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Best universities in the UK for arts and humanities degrees 2024

Explore the best universities in the UK for arts and humanities degrees, using data from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings

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November 29 2023
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Top 10 universities in the UK for arts and humanities degrees

Scroll down for the full list of best universities for arts and humanities in the UK

UK arts and humanities rank 2024  Arts and humanities rank 2024  University City/town
1  3  University of Cambridge Cambridge
2  4  University of Oxford Oxford
3  6  UCL London
4  12  University of Edinburgh Edinburgh
5  20  King’s College London London
6  =35  London School of Economics and Political Science London
7  39  Durham University Durham
8  =43  Lancaster University Lancaster
9  45  University of St Andrews St Andrews
10  49  University of Manchester Manchester

Arts and humanities subjects include history, English literature, philosophy, languages and architecture (scroll down for a full list of subjects and what you can do with them).

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The UK is home to some of the world’s best universities for studying the arts and humanities, including the University of Oxford, which is ranked the top university in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024.

Students who study the arts and humanities develop transferable skills such as the ability to think critically, analyse new information and communicate findings effectively. These can be applied to a range of careers, whether that’s in politics or education, law or the creative industry.


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5. King's College London

The faculty of arts and humanities is the second largest at King's College London and is located in the middle of London city.

The department has ties with many cultural locations in the city, including the British Museum, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and the National Portrait Gallery, allowing students to experience culture around them as they study.

Programmes for undergraduates and postgraduates are offered in many aspects of arts and humanities such as ancient languages, contemporary film studies, music and philosophy. Postgraduate students can also consider a PhD or PG research course in culture, media, creative industries and humanities at King's College London.

Notable alumni in arts and humanities at King's College London includes broadcaster and author Anita Anand and novelist Thomas Hardy.

4. University of Edinburgh

The college of arts, humanities and social sciences is the University of Edinburgh’s largest college.

The college is divided into 12 schools including divinity, Edinburgh College of art, history, classics and archaeology, law, literatures, languages and cultures, philosophy, psychology and language sciences among others.

There are both undergraduate and postgraduate courses available across the arts and humanities, as well as part-time programmes for students looking for flexibility.

Those studying arts and humanities are given the opportunity to study abroad as part of the university’s international exchange programme. The university has developed partnerships with more than 200 partner institutions around the world.

3. UCL

UCL’s faculty of arts and humanities offers courses in English, philosophy, Greek and Latin, and is also home to the school of European languages, culture and society.

The Slade School of fine art offers two undergraduate degree programmes, the BA and the BFA in fine art, and two master’s programmes, the MA and the MFA in fine art.

UCL’s faculty of arts and humanities’ past research projects have addressed histories of the Italian mafias, and self-directed support in social care, among many other ongoing research projects.

2. University of Oxford

The humanities division is one of the University of Oxford’s four academic divisions and is organised into nine faculties: classics, English language and literature, history, linguistics, philology and phonetics, medieval and modern languages, music, oriental studies, philosophy, and theology and religion.

The humanities division is home to the Ruskin School of Art, which dates back to 1871, when John Ruskin first opened his school of drawing. Since 1981, the school has been offering students degrees in fine art.

The division also has a number of libraries and museums including the Ashmolean Museum of art and archaeology and the Bodleian Library, which houses more than 11 million volumes and manuscript collections.

Oxford’s faculty and students carry out research in a range of subject areas from ancient and classical civilisations, to the intersection between humanities and neuroscience. Past research projects have included “What does ancient Greek music sound like?” and “How does the brain process language?”

1. University of Cambridge

The school of arts and humanities at the University of Cambridge offers a range of courses at the undergraduate level and beyond. It’s divided into eight faculties: architecture and history of art, Asian and Middle Eastern studies, classics, divinity, English, modern and medieval languages, music, and history.

The university is home to several research groups, including Cambridge Digital Humanities, a collaborative interaction between scholars across the humanities. Its mission is to rethink the nature of the humanities in our digital age and to investigate traditional and new forms of data and media.

Notable Cambridge alumni in arts and humanities fields include the philosopher Bertrand Russell, artist Quentin Blake and dramatist Christopher Marlowe.


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Top universities in the UK for arts and humanities degrees 2024

Click each institution to view its World University Rankings 2024 profile

UK arts and humanities rank 2024  Arts and humanities rank 2024  University City/town
1  3  University of Cambridge Cambridge
2  4  University of Oxford Oxford
3  6  UCL London
4  12  University of Edinburgh Edinburgh
5  20  King’s College London London
6  =35  London School of Economics and Political Science London
7  39  Durham University Durham
8  =43  Lancaster University Lancaster
9  45  University of St Andrews St Andrews
10  49  University of Manchester Manchester
11  51  University of York York
12  =54  University of Glasgow Glasgow
13  61  University of Warwick Warwick
14  67  University of Birmingham Birmingham
15  69  University of Leeds Leeds
16  70  Birkbeck, University of London London
17  74  University of Sheffield Sheffield
18  75  University of Bristol Bristol
19  =77  SOAS University of London London
20  82  University of Exeter Exeter
=21  101–125  Cardiff University Cardiff
=21  101–125  Newcastle University Newcastle
=21  101–125  Queen Mary University of London London
=21  101–125  University of Reading Reading
=21  101–125  University of Southampton Southampton
=26  126–150  Goldsmiths, University of London London
=26  126–150  University of Nottingham Nottingham
=26  126–150  Queen’s University Belfast Belfast 
=29  151–175  Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh
=29  151–175  University of Leicester Leicester
=29  151–175  University of Liverpool Liverpool
=29  151–175  Loughborough University Loughborough
33  176–200  University of East Anglia Norwich
=34  201–250  University of Aberdeen Aberdeen
=34  201–250  Aston University Birmingham
=34  201–250  University of Bath Bath
=34  201–250  University of Kent Kent
=34  201–250  Royal Holloway, University of London Surrey
=34  201–250  University of Sussex Brighton
=40  251–300  Bournemouth University Bournemouth
=40  251–300  University of Essex Essex
=40  251–300  Oxford Brookes University Oxford
=40  251–300  University of Stirling Stirling
=40  251–300  University of Surrey Guildford
=45  301–400  Bangor University Bangor
=45  301–400  Brunel University London London
=45  301–400  Coventry University Coventry
=45  301–400  University of Dundee Dundee
=45  301–400  University of Huddersfield Huddersfield
=45  301–400  Northumbria University Northumbria
=45  301–400  The Open University Nationwide
=45  301–400  University of Roehampton London
=45  301–400  University of Strathclyde Strathclyde
=45  301–400  Swansea University Swansea
=45  301–400  University of Westminster London
=56  401–500  Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth
=56  401–500  Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) East Anglia
=56  401–500  University of Central Lancashire Preston
=56  401–500  University of Hull Hull
=56  401–500  Keele University Keele
=56  401–500  Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester
=56  401–500  Nottingham Trent University Nottingham
=56  401–500  University of Plymouth Plymouth
=56  401–500  University of Portsmouth Portsmouth
=56  401–500  Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield
=56  401–500  Ulster University Ulster
=56  401–500  University of the West of England Bristol
=56  401–500  University of Wolverhampton Wolverhampton
=69  501–600  Birmingham City University Birmingham
=69  501–600  University of Brighton Brighton
=69  501–600  De Montfort University Leicester
=69  501–600  University of Hertfordshire Hatfield
=69  501–600  Kingston University London
=69  501–600  Leeds Beckett University Leeds
=69  501–600  University of Lincoln Lincoln
=69  501–600  Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool
=69  501–600  Middlesex University London
=69  501–600  University of Winchester Winchester

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