Interdisciplinary degrees

You no longer have to choose between sciences and humanities at university

A growing number of university degrees are now combining humanities and science subjects. These ‘interdisciplinary’ degrees bring together expertise from very different subject areas to help students look differently at the world’s problems.

Interdisciplinary degrees are not new within business or the sciences. Engineers have long looked to biologists for inspiration to improve designs. This ‘biomimicry’ has led to improved swimwear fabric inspired by sharkskin. Google’s Deepmind project is now hiring people to join their “interdisciplinary group of policy experts, philosophers and researchers”. The humanities too have degrees that span multiple disciplines, the most famous being Oxford’s century-old ‘PPE’ – Philosophy, Politics and Economics. That degree is a favourite of wouldbe future leaders looking to make good, financially sound decisions (with varied results, if you’ve seen the news).

Degrees bridging the humanities and sciences are newer, but on the rise. On some programmes, history students are learning to create digital maps of lost worlds. Literature students are learning computational linguistics to analyse texts in new ways. Art students are working with artificial intelligence to push the boundaries of beauty.

Some universities are making big strides into these new options. I’m fortunate to work at the new UCL East campus, home to several interdisciplinary degrees, including my own Information in Society BSc (launching September 2024), which brings humanities issues, skills and approaches together with principles of data and computer science.

Our course is designed for students who want to harness information to improve our society. It will give you the technical skills to create, manage and disseminate information. You will also learn the humanities and communication skills needed to develop and deploy effective solutions to the issues facing society. Our students will learn to ask not just if we can do something, but if we should. Degrees like ours often expose students to a wide range of teaching environments. Teaching staff bring the best of their own disciplines to the classroom. Students will split their time between the computer lab and in humanities-style seminars where they will learn to debate with their peers. When they graduate, they will have benefitted from what the humanities and the sciences have had to offer.

Those who may not have had the option of an interdisciplinary degree might guide you with the best of intentions to pick either humanities or the sciences. For decades, it was a given that a choice was necessary, and this is still reflected in our school system. For those studying GCSEs and A Levels, topics are mostly still set up along science and humanities lines. Students often begin to specialise early to play to their strengths (perhaps less so in the International Baccalaureate, which encourages breadth across a range of subject types). That specialist system works for many students, but not everyone. Maybe you’re interested in our society but also love working with data. Or perhaps you want to know more about the past but are really interested in technology and want to combine the two. If you find yourself interdisciplinary-curious, it’s worth keeping that door open.

You can start by letting your teachers know you’re looking for something different. You can also do your own research. Look for degree names with words such as ‘for’, ‘in’, ‘and’, or lots of commas in degree titles - this is often a sign that more than one field of study is being brought together: ‘Information in Society’, ‘Heritage, Sustainability and Society’, ‘Arts and Sciences’. The list of degrees on offer at UCL East can be a great starting point to see what’s out there, but many other universities will also have degrees that you should explore. Both virtual and in person open days and taster days can be a wonderful way to see if a degree crossing disciplinary boundaries might be right for you. Most university recruitment teams will be happy to point you to the degrees they offer that cover themes from both the humanities and sciences, as will programme leaders like myself, who regularly receive and respond to emails from prospective students. For the Information in Society BSc at UCL, we have a dedicated inbox you can reach out to (dis-east@ucl.ac.uk), and many other programmes will too. Don’t be afraid to make that personal connection. Universities are looking for the students who are excited to explore across the humanities/sciences divide, just as much as students are looking for the perfect degree for their future.