We know, choosing what major to study isn’t an easy decision. Think about it. When you go to McDonald’s you aren’t always sure what to get, right? When dressing up for a party, we all go through the pain of choosing what to wear, because of all the choices we have, and sometimes simply because we can’t decide what we want.
Deciding what major to choose from all the wide range of choices, especially when there is so much of information floating around and being thrown at you from left right and centre, isn’t an easy decision. A lot of students already know, from the very beginning what they want to study and they work on their dreams from their days at school. That’s one way of doing it. But remember, the world around us is constantly changing. What was an ideal career twenty years ago might not be so ideal today. So the more pragmatic idea would be to keep yourself open to the varying nature of realities and all the available choice at a given point in time.
Here we have listed down some of the most common majors that most universities in the UK offer. The whole point is to give you a basic picture of most of the subjects that students from various parts of the world are studying and making their career decisions. Let’s not limit ourselves to one line of thought, one narrow alley leading one final destination. Let’s upon up to all the possibilities that might be awaiting ahead. Here’s the alphabetical list of the most common undergraduate and post graduate programmes offered at most UK universities. And once you know what you want to study, choosing a university, in accordance with the place you want to study becomes much easier.
First take a look at the list of 100 undergraduate degree programmes / subject-areas commonly found in UK universities:
- Accounting & Finance
- Aeronautical & Aerospace Engineering
- Agriculture & Related Sciences
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Architecture & Planning
- Art & Design / Fine Art
- Biochemistry / Molecular Biology
- Biology
- Biomedical Sciences
- Building & Construction
- Business Studies / Business & Management
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Classics
- Computer Science
- Computer Games / Animation
- Counselling & Psychotherapy / Occupational Therapy
- Criminology
- Dance / Performing Arts
- Dentistry
- Digital Media / Production / Technology
- Drama / Theatre Studies
- Economics
- Education (Primary / Secondary / Early Childhood)
- Electrical & Electronic Engineering
- Engineering (General)
- English Language
- English Literature & Creative Writing
- Environmental & Earth Sciences
- Events Management
- Fashion, Textiles & Jewellery
- Film Studies / Film & Media
- Food Science & Nutrition
- Forensic Science
- Geography / Environmental Geography
- Graphic Design / Visual Communication
- Health (Public Health, Health Sciences)
- History
- History of Art
- Hospitality / Tourism & Leisure Studies
- Human Resource Management / Business Psychology
- Journalism / Media Communications
- Languages (Modern & Classical)
- Law / LLB
- Manufacturing Engineering / Materials Science
- Marketing
- Mathematical Sciences / Mathematics & Statistics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Media Studies / Media & Culture
- Medicine / Medicine & Surgery (MBBS)
- Midwifery / Paramedic Science / Physiotherapy / Nursing
- Microbiology / Infection Science
- Music / Music Technology / Popular Music
- Optometry / Ophthalmic Science
- Pharmacy / Pharmacology / Toxicology
- Philosophy
- Philosophy, Politics & Economics (PPE)
- Physics & Astronomy
- Planning / Urban & Regional Planning / Town Planning
- Politics / International Relations
- Product Design / Industrial Design Engineering
- Psychology
- Radiography / Medical Imaging / Medical Technology
- Religion & Theology
- Social Policy / Social Work / Youth Studies
- Sociology / Criminology combined
- Software Engineering
- Sport & Exercise Science / Sports Management
- Teaching / Education Studies
- Theoretical Physics / Mathematics-Physics combined
- Town & Regional Planning
- Veterinary Science / Animal Science / Zoology
- Zoology / Ecology / Conservation Biology
- Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
- Computer Networks / Cyber Security / Information Systems
- Sustainable / Environmental Engineering
- Renewable Energy Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Biology / Biophysics
- Genetics / Genomics / Molecular Biology
- Neuroscience / Cognitive Science
- Sports Science & Coaching
- Physical Geography / Geosciences
- Climate Science / Meteorology / Environmental Science
- Oceanography / Marine Biology / Marine Sciences
- Forensics / Forensic Psychology / Forensic Biology
- Occupational Therapy & Physiological Studies
- Biomedical and Physiological Sciences
- Business Analytics / Data Analytics / Data Science
- Human Geography / Cultural Geography
- Development Studies / Global Development
- Criminology & Psychology (combined)
- Translation & Interpreting / Applied Linguistics
- Film & Television Production / Screen Industries
- Interior & Spatial Design / Furniture Design
- Game Design & Development / Interactive Media
- Biomedical Science with Pharmacology / Toxicology
- Health Informatics / Digital Health Technology
Now take a look at some of the most common master degree programme popular with international students studying in the UK
1. Business, Management & Finance (Most Popular Overall)
- MSc Management
- MSc International Business
- MBA (Master of Business Administration)
- MSc Finance
- MSc Accounting & Finance
- MSc Marketing
- MSc Human Resource Management (HRM)
- MSc Business Analytics
- MSc Supply Chain & Logistics
- MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation
2. Computing & Data (Rapidly Growing Demand)
- MSc Computer Science
- MSc Artificial Intelligence
- MSc Data Science
- MSc Cyber Security
- MSc Software Engineering
- MSc Information Technology (IT) Management
- MSc Cloud Computing
- MSc Machine Learning / Deep Learning
3. Engineering & Technology
- MSc Mechanical Engineering
- MSc Civil Engineering
- MSc Electrical & Electronic Engineering
- MSc Engineering Management
- MSc Chemical Engineering
- MSc Renewable / Sustainable Energy Engineering
- MSc Aerospace Engineering
- MSc Robotics & Mechatronics
4. Health, Life Sciences & Medicine
- MSc Public Health (Huge demand globally)
- MSc Health Management
- MSc Nursing (various specialisations)
- MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration)
- MSc Biomedical Science
- MSc Global Health
- MSc Clinical Psychology (highly competitive)
5. Social Sciences & Humanities
- MA International Relations
- MA Education / TESOL / Applied Linguistics
- MA Sociology
- MA Psychology (Conversion)
- MA International Development
- MA Social Work (pre-registration)
- MA Political Science
6. Law & Legal Studies
- LLM International Business Law
- LLM International Commercial Law
- LLM Human Rights Law
- LLM General Law
- LLM Corporate & Financial Law
(LLM is one of the most common master’s programs for international applicants.)
7. Architecture, Construction & Built Environment
- MArch Architecture
- MSc Construction / Project Management
- MSc Quantity Surveying
- MSc Real Estate Management
- MSc Urban Planning
- MSc Architectural Engineering
8. Media, Arts & Communication
- MA Media & Communications
- MA Film / TV Production
- MA Digital Media
- MA Graphic Design
- MA Fashion Management
- MA Journalism
9. Hospitality, Tourism & Event Management
- MSc International Tourism Management
- MSc Hospitality Management
- MSc Event Management
- MSc Luxury Brand Management
10. Economics & Related Fields
- MSc Economics
- MSc Applied Economics
- MSc Financial Economics
- MSc Development Economics
Fastest-Growing Master’s Programs in the UK
High Demand + High Employability
A. Tech & Data (Very High Growth)
- MSc Artificial Intelligence
- MSc Data Science
- MSc Cyber Security
- MSc Machine Learning & Deep Learning
- MSc Cloud Computing
- MSc Computer Science (Conversion)
B. Business & Analytics
- MSc Business Analytics
- MSc Digital Marketing
- MSc Supply Chain & Logistics Management
- MSc Project Management (IT/Engineering focus)
C. Health & Life Sciences
- MSc Public Health
- MSc Global Health
- MSc Healthcare Management
- MSc Biotechnology
D. Engineering & Sustainability
- MSc Renewable & Sustainable Energy Engineering
- MSc Engineering Management
- MSc Environmental Engineering
- MSc Construction/Project Management
E. Creative & Digital
- MA Digital Media
- MSc UX/UI Design / Human-Computer Interaction
Master’s Programs Most Popular Among Pakistani & South Asian Students
This list reflects historical preference patterns, visa/employability incentives, and course availability.
Business & Management (Most Popular)
- MSc Management
- MSc International Business
- MBA
- MSc Finance / Accounting & Finance
- MSc Marketing
- MSc Business Analytics
Computing & IT
- MSc Computer Science
- MSc Data Science
- MSc Cyber Security
- MSc Software Engineering
Engineering Fields
- MSc Mechanical Engineering
- MSc Civil Engineering
- MSc Electrical & Electronic Engineering
- MSc Engineering Management
- MSc Project Management (Engineering focus)
Health & Allied Programs
- MSc Public Health
- MSc Healthcare Management
- MSc Biomedical Sciences
Law & Social Sciences
- LLM International Business Law
- MA Education / TESOL (very popular for teaching careers abroad)
This isn’t the end, this is just to give you an idea of the wide range of subjects available to study at different levels. Individual universities offer their own sets of programmes and the list of all the options available to international students is almost never-ending.