On Monday 25 September, Year 13 pupils attended an Academic Enrichment talk delivered by Nelly and James from the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS).

Pupils learned about LIS’s Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree, which brings together knowledge, skills and ideas from different subject areas to address complex real-world problems. The course gives students the opportunity to explore topics such as environmental change, inequality, urban futures and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

Nelly and James explained how students at LIS combine qualitative and quantitative methods, including coding, statistics, ethnography, visual literacy and historical analysis. Examples included investigating how urban design and data analysis could improve the experience of hospital patients, and considering how gaming and behavioural psychology might encourage more sustainable choices.

The talk also highlighted the university’s close academic support, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1, alongside career coaching, paid internships and links with more than 200 organisations across the public, private and charitable sectors. Students can also spend time studying abroad at partner institutions in countries including France, Chile, Singapore and the Netherlands.

Through examples of LIS graduates, Year 13 pupils saw how an interdisciplinary education can lead to a wide range of careers and further study, from finance and politics to technology, sustainability and the creative industries.