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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Particularly fantastic less-conventional undergrad degree courses

211 replies

Delphigirl · 03/07/2021 17:20

I would be really interested in hearing what people think are really interesting and perhaps less considered degree courses available to undergrads at UK universities. I don’t really mean a list of unis that people thinks are great for chemistry, but rather those slightly niche courses run in fantastic departments that maybe people don’t generally know even exist, or in any event are outside the usual A level departments.

So I’m thinking of, for example, War Studies at Kings College London - internationally renowned, different to what you might think of from the name, highly attractive to employers.
I would add Landscape Architecture at Sheffield - the best course in the UK, probably in Europe, a jewel of a department with fabulous teaching and cameraderie, extremely high employment rates, probably not thought about by kids who re attracted by architecture but arguably can lead to a better paid and more fulfilling career.
Also Oceanography at Southampton - world-leading and world-respected, broad ranging multidisciplinary science/geography/ and environmental degree leading to a number of different careers, becoming more topical by the day re climate change.

Or

I’m sure there are lots of others - what degrees/departments can you recommend which are out of the ordinary run of things, for our kids to think about? Particularly hearing from employers who hire out of particular courses - what makes those kids so employable?

OP posts:
HollowTalk · 06/07/2021 19:21

[quote mumsiedarlingrevolta]UEA Creative Writing Course- Kazuo Ishiguro still comes back and lectures-the list of authors having graduated is amazing-
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEA_Creative_Writing_Course[/quote]
I always wanted to take that course but followed my partner elsewhere - it's always been a huge regret that I didn't apply for it. I did an MA in Creative Writing years later in another city, but it wasn't the same.

mumsiedarlingrevolta · 06/07/2021 19:36

@HollowTalk awww that is a shame-hopefully he was worth it!!

I'd love to take it now but think that ship has sailed decades ago

HollowTalk · 06/07/2021 19:41

I got published in my 50s - there's still hope!

motogogo · 06/07/2021 20:13

Dd has friends doing marine architecture and also ship science

motogogo · 06/07/2021 20:15

@AnoymousCoward Dd is doing mechatronics, not Birmingham, think it's quite common now, it's mechanical engineering meets electronic engineering and and computers

AnoymousCoward · 06/07/2021 21:42

Thank you@motogogo is she enjoying it?
May I ask about the chances /types of employment after she is expecting?

GalacticDragonfly · 07/07/2021 11:20

[quote popolvuh]@GalacticDragonfly That reputation probably still stands really, i'm pretty sure the marketing departments sound bite for a while was 'Outstanding in our field'. I attended as a very much non young farmer from a big city and loved it but its definitely an acquired taste.
Well worth a look for anyone who's children are into animals the countryside, off road cars and big machinery though as well as the standard farming.[/quote]
Must have been a bit of a culture shock moving there from a big city and ending up with Newport’s nightlife and wide-ranging shopping opportunities!
Looks like everything’s turning into nice bars now, though - including Barclays Bank and the indoor market.

Ekofisk · 07/07/2021 12:47

@tealasoldastime

Can I add food science... there are a number of good uni's to study it (although I would say Reading is the best!) and it always surprises me how few people know it exists, especially when food manufacturing is such big business in the UK and things like inside the factory are on TV all the time...
Friend studied this and travelled the world checking out supermarket suppliers.
Ekofisk · 07/07/2021 12:58

If I had my time again then I’d fancy doing something like an Archaeological Science degree.

MidLifeCrisis007 · 07/07/2021 15:38

This is a great thread and a timely reminder that some of the less recognised universities offer some of the most interesting courses - and ones that can offer great job prospects too!

MarchingFrogs · 07/07/2021 19:51

@MidLifeCrisis007

This is a great thread and a timely reminder that some of the less recognised universities offer some of the most interesting courses - and ones that can offer great job prospects too!
Had to smile at that one - my sentiments exactly (we've got one doing a masters in Palaeobiology at the moment and another about to go off to do History of Art, hopefully at UEA, albeit the one in the middle is studying the really-very-mainstream-now IR with a language), but the usual tone on here seems to be that in order to be employable - in any field - when one graduates, it just has to be either 'anything Oxbridge', or 'History' (if not Oxbridge for that, then Durham)...
Ellmau · 11/07/2021 10:38

Egyptology at Liverpool

Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge

Needmoresleep · 12/07/2021 12:47

To add to the list of degrees at non-traditional Universities, what about Bournemouth University's National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA).

I think BU claims their graduates have one of the highest rates of Oscar nominees anywhere.

CoffeeWithCheese · 13/07/2021 10:37

@Three0fivepointfour

De Montfort do a BA Contour Fashion which I’ve always thought sounded fun. Making bras and general lingerie. It was the only dedicated course in the country but UAL: LCF now run a course too.
DMU do quite a few very niche fashion related courses - far end of the campus from me.

I go past some impressive sounding forensics doors when I'm in the lower reaches of my faculty though.

Shameless plug for the one I never considered when I was 18 which I blooming well should have done cos I love it - Speech and Language Therapy.

fairyfield · 02/10/2021 14:39

Resurrecting this thread after a friend told me her DD wants to do BSc Global Humanities Studies at UCL, a niche degree.

This sent me down a rabbit hole looking at the vast array of languages UCL offers: Bulgarian and Finnish or Czech and Portuguese anyone!!

Does any other UK university offer such a wide and diverse range of languages?

dreamingbohemian · 02/10/2021 14:52

SOAS for languages!
www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/languages/list/

What a great thread this is!

fairyfield · 02/10/2021 14:58

Off to look at the SOAS list.

Sorry meant: Global Humanitarian Studies BSc at UCL not Humanities!

Ulelia · 02/10/2021 15:19

Global sustainable development at Warwick is a fantastic course for those interested in that area.
As is the join degree offered by St Andrews and William and Mary where students get Scottish and American experience and degree.

TizerorFizz · 02/10/2021 18:09

A lot of these courses are at ex polytechnics for a reason - it is what they were set up to do!!! They took people with 2 A levels and pioneered vocational degrees. That’s why they are good at them. They were supposed to be less academic. It’s good these courses are available and produce employable grads.

LaMagdalena · 02/10/2021 18:37

@fairyfield

Resurrecting this thread after a friend told me her DD wants to do BSc Global Humanities Studies at UCL, a niche degree.

This sent me down a rabbit hole looking at the vast array of languages UCL offers: Bulgarian and Finnish or Czech and Portuguese anyone!!

Does any other UK university offer such a wide and diverse range of languages?

UCL offer loads of Central and Eastern European languages, they are probably the best place to study the languages of this region. It's great they still do this, because many universities are actually getting rid of language departments altogether Sad
LaMagdalena · 02/10/2021 18:59

I've now gone done the rabbit hole looking at UCL's online short courses: Macedonian, Estonian, Latvian, Icelandic... If I had a spare £400 lying around, I'd sign up to one of these so fast...

IM0GEN · 02/10/2021 19:35

Forensic Anthropology 4 year BSc at University of Dundee - one of the top courses in Europe.

Forensic anthropology is the analysis of human remains for medicolegal purposes, including establishing identity, investigating suspicious deaths and identifying victims of mass disasters.

It can lead to careers in scene of crime analysis, forensic science investigation, osteological research and radiology.

Stopyourhavering64 · 04/10/2021 04:31

@IM0GEN

Forensic Anthropology 4 year BSc at University of Dundee - one of the top courses in Europe.

Forensic anthropology is the analysis of human remains for medicolegal purposes, including establishing identity, investigating suspicious deaths and identifying victims of mass disasters.

It can lead to careers in scene of crime analysis, forensic science investigation, osteological research and radiology.

I mentioned that course on p2...Ds had considered course, went to open day and loved the department ( incredible facilities for human anatomy) and had offer but unfortunately missed grade in Biology ...still went to Dundee and has just graduated with BSc in more conventional subject
Clementine8 · 04/10/2021 05:20

@LaMagdalena ive gone down a rabbit hole of online short courses now.

I love reading this, there are so many courses and jobs out there that i don’t even know of. I think careers advice is so lacking.

Comefromaway · 04/10/2021 10:52

@titchy

Music Tech at Huddersfield or Salford. Tonmeister at Surrey.
Tonmeister isn't just the best in the UK, it's arguably on of the best in Europe. Incredibly difficult to get in.

Ds is applying to both Salford & Huddersfield but he was bit meh about Huddersfield and preferred Leeds Conservatoire