Flexible degrees offered by Leicester
Leicester is pioneering its ‘Pathways’ programme, which it believes will provide the most flexible curriculum in the UK, with students able to choose Single, Joint or Major/Minor courses in which they tailor their learning to reflect their strengths and interests and achieve their optimum level of specialisation.
The new degree options will be available to students applying for places at Leicester starting in 2016.
While many undergraduates will continue to prefer a Single or Joint course, those choosing a Major/Minor course will have the flexibility to combine a wide range of subjects, including new areas such as Global Studies. They will be able to spend 75 per cent of their time studying their principal subject and 25 per cent on the minor element.
While some minors, such as Mathematical Studies, will have entry requirements based on A-level grades, many minors can be taken without specific entry requirements, providing an opportunity for students to continue with a subject enjoyed at school or to try something new, such as Creative Writing, Film Studies, Ancient History or International Relations.
Professor Mark Peel, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Student Experience, said: “There are some students who absolutely know what they want to do and for whom a single honours degree is the ideal level of specialisation. There are other students for whom the joint degree is a great alternative. But another group, for whom we are not really catering at the moment, are relatively sure about their chief interest or career direction but don’t want to abandon everything else. They want to retain or try out other things they are interested in and have them included in the title of their degree.
“These minor options allow students to focus on developing the ‘soft skills’ that employers tell us they want. Students will be able to design a degree that will flag to an employer the kinds of contributions they want to make and the interests they want to pursue.”
The first set of new courses, which include 20 major and over 40 minor options from the humanities, social sciences and sciences, will begin in September 2016. The new opportunities will be outlined to potential students at open days this month (July). Further majors and minors will be introduced for the 2017-18 academic year.