About

Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Global leaders in arts and humanities

Our Faculty of Arts and Humanities offers a unique, research-led student experience across a broad range of undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes.

Our schools and departments cover a huge range of disciplines and we are dedicated to encouraging interdisciplinary approaches, so our students see how subjects interconnect. We have an excellent reputation for the quality of student experience and are committed to helping our students develop the skills they need for the future. Our schools and departments also consistently achieve excellent results for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey.

We seek to build on our excellent reputation for the quality of student experience while helping our students develop the skills they need for their future careers. We include the development of relevant employability skills in degree programmes and are keen to help students gain work experience in their area of interest through internships, voluntary activity, group projects and increased links with regional business and creative industries.

Our graduates go on to a huge range of roles including teaching, the media, journalism, tourism, publishing, local government, voluntary agencies and research. We have seen our graduates go on to jobs at leading cultural institutions and organisations including the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and The National Trust.

Our academics are leading major research projects ranging from the art of Latin America through to the English Civil War and the issues surrounding mental capacity. Our Faculty's outstanding reputation for research was confirmed by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, with Essex ranked in the top 20 for research excellence in art history, law and philosophy (Grade Point Average, REF2021).

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Our
strengths

We're ranked 47th for Law in THE World University Rankings by Subject 2023
We’re in the top 250 globally for law in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023
We’re 25th in the UK for law in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024
Become a leading human rights lawyer and pursue the fight for justice
A world class reputation
  • We are 30th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2025
  • Top 10 for overall student satisfaction for Drama in the National Student Survey 2022
  • 8th in the UK for Creative Writing (The Guardian University Guide 2025)
Bird eyes view photo of docks and cranes
Sustainable Transitions scholarships

We are offering seven fully-funded PhD research scholarships for students to participate in one of our Sustainable Transitions DTP projects. Each project will be interdisciplinary in nature and supervised by expert academics drawn from two (and in certain instances three) of the following five disciplines at the university; Business, Government, Law, Life Sciences and Sociology.

View these projects

Our Schools, Departments and Research Centres

Essex Law School

In the Essex Law School, we teach the law that matters. We are freer, more daring and more experimental than many traditional law schools and our Human Rights Centre is a recognised international leader.

This school is also home to the following Institute:

School of Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies

We have brought three fields of study together within our School of Philosophical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Studies to open up exciting new possibilities for dialogue and collaboration while preserving the distinct identities of each discipline. Our School offers research-led and innovative teaching in a friendly, interconnected environment.

This school is also home to the following Centres:

Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies

The Literature, Film and Theatre Studies department has expertise in journalism, drama, English literature, creative writing, film and screen media, and courses are taught by writers, film makers, journalists and leading academics. As a interdisciplinary department, students have the opportunity to follow specialised pathways, but are also able to combine interests across subject areas.

This department is also home to the following centres.

East 15 Acting School

East 15 equips the theatre professionals of the future by providing training and industry-enriched experiences that deliver outstanding outcomes for their students. Their courses provide rigourous training for those seeking a career in stage, TV, film and radio.

Edge Hotel School

The Edge Hotel School is the first UK hotel school of its kind. It provides industry-led hospitality and events management degrees with hands-on experience in a real 4* hotel on campus.

Edge Hotel School have a diverse academic community where different levels of industry-relevant experience and academic expertise, are brought together by shared passions and interests.

Essex Pathways Department

Our Essex Pathways Department is a gateway to the University of Essex. It helps students without standard entry requirements to grow in confidence, unlock their potential, and nurture their ambitions so they can progress in academic study.

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Faculty related events
Resisting Boundaries Rise and Resist: Fighting for Women’s Rights in the 1960s and 1970s
22.09.24
Glimmer
15.11.24
Essex Law School Welcome January 2025
15.01.25