Our Music modules cover everything from creative to technical, classical to popular and everything in between. You can choose to focus on performance (classical or pop), composition (on paper or computer), musicology (from medieval right up to the present day), or experimental music (composing it, analysing it and performing it). Our Music Technology facilities are amongst the most extensive and up-to-date in Europe and Huddersfield is at the forefront of musical experimentation and expression, with a national and international reputation for producing innovative, original music – Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival holds its annual event at the University, giving you direct access to the cutting-edge music scene. 

If you choose to take a Business course within your Combined Honours degree we’ll help you to become a knowledgeable and confident graduate, capable of occupying a strategic role with a modern and internationally orientated sector. Our modules enable you to learn about the key areas of business activity relating to markets, management, planning and strategy. You’ll also study policy, international business, marketing and organisational behaviour – and you’ll be well placed to apply for a work placement in your third year.

Whichever path you choose to take on this degree, you will have the opportunity to study a modern language, chosen from French, Spanish, or German at advanced level or Italian, Japanese, Chinese, British Sign Language and Professional English (for non-native speakers) at introductory or intermediate levels. You’ll be able to develop your levels of fluency, accuracy and sophistication, learning practical skills such as presenting information effectively in oral and written forms. As the graduate jobs market is becoming increasingly international, your language skills will make you stand out from the crowd.      

If you’re intrigued by questions posed by the study of criminology – Why do people commit crime? What is crime and how should we respond to it? Why are some people in society more likely to commit crime or become victims of crime? – then you could include this in your Combined Honours course. Our criminology modules are designed to encourage you to investigate society’s response to crime, why we punish people - and how. You’ll learn with academics who have all worked in the system, dealt with offenders and continue to advise the police. They’ll help you examine the most pressing criminological issues arising in the world around us.

If you’re fascinated by language or passionate about literature, our English courses offer you the opportunity to investigate these aspects of the English language in action. You’ll study real language in real life exploring the relationship between literature and film, or in context such as conversation analysis, the language of humour or literature through film, with lecturers who are experts in their fields of research. You’ll learn through group discussion, graphic recording, electronic learning methods and even the occasional visit to the British Library or the Brontë home in nearby Haworth. The University hosts the annual Huddersfield Literature Festival, so you’ll have the chance to hear contemporary practitioners in action.

Our courses offer you a broad-ranging approach to the study of History, so whatever your interest – whether it be medieval or modern, British, European or World - you’ll find a friendly, hands-on approach (which has been rated in the top 10 in the country for the past 5 years by our own students in the National Student Survey) from an expert staff whose work in the most recent research assessment exercises was adjudged to be 90% of international standard, with 50% world leading.

Our 6-week work placement  module in the second year offers you the opportunity to gain some real-life experience at graduate level. Our students have in the past worked at The British Museum, The Royal Armouries, West Yorkshire Archives, the National Coal Mining Museum, local schools and colleges – and even for a local Member of Parliament.

Our drama modules focus on contemporary theatre and performance work. You’ll combine academic study with practical exploration of contemporary performance and the associated skills required, such as technical, vocal and physical techniques. With three performance spaces and a dedicated workshop for set and prop building and design, there’s always a wide range of activity going on, meaning you'll be able to get involved with staff and student-led performances in facilities which have been described by the University’s Chancellor, world-renowned actor Sir Patrick Stewart, as some of the best he’s seen. 

If the world of journalism inspires you, we can offer you a practical or theoretical view on media and popular culture. We have practical modules which train you on industry-standard technology, preparing you for the world of contemporary multiplatform journalism; or modules which offer you the opportunity to explore media texts, the law, history and cultural contexts. Alternatively, you can study the history of film, with its range of cinematic forms from popular Hollywood to avant garde.

Huddersfield is perfectly located for studying sociology. Lying in the heart of Britain’s North, its industrial and social history was transformed into an ethnically diverse, multicultural community by post-World War II migration. You can learn about the central role the town played in 20^th Century debates about education and the working class, as well as the important roles ethnicity, gender, race and religion play in our society. And only a thirty-minute train ride away, you can visit the oldest public library in England and sit in the chair Karl Marx used in the 1840s when he developed his influential political and sociological ideas with Friedrich Engels.

Politics is at the very centre of our civilisation. So, if you’re interested in what makes this world go round, globally or locally, this is the subject for you. This dynamic subject offers a critical understanding of political processes and institutions at both national and international level. It also analyses the ideas and philosophies that underline contemporary social and political debates.

Our politics staff are not only inspiring teachers of knowledge, they are also creators of knowledge. We work alongside and advise various organisations and are often called upon to advise political organisations and bodies on many national and local policy issues. Our staff are often seen commenting on issues of topical concern on television, radio and in print. We are really proud of the research carried out to inform public and policy debates and it is this work that creates such a lively learning environment.