendish Campus in central London, you'll enjoy the benefits of studying in a major global city
• A work placement module is built into the course, to help you get ahead before graduating
• Between Years 2 and 3 you'll have the option to complete an additional year on a work placement or studying abroad

Our Politics BA equips you with an understanding of the relationship between government and society in regions all over the world, from Europe, the Middle East and Asia to North and South America.

Studying for a politics degree will help you to understand and think critically about political events, the interplay of domestic and international politics, how resources and power are distributed in society; how decisions are made; and why political systems develop in the ways that they do.

You'll study political concepts, ideas, values and institutions, and explore the relationship between political theory and practice.

Our graduates go on to work in a range of sectors, including the Civil Service, government, NGOs, international organisations, think tanks, teaching and research.

Top reasons to study with us

• An enhanced learning experience – Our central London location allows us to take you out of the classroom to visit places such as the Houses of Parliament, government departments, international organisations, NGOs, exhibitions and museums
• Our truly international outlook – We have been named the most diverse university in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand (source: Hotcourses Diversity Index 2018), with students representing 170 nationalities
• A supportive community – We provide a supportive, inclusive and dynamic environment with high student satisfaction. There are plenty of opportunities for community engagement, not least through the student-led Democratic Education Network - a runner-up ‘Student Experience’ initiative in the Guardian University Awards 2019