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Liberal Arts & Global Politics

Module group of: Politics, Culture & Social Sciences Pathway

Liberal arts is a fundamentally interdisciplinary subject, which means it’s shaped by various academic disciplines, methods and ideas.

By taking a Liberal Arts foundation module, you’ll get training in how to work across a variety of subjects to answer a question or solve a problem. You’ll develop the ability to critically analyse a variety of texts, including literary works and different forms of media.

These two skills are also really helpful for the study of global politics. Your critical analysis skills will help you to review a wide range of political material, while your interdisciplinary training will help you to consider politics from multiple perspectives.

Furthermore, your Global Politics module will also teach you how to engage with empirical data to understand the topics highlighted in the news, such as globalisation, climate change and challenges to democracy.

This combination of knowledge is particularly useful for careers in the arts, journalism, policy and government. The transferable skills you will develop are also desirable for a broad spread of careers in education, management, business, sales, marketing, writing, and beyond.

If you decide to take this combination of liberal arts and global politics, you will be eligible to apply for degrees in Political Economy, Film Studies, Culture, Media & Creative Industries, European Politics, Digital Media & Culture, and more.

You will study a total of four modules and you will be allocated either one of English for Academic Purposes or Academic Expression & Critical Thinking plus the Society module.

Take a look at the Liberal Arts module and Global Politics module to see more details about what you will learn from each foundation module, and view the full list of recommended and eligible undergraduate degrees on the tabs below.

Core modules

Pathway modules

Choose the qualification that you were studying from the below to see what you need to achieve in order to receive a conditional offer for your chosen module combination. For example, if you are studying the US qualifications but you live in France, choose the US as your country in the drop-down below.

Accepted national school qualifications

Students that need a visa

If you need to apply for a Student Visa to study in the UK, we can only accept IELTS and Pearson results that have been provided by test centres approved by UK Visas and Immigration: IELTS for UKVI (Academic) and PTE (Academic) UKVI are only valid if taken within two years before the start date of your chosen programme of study. You can find a list of approved test centres on the UKVI website.

(*please see note below regarding English Language Entry Requirements for the King's International Foundation programme and Extended King's International Foundation programme.)

Students who don't need a visa

Test

King's International Foundation*

Extended King's International Foundation*

Cambridge Exams

169 overall with a minimum of 160 in each skill

162 overall with a minimum of 154 in each skill

IELTS Academic

6.0 overall with no skill below 5.5

From 5.5 overall with no skill below 5.0, to 6.0 overall, with no skill below 5.5

Pearson Test of English (Academic)

59 overall with a minimum of 54 in each communicative skill

54 overall with a minimum of 46 in each communicative skill

TOEFL iBT Institution code: 0394

80 overall with a minimum of 20 in each skills

72 overall with a minimum of 17 in writing/speaking and 15 in listening/reading

Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE)

Level III with pass in each skill

Level II with pass in each skill

 

*Students who exceed this requirement will be transferred to the King's International Foundation Programme, which starts on 23 September 2024. Students who exceed this English language requirement and still want to be considered for the Extended King's International Foundation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Admissions Tutor.

Deposit

Upon accepting an offer for the King’s International Foundation Programme, you are required to pay a deposit of £5,500 to secure your place by the deadline, which will be stated in your offer. If you do not pay the deposit or provide evidence of financial sponsorship by the deadline stated in your offer, your offer will expire, and King’s reserves the right not to reinstate the offer.

This deposit is payable when you firmly accept an offer (unconditional or conditional) to study with us and will be offset against your tuition fees when you join King’s.

Payments are made online through the King's Apply portal.

All students need to pay the deposit, with the exception of sponsored students. If you are being sponsored by an employer or your government, for example, you will need to provide a valid Financial Guarantee letter. Please contact our Admissions team if you have any questions.

Application fee: £75

Our King’s International Foundation Programmes require a non-refundable application fee before you can submit your application to be considered. This step is built into the application process. Please note that payment of an application fee does not guarantee that you will receive an offer for your chosen programme, as many of our programmes are competitive.

If you apply for a pathway and receive a rejection your application fee will not be refunded. If you then choose to apply for a different pathway you will need to pay another application fee.

Please note, applicants are only permitted to have one active King’s International Foundation Programme application at any time, therefore, if you submit more than one application, before the first one has been assessed, the King’s Admissions team will contact you to ask which application you wish to remain, and any other applications will be rejected. The application fee is non-refundable.

Please ensure that you carefully read the information about your chosen pathway and modules before applying.

Note: if you receive an offer, our King’s International Foundation Programme will also require a deposit to secure your place. This is in addition to the application fee; however, the deposit is used as a partial payment of the tuition fees upon enrolment. Your offer letter will include details of any deposit you must pay, deadlines, and payment methods. You should not make a deposit payment unless instructed to do so as part of an offer.

Find out more about how to apply for the International Foundation Programme.

Additional costs/expenses

In addition to your application and tuition fees, you can also expect to pay for:

  • Accommodation and living costs
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
  • Books if you need your own copy or they are required for your module
  • Library fees and fines
  • Society membership fees
  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies.
  • Library fees and fines.
  • Personal photocopies.
  • Printing course handouts.
  • Society membership fees.
  • Stationery.
  • Graduation costs.
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses.

Please see our student Terms and Conditions for further fee details, including our refund policy.

Choose the qualification that you were studying from the below to see what you need to achieve in order to receive a conditional offer for your chosen module combination. For example, if you are studying the US qualifications but you live in France, choose the US as your country in the drop-down below.

Accepted national school qualifications

Students that need a visa

If you need to apply for a Student Visa to study in the UK, we can only accept IELTS and Pearson results that have been provided by test centres approved by UK Visas and Immigration: IELTS for UKVI (Academic) and PTE (Academic) UKVI are only valid if taken within two years before the start date of your chosen programme of study. You can find a list of approved test centres on the UKVI website.

(*please see note below regarding English Language Entry Requirements for the King's International Foundation programme and Extended King's International Foundation programme.)

Students who don't need a visa

Test

King's International Foundation*

Extended King's International Foundation*

Cambridge Exams

169 overall with a minimum of 160 in each skill

162 overall with a minimum of 154 in each skill

IELTS Academic

6.0 overall with no skill below 5.5

From 5.5 overall with no skill below 5.0, to 6.0 overall, with no skill below 5.5

Pearson Test of English (Academic)

59 overall with a minimum of 54 in each communicative skill

54 overall with a minimum of 46 in each communicative skill

TOEFL iBT Institution code: 0394

80 overall with a minimum of 20 in each skills

72 overall with a minimum of 17 in writing/speaking and 15 in listening/reading

Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE)

Level III with pass in each skill

Level II with pass in each skill

 

*Students who exceed this requirement will be transferred to the King's International Foundation Programme, which starts on 23 September 2024. Students who exceed this English language requirement and still want to be considered for the Extended King's International Foundation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Admissions Tutor.

Deposit

Upon accepting an offer for the King’s International Foundation Programme, you are required to pay a deposit of £5,500 to secure your place by the deadline, which will be stated in your offer. If you do not pay the deposit or provide evidence of financial sponsorship by the deadline stated in your offer, your offer will expire, and King’s reserves the right not to reinstate the offer.

This deposit is payable when you firmly accept an offer (unconditional or conditional) to study with us and will be offset against your tuition fees when you join King’s.

Payments are made online through the King's Apply portal.

All students need to pay the deposit, with the exception of sponsored students. If you are being sponsored by an employer or your government, for example, you will need to provide a valid Financial Guarantee letter. Please contact our Admissions team if you have any questions.

Application fee: £75

Our King’s International Foundation Programmes require a non-refundable application fee before you can submit your application to be considered. This step is built into the application process. Please note that payment of an application fee does not guarantee that you will receive an offer for your chosen programme, as many of our programmes are competitive.

If you apply for a pathway and receive a rejection your application fee will not be refunded. If you then choose to apply for a different pathway you will need to pay another application fee.

Please note, applicants are only permitted to have one active King’s International Foundation Programme application at any time, therefore, if you submit more than one application, before the first one has been assessed, the King’s Admissions team will contact you to ask which application you wish to remain, and any other applications will be rejected. The application fee is non-refundable.

Please ensure that you carefully read the information about your chosen pathway and modules before applying.

Note: if you receive an offer, our King’s International Foundation Programme will also require a deposit to secure your place. This is in addition to the application fee; however, the deposit is used as a partial payment of the tuition fees upon enrolment. Your offer letter will include details of any deposit you must pay, deadlines, and payment methods. You should not make a deposit payment unless instructed to do so as part of an offer.

Find out more about how to apply for the International Foundation Programme.

Additional costs/expenses

In addition to your application and tuition fees, you can also expect to pay for:

  • Accommodation and living costs
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses
  • Books if you need your own copy or they are required for your module
  • Library fees and fines
  • Society membership fees
  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies.
  • Library fees and fines.
  • Personal photocopies.
  • Printing course handouts.
  • Society membership fees.
  • Stationery.
  • Graduation costs.
  • Travel costs for travel around London and between campuses.

Please see our student Terms and Conditions for further fee details, including our refund policy.

Key information

Course type:
Foundation
Study mode:
Full-time
Duration:
1 year
Application status:
Closed
Extended start date:
01 August 2025
Priority deadline:
16 March 2025
Accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK