2023/24 Undergraduate Programme Catalogue

BA Professional Studies

Total credits: 360

Entry requirements:

A-level: BBB or equivalent

GCSE: English and maths grade C/4 or above, or equivalent.

T Levels will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Other course specific tests:

We actively encourage applications from mature students, those who will be over 21 at the point of entry. Further consideration will be given to the life experience of mature applicants and the circumstances in which they gained prior qualifications. If you don't have the entry qualifications, please see the alternative entry section below.

Applicant preference criteria

Priority is given to applicants who live permanently in the UK and meet at least two of the following:

- your permanent address is in a neighbourhood with low progression to higher education (we use the OfS postcode checker)

- you attended a school that achieved less than the national average of 5 A*-C / 9-4 passes (including English and Maths) at GCSE or attainment 8 score at GCSE in a state school. We use the All England State-funded attainment 8 score, excluding applicants from selective and/or independent schools

- you grew up in public care

- the residual income of your household is less than £25,000

- you will be the first member of your immediate family (excluding older brothers or sisters or your children) to achieve a degree

- your studies have been adversely affected by circumstances in your personal, social or domestic life

Applicants progressing straight from school must meet two of the above applicant preference criteria

[Control]


Read more about UK and Republic of Ireland accepted qualifications (https://www.leeds.ac.uk/undergraduate-applying/doc/accepted-qualifications) or contact the School’s Undergraduate Admissions Team.

Alternative entry

Alternative Entry Scheme for mature applicants

If you are a mature applicant (over 21 at the point of entry) and you don't have the required A Level or GCSE qualifications, you can complete our Alternative Entry Scheme (subject to meeting the eligibility criteria for the scheme). As part of this, you may be asked to take tests in English and maths and to write an essay. Contact the Lifelong Learning Centre for more information.

If you are a mature student or want to study part-time the Lifelong Learning Centre offers a free, confidential, and impartial pre-entry guidance service. Our experienced staff can also talk to you about how you might meet the entry criteria and what support may be available to you.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications (https://www.leeds.ac.uk/international-admissions/doc/entry-requirements).

School/Unit responsible for the parenting of students and programme:

Lifelong Learning Centre

Examination board through which the programme will be considered:

Lifelong Learning Centre

Relevant QAA Subject Benchmark Groups:

There are no Subject Benchmarks currently published by the QAA for multi-disciplinary honours degree programmes of this sort and none against which the BA Contemporary and Professional Studies can be assessed meaningfully.

Development of the professional strand of the degree has been informed by elements of the General Business and Management (2007) subject benchmarks.

Programme specification:

The information on this page is accurate for students entering the programme from September 2023. For students who entered the programme before September 2023, you can find the details of your programme: BA Professional Studies(For students entering from September 2023 onwards)


Professional Studies is an interdisciplinary degree designed to respond to the local and global challenges of our contemporary world and to provide students with the opportunity to grow develop their personal and professional development. It also enables students to choose a third of their modules and so develop their own specialism through the wide range of options available at the University of Leeds and the Lifelong Learning Centre. It involves three strands, which students undertake every year:

1. The interdisciplinary strand explores key contemporary issues which affect us all – such as identity, diversity and equality; health and society; globalisation; environmental challenges; social inequalities, justice and change; and technology and new media. These issues cannot be understood fully through one discipline – we draw concepts, theories and understanding from a range of disciplines in the social and environmental sciences and the humanities to work collaboratively to develop understanding and critical ways of thinking about our ever-changing world.


2. The professional and project strand engages with key issues which help with developing an understanding of the skills needed to thrive and become empowered to make a difference in the changing world of work and in relation to professional and personal development. We consider key issues such as leadership, creativity in the workplace, the digital landscape and flexible working. Students get opportunities to engage in self-reflection, and career and personal action planning, as well as undertaking professionally relevant meaningful assignments such as creating a website and producing a funding proposal which they could show future employers. Also, every year students undertake a research module in which they get the opportunity to research areas of their own interest.


3. The discovery and pathway strand, for which students choose their own modules from one of the Lifelong Learning Centre’s specialist areas: Child and Family Studies, Learning and Teaching, Creative Writing or Business Management and Leadership or from the wide range of elective (discovery) modules offered across the University of Leeds in areas such as sociology, media and communication, law, sustainability and environmental studies, and languages and cultures. These modules will allow students to explore new areas of interest and make complementary and creative connections to the core strands.

In this way, students co-create their own degree and build their own specialism, academic and professional identity; this is through the opportunity to choose their own modules and research topics, but also through an assessment strategy which gives students – within modules – the opportunity to develop work on the areas of most interest to them. Throughout the degree, students learn to critically consider their own personal situation within local and global contexts and to learn what they can further contribute to their own future, the world of work, and more broadly – to positive societal change.

The degree has been designed to be particularly welcoming of and inclusive for those with valuable work and life experience who have had a break in learning, and those wanting to come to university who don’t have traditional qualifications. We value the different kinds of experience and knowledge the diverse range of students on the degree bring; this enriches everyone’s learning experience which is further enabled by an inclusive approach to teaching. This involves getting to know each student personally; teaching in a way which involves discussion, interaction and problem-solving; ensuring resources are wide-ranging, stimulating and accessible; and learning with students and from student feedback. It involves enabling and empowering students to make connections between the learning and their life and work experience and between different modules – as well as between ideas from each other. Finally, it involves making sure there is a range of assessments which allow students to demonstrate and build different strengths, while building important transferable skills such as producing coherent written work, digital resources, creative work and strategic plans, as well as working individually and with others on presentations and creative problem solving.

The degree is continually informed by different graduate employers, by the degree’s alumni and the professional roles they now occupy, and by changing professional and research landscapes. Many of our modules feature regular guest speakers from relevant professional contexts and students get the opportunity to meet and talk with these potential employers as well as with the degree’s alumni. Students also have access, throughout the degree, to the specialist career guidance service within the Lifelong Learning Centre and to skills-building volunteering opportunities provided by the Lifelong Learning Centre’s Community and Partnerships team. Students can also undertake real world research by getting support to work with local organisations who have identified research needs – this ‘research in the community’ project has been developed especially to connect students with the real world needs of the local community and to enable local organisations to benefit from the research skills and global and cultural insight students are developing.

The degree can be undertaken full time over 3 years or part time over 6 years. There is also the opportunity to extend it into a 4-year full time degree by undertaking a Year in Industry, a Year in Enterprise or a Study Abroad year.

Year1 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Candidates doing the full-time version of the degree can choose 40 credits – this can be from the optional modules OR from the university’s choice of discovery modules – OR it can be a mix from both. They are required to ensure they study no more than 60 credits a semester (FT) and 40 credits a semester (PT).

Compulsory modules:

Candidates will be required to study the following compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Basket 1: Candidates will be required to study modules from the following optional modules:

Basket 2: Candidates will be required to study modules from the following optional modules:

Discovery modules:

Candidates can study 0-40 credits of Discovery modules in place of the optional modules

Year2 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Candidates may study 0-40 credits of optional modules

Discovery modules:

Candidates will be required to study 0-40 credits of discovery modules

Year3 - View timetable

[Learning Outcomes, Transferable (Key) Skills, Assessment]

Compulsory modules:

Optional modules:

Candidates are required to study 20 credits from these optional modules

Students may study 0-40 credits from these optional modules

Discovery modules:

Candidates will be required to study 0-40 credits of discovery modules

Last updated: 27/07/2023 15:29:08

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