Birkbeck, University of London
UCAS Code: F606 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
The purpose of our innovative new BA Environment, Culture and Communication is to equip you with the environmental, emotional and cultural knowledge and skills to actively participate in climate change debates. Not only will you gain a foundational, scientific understanding of the human-driven causes of climate change, and its environmental impacts, you will also develop communication skills, creative faculties and cultural and emotional sensitivities - as well as a professional network - so that you graduate as an effective climate advocate.
**Why choose this course?**
- Birkbeck enjoys a strong, interdisciplinary and collaborative learning environment where social scientists work alongside scholars in the humanities - so vital when addressing a complex environmental issue like the climate emergency.
- Practical modules and a final-year work placement within a cultural or environmental organisation relevant to your course allow you to put your environmental education into practice.
**What you will learn**
Grounded in the humanities, creative arts, journalism and social sciences, this fascinating degree gives you the opportunity to study the environment through different lenses, combining current issues such as climate anxiety and its social and cultural ramifications with a grounding in geographic science and environmental data, or journalism practice, deepening your understanding of human/environment relationships or of print media landscapes as mechanisms for communication.
You will have the chance to develop your creative faculties through practice-based modules which discuss how poetry and theatrical adaptation can be used to address environmental issues, or take a philosophical approach to address the ethics of human-animal relationships, vegetarianism and veganism. A creative, practice-based module focuses on themes of landscape, climate, sustainability, conflict, adaptation and the natural world.
A wide range of options offered in environmental history, geography, film, literature, languages, business or law then give you the chance to tailor your degree according to your interests and passions and the knowledge you have developed.
**How you will learn**
You will be able to choose between full- and part-time study with evening teaching allowing you to balance your studies with work or other commitments.
Teaching is varied and interactive and is delivered through a combination of lectures (some pre-recorded), seminars, workshops, fieldtrips and work experience.
**Foundation Year**
If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.
**Highlights**
- The Birkbeck Research Centre for Environment and Sustainability (BRCES) supports cutting-edge research in environment and sustainability.
- You will have the opportunity to participate in the annual Birkbeck climate festival The Sustainable Now - a place for Birkbeck staff and students to collaborate on some of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.
- You may be eligible for a Legal & General Sustainable Leaders bursary.
**Careers and employability**
On successful completion of this course, you will have developed the following important transferable skills:
- the ability to work as part of a team
- high-level oral and written communication skills
- high-level emotional, cultural and environmental literacies
- research skills
- skills in evaluating and assessing information
- the ability to present yourself and an argument.
You will find BA Environment, Culture and Communication graduates in the following roles:
- media
- publishing
- environmental consulting/advocacy/law
- planning
- teaching
- politics
- local and national government
- business.
Modules
For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.
Assessment methods
Short written exercises and essays, quizzes and multiple-choice questionnaires, practical and creative assessments, case studies, problems to solve. Some social sciences modules will also be assessed through a take-home examination.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Birkbeck, University of London
School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Media studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Physical geographical sciences
Sorry, no information to show
This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Media and communication studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Only a small number of students study courses within this catch-all subject area, so there isn't a lot of information available on what graduates do when they finish - bear that in mind when you look at any stats. Marketing and PR were the most likely jobs for graduates from these courses, but it's sensible to go on open days and talk to tutors about what you might expect from the course, and what previous graduates did.
Physical geographical sciences
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Media studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£22k
£24k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Physical geographical sciences
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£29k
£22k
£32k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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