Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Philosophy/Sociology (Plus Optional Placement Year)

at University of York United Kingdom

Studying music at university gives you the opportunity to deepen your understanding of that experience and to look at how music has shaped and responded to the world. The story of music is always about people and their creativity – even in a world full of music, what it is and what it does still matters.

You'll learn from musicians who are leaders in their fields and benefit from the working relationships we have built up with our professional partners – an enviable roster of artists-in-association. We teach in small groups and individual tutorials, which means you'll always be actively engaged in discussion with your lecturers.

York Music graduates are creative, critical, independent thinkers. Our degree programme develops these qualities through a modular teaching system covering all forms of musical activity: performance, composing, analysis, musicology and music technology are all valued. Both flexible and challenging, we deliver a balanced musical education and develop key skills, providing you with opportunities to specialise and pursue your own choices of study under expert guidance.

This course gives you the ideal platform to showcase your capabilities to future employers and PhD programmes alike – so you can break new ground in the worlds of professional and academic research.

Drawing on expertise from across the social sciences, you'll develop highly sought-after research skills to world-class standards. You can tailor your studies to your own interests from the social sciences, and you'll complete your final independent research project or dissertation in one of our social sciences departments:

• Economics
• Education
• Health Sciences
• History
• Language and Linguistic Science
• Politics
• Psychology
• Social Policy and Social Work
• Sociology
• Environment
• York Law School
• York Management School
• Centre for Women's Studies

A combined English and History course offers one of the most wide-ranging and adventurous of university degrees, tackling key aspects of human culture.

Our pioneering curriculum offers an international outlook. Our modules span the globe, encompassing over two millennia of history and literature.

You'll develop knowledge, critical analysis and skills in environmental science, and learn about its application to the management of natural resources. You will be prepared for a wide range of careers in environmental consultancy and business, in government and non-governmental organisations and in environmental research.

You'll take part in problem solving especially in issues that are at the forefront of our research. You will also examine case-studies that allow you to analyse and tackle the complex problems that characterise environmental management.

The course is also suitable for highly motivated individuals who are seeking to convert to an environmental career through developing specialist skills in environmental science and management.

We have a number of partnerships with major environmental organisations that will be of benefit to our students through lectures, workshops and research and internship opportunities.

Our MA in Medieval History will enable you to explore new approaches to the history of medieval Britain and Europe. You will have a chance to acquire new knowledge, as well as to develop valuable skills alongside extensive training in research technique and methodology.

Studying Medieval History in York will give you an unparalleled opportunity to get acquainted with rich local resources, including manuscripts, documents, coins, buildings and material culture. You'll benefit from a wealth of expertise on the medieval period and be challenged to think critically about source material.

Astrophysicists look to the skies to discover more about the nature of our Universe.

From the nuclear reactions that power our sun to the mysteries of dark matter, you'll study the great challenges of cosmology in topics aligned with our active research.

To explore the cosmos you'll need grounding in many disciplines of physics, from optics to electromagnetism, quantum physics to classical mechanics. You'll gain foundational understanding of fundamental physics, scientific principles and methods. You'll learn key skills for analysing real-life problems, write scientific reports to industry standards, communicate complex concepts, and solve mind-bending astronomical puzzles.

In your third year, you'll apply and develop your skills on a paid industrial placement. This gives you the chance to gain practical, real-world experience, enhancing your degree and your CV.

Our Biology course is a flexible and broad-based degree that covers biomedicine, biotechnology, genetics, ecology, and evolutionary biology.

This course is ideal if you want an interdisciplinary approach to biology, or wish to specialise at a later stage. You will have a wide range of options to tailor the course to your developing interests.

The study of life ranges from the chemistry of single molecules to understanding how populations of different species respond to changes in the environment. Driven by cutting-edge technologies, we now live in an era where medicines can be tailored to individuals and the genomes of novel organisms can be sequenced in less than a day. An explosion of discoveries relating to how cancer develops, predicting the effects of climate change and harnessing the biotechnological potential of organisms to produce fuel, food and medicines makes biosciences one of the most exciting and relevant subjects of the 21st century!

Adding a year in industry or a year abroad are both an option with this course too, so you can benefit from the advantages that a year away can bring. The Department of Biology will provide you with the opportunity to learn in new, spacious and modern teaching laboratories which provide excellent facilities for practicals and small group project work, alongside our state-of-the-art computing facilities.

Study a language that is spoken on every continent. Spend a year abroad studying, working or teaching in a French-speaking country, consolidating your language skills.

Combine the study of French with investigations into the nature of language itself. You'll be taught your French modules in the target language, so you'll become confident using French as a means of communication, and for critical thinking. You'll gain an understanding of French-speaking culture and society which will underpin your abilities as a high-level communicator.

Your communication skills will be complemented by studying linguistics. This will enable you to understand and interpret language, and to learn the science behind how we communicate. You’ll engage with the study of language on a conceptual level as well as the detailed level of raw linguistic data.

The course has flexibility in terms of how much French and linguistics content you study over the four years. Your knowledge and understanding of how a language works, and how we communicate, will give you a solid foundation for many careers.

Our MSc in Pharmacology and Education will provide you with a unique opportunity to advance your pharmacology knowledge alongside developing as an educator.

You will learn from experts in their field who are at the forefront of pharmacology, medicine or medical education. This includes external experts, our own clinical trials unit, pharmacology academics and our Health Professions Education Unit.

As well as learning from their expertise, you will be challenged to think differently, to become a reflective practitioner and to develop skills to become a self-directed learner.

The MSc programme is built around core modules that cover the fundamental principles of pharmacology, the clinical relevance of drugs for the major organ systems and the fundamental processes involved in clinical trials. Alongside the pharmacology component, there are core modules covering learning and teaching, assessment and research methods to train educators of tomorrow.

You will finish your year with us by conducting a significant research project focussing on generation of novel data to support and improve pharmacology education for both science or medical professions. We will support you to increase your chances of getting your work published.

Chemistry is often referred to as the 'central science'. It covers topics as diverse as quantum mechanics and the study of atomic particles, to the molecular nature of biological systems and the Human Genome Project.

This degree will give you a strong grounding in fundamental chemistry. You'll also develop specialist knowledge of green chemistry, which is increasingly important in industry as regulations tighten and chemical resources become harder to find.

Course Highlights

• Raw materials and life cycle assessment
• Benefits of green chemistry to human health
• Catalytic methods in asymmetric synthesis
• Technological challenges in process development
• Structure, function and action of biocatalysts
• Biofuels and fuel cells