Liberal Arts and Sciences, MA
Introduction
Design your own degree pathway with the MA Liberal Arts and Sciences, an interdisciplinary degree that integrates courses across a breadth of subject areas.
Study Information
At a Glance
- Learning Mode
- On Campus Learning
- Degree Qualification
- MA
- Duration
- 48 months
- Study Mode
- Full Time
- Start Month
- September
- Location of Study
- Aberdeen
- UCAS Code
- V900
The Liberal Arts and Sciences Programme is an interdisciplinary learning pathway that allows self-motivated, curious, intellectually curious students to design their own degree pathway through university-level study. It is centred around exploring and integrating a wide breadth of courses, encompassing the humanities, social sciences, and a physical sciences.
Core courses for the degree are rooted in the School of Geosciences, where research and teaching spans archaeology, geography, geology and planetary sciences. In addition to these core courses, students will select modules from other disciplines across the University at every level of study. Selecting optional courses across various disciplines allow our students to explore additional subjects of relevance to their individual learning goals, across a broad spectrum of subject areas.
At honours level, students will select a dissertation advisor within the School of Geosciences and will be encouraged to draw literature and methods from other fields and from co-advisors (where appropriate) in other departments, based on their own distinct learning objectives.
This programme is at the leading edge of interdisciplinary teaching which allows more bespoke, student-orientated approaches to higher education.
What You'll Study
- Year 1
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Compulsory Courses
- Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen (PD1002)
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This course, which is prescribed for level 1 undergraduate students (and articulating students who are in their first year at the University), is studied entirely online, takes approximately 5-6 hours to complete and can be taken in one sitting, or spread across a number of weeks.
Topics include orientation overview, equality and diversity, health, safety and cyber security and how to make the most of your time at university in relation to careers and employability.
Successful completion of this course will be recorded on your Enhanced Transcript as ‘Achieved’.
- Academic Writing for Social Sciences (AW1006)
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This compulsory evaluation is designed to find out if your academic writing is of a sufficient standard to enable you to succeed at university and, if you need it, to provide support to improve. It is completed on-line via MyAberdeen with clear instructions to guide you through it. If you pass the evaluation at the first assessment it will not take much of your time. If you do not, you will be provided with resources to help you improve. This evaluation does not carry credits but if you do not complete it this will be recorded on your degree transcript.
- Creating the Anthropocene (GG1010)
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15 Credit Points
This course reflects upon the role humans have played in creating the Anthropocene (the epoch we are now living in), a time period during which human actions have become more significant than natural processes in shaping our world. Drawing primarily upon perspectives from physical and human geography, the nature of the changes, “how did we get here?”, are considered, laying the foundations for GG1512, in which “what comes after?” – how contemporary society is attempting to tackle Anthropocene challenges – is debated.
- The Nature of The Environment Through Geological Time (GL1005)
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15 Credit Points
For 4,500 million years the Earth has been, and still is, a continually evolving Dynamic Planet. The record is held in the rocks and fossils of the present continental landmasses and ocean basins. To deduce the history of the planet geologists must apply a large range of scientific principles and disciplines. These disciplines encompass the biological, chemical and physical sciences. The course provides a basic understanding of how the structure and evolution of the planet are deduced and how this information can be used to discover and extract natural resources such as fossil fuels and ores.
- Archaeology in Action (AY1003)
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15 Credit Points
This course provides an introduction to how archaeological discoveries are made, the types of questions we can ask about past human societies using the evidence of their material remains, and the range of methods that archaeologists can draw on to try to answer the questions that excite them. By visiting archaeological sites, focussing on some of the world's most spectacular archaeological discoveries, and discussing some of the department's own original research projects, we will explore what the discipline of archaeology adds to our understanding of the human past and present, and what tools and techniques archaeologists employ in different environments.
Optional Courses
Plus 75 credit points from courses of choice, of which 15 must be AY, GL, GG, or MR-coded courses.
- Year 2
-
Compulsory Courses
60 credit points each half-session (120 total) from courses of choice. Of these 120 total credit points, 60 must be AY, GL, GG, or MR-coded courses.
- Year 3
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Compulsory Courses
60 credit points each half-session (120 total) from courses of choice. Of these 120 total credit points, 60 must be AY, GL, GG, or MR-coded courses, including either GG3574 OR AY3512.
Optional Courses
- Research Design (GG3574)
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15 Credit Points
This core course builds on GG2508 to provide an introduction to the conduct of research in the Geosciences at an advanced level. It is intended to familiarise students with the skills necessary to design, implement and write up effective research. These skills will support work on undergraduate dissertations and other project work. The course also introduces careers research skills, and explores how you can best make use of your degree in the 'real world' after graduation: workshops run in partnership with the University's Career Service provide practical advice and training on how best to develop your career.
- Archaeological Research Project Part 1 (AY3512)
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15 Credit Points
This course is the first stage in producing an archaeological dissertation, which is completed in Level 4. Lectures and practical training sessions introduce the theory and practice of archaeological research design. As the course progresses the student puts this into practice through the development of their own original research project, its presentation at a research seminar, and the submission of a full research proposal, which they subsequently take forward as their dissertation. A personal supervisor is identified and provides support, in addition to the other lecturers involved in delivering the lectures and skills training.
- Year 4
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Compulsory Courses
Select either GG4023 OR AY4002, plus a further 30 credits in first half-session and 60 in second half-session from courses of choice. Of these 90 credit points, at least 30 must be AY, GL, GG, or MR-coded courses.
- Geography Dissertation (GG4023)
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30 Credit Points
The Honours dissertation provides students with the opportunity to produce a piece of independent and original research on an approved topic. Advanced level knowledge of a sub-area of the discipline is developed through independent study supervised by a member of academic staff. This course is compulsory for any students completing a single Honours degree in Geography and for any joint Honours student who has not registered to complete a dissertation in their other Honours subject.
- Archaeological Research Project Part 2 (AY4002)
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30 Credit Points
Building directly on the skills learnt in AY3512, the student undertakes an original research project, under the guidance of their personal supervisor and course co-ordinator, and at the end of the course submits an archaeological dissertation. The session begins with a research seminar when students present how their research has progressed over the summer and what they will now be doing to complete it.
We will endeavour to make all course options available. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
How You'll Study
Learning Methods
- Field Trips
- Field Work
- Group Projects
- Individual Projects
- Lab Work
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Tutorials
- Workshops
Assessment Methods
Students are assessed by any combination of three assessment methods:
- coursework such as essays and reports completed throughout the course;
- practical assessments of the skills and competencies they learn on the course; and
- written examinations at the end of each course.
The exact mix of these methods differs between subject areas, years of study and individual courses.
Honours projects are typically assessed on the basis of a written dissertation.
Why Study Liberal Arts and Sciences?
- The MA Liberal Arts and Sciences is a bespoke, student-directed interdisciplinary degree built with flexibility and student choice at its heart. This degree offers a sign-posted independent pathway through university education
- Students are assisted in planning their academic careers along a range of pathways that follow coherent, thematically-related learning routes. These pathways take inspiration from the University’s 2040 interdisciplinary challenges: for example, “People, Past and Present” or “Climate, Environment, and Biodiversity”. Students are able to adopt a suggested pathway in its entirety, adapt an existing pathway to their own interests, or design their own unique path with the guidance of our academic experts.
- The MA Liberal Arts and Sciences is more open to interdisciplinary combination than any other degree at the university
- Students will complete their core courses through the School of Geoscience, with teaching and research strengths in social sciences, physical sciences, and the humanities. Students will also have access to many of the schools at the University of Aberdeen and the hundreds of expert faculty therein
- Earn your degree at a Top 15 UK university. We are ranked 12th in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2025, and 15th in the UK by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025
- We are proud to deliver excellent student experiences across our many degree programmes, which has been recognised by our students: we are ranked 2nd in Scotland and 3rd in the UK* for Overall Student Satisfaction (NSS 2024, *ranked 3rd in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland)
Aberdeen Global Scholarship
The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme.
View the Aberdeen Global ScholarshipEntry Requirements
Qualifications
The information below is provided as a guide only and does not guarantee entry to the University of Aberdeen.
The information displayed in this section shows a shortened summary of our entry requirements. For more information, or for full entry requirements for Sciences degrees, see our detailed entry requirements section.
English Language Requirements
To study for an Undergraduate degree at the University of Aberdeen it is essential that you can speak, understand, read, and write English fluently. The minimum requirements for this degree are as follows:
IELTS Academic:
OVERALL - 6.0 with: Listening - 5.5; Reading - 5.5; Speaking - 5.5; Writing - 6.0
TOEFL iBT:
OVERALL - 78 with: Listening - 17; Reading - 18; Speaking - 20; Writing - 21
PTE Academic:
OVERALL - 59 with: Listening - 59; Reading - 59; Speaking - 59; Writing - 59
Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency:
OVERALL - 169 with: Listening - 162; Reading - 162; Speaking - 162; Writing - 169
Read more about specific English Language requirements here.
Fees and Funding
Please refer to our Tuition Fees page for fee information for this programme, or contact study@abdn.ac.uk.
Additional Fees
- In exceptional circumstances there may be additional fees associated with specialist courses, for example field trips. Any additional fees for a course can be found in our Catalogue of Courses.
- For more information about tuition fees for this programme, including payment plans and our refund policy, please visit our Tuition Fees page.
Scholarships and Funding
UK Scholarship
Students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland, who pay tuition fees may be eligible for specific scholarships allowing them to receive additional funding. These are designed to provide assistance to help students support themselves during their time at Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Global Scholarship
The University of Aberdeen is delighted to offer eligible self-funded international on-campus undergraduate students a £6,000 scholarship for every year of their programme. More about this funding opportunity.Funding Database
View all funding options in our Funding Database.
Careers
The Liberal Arts and Sciences programme celebrates intellectual exploration, independence, critical thinking, communication, and active citizenship. As such, this programme is designed to help you design and build your own graduate skillset.
Our core modules will enable you to hone your collaborative, critical thinking, and analytical skills, all of which are essential to employers no matter what sector you choose to enter upon graduation.
The optional courses you choose will also support the development of further skills; these may include practical lab skills, in-depth knowledge of the world around you, qualitative methods for evaluating global challenges, or an ability to speak across and synthesize approaches from different disciplines.
Our Experts
- Programme Coordinators
- Dr Joe Pierce
- Dr Joshua Wright
- Dr Jeff Oliver
Information About Staff Changes
You will be taught by a range of experts including professors, lecturers, teaching fellows and postgraduate tutors. However, these may be subject to change - see our Student Terms and Conditions page.
Features
Accredited by CIfA and UAUK
The University of Aberdeen is among the prestigious list of institutions whose archaeology programmes are accredited by the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and University Archaeology UK (UAUK).
Science Teaching Hub Tour
The Science Teaching Hub provides a modern teaching and laboratory space for students across a number of disciplines including chemistry, medical sciences, biological sciences and geosciences.
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Get in Touch
Contact Details
- Address
-
Student Recruitment & Admissions
University of Aberdeen
University Office
Regent Walk
Aberdeen
AB24 3FX