Why not take a diverse course at university?

Clearing is all about the unexpected. So it is a perfect time to take a new look at what universities have to offer, and check out the new courses they are bringing in. Higher education is going through a period of massive growth, with universities adopting more and more courses for you to choose from each year. They are worth a fresh look, whether as a different take on the subject you applied for first time round, or something wholly new that cuts to the heart of your passion.

You may not have known what was on offer first time round and, usefully, others may not yet have picked up on new trends. If you decided against history because you could not stomach any more Hitler, what about Viking studies at Nottingham? If you could not choose between physics, chemistry, or biology, how about the University of Surrey's new integrated sciences degree?

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The integrated sciences degree is recruiting for the first time through Clearing. The degree has been developed by the Institute of Physics with four universities: Surrey, Leicester, East Anglia and London South Bank. London South Bank's course will start next year, but the other universities are recruiting for next term.

The degree has been designed for students interested in the sciences who do not want to specialise in one strand, in response to a need by industry for graduates with more of an overview of science. ICI and Unilever were consulted over the course. And professors point to issues like climate change that need a multidisciplinary response.

The course is more structured than previous combined science courses such as natural sciences. Students will spend the first two years covering first year physics and chemistry courses with some life sciences, and then can specialise in the third year or transfer to physics or chemistry degrees. "It's the best of everything," says Jim Al-Khalili, professor of physics at the University of Surrey.

For pure biologists, a new course at the University of Exeter will appeal to fans of Richard Dawkins. The University of Exeter's new BSc in evolutionary biology is being lead by an American professor who left the US in disgust at growing support for "intelligent design". While the University of De Montfort is starting up a BSc in medical sciences, endorsed by the Institute of Biology, for students with an interest in the human body but who do not fancy the years of study and awe-inspiring debts of medicine. And the University of Aberdeen has developed a new four year BSc in global challenges, focusing on the science of climate change.

In the humanities, new courses focused around a particular period or area give undergraduates an opportunity to take a more multidisciplinary approach. Viking studies at Nottingham University started up four years ago, combining history, English, archaeology, and Old Icelandic.

This year a BA in Cornish studies and contemporary Celtic studies is starting up at the University of Exeter, reflecting an increased interest in Britain's regions. If Cornwall does not appeal you can also take a BA in culture studies of the Highlands and islands at Orkney College, or Welsh studies at the University of Wales, Lampeter.

Exeter's Cornish studies brings together history, geography, law, politics and English to analyse contemporary Cornwall and its history. "Cornwall's undergoing a lot of change," says Dr Bernard Deacon at the university. "There's quite a creative tension between old and new ideas of Cornwall. It's a laboratory for social change."

Many new courses focus around new social and technological developments. Since the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) developed the first BSc in renewable energy, it has become an increasingly popular subject. It is easy to see why. Government targets for reducing carbon emissions means billions of pounds are to be spent on a new industry with an acute skills shortage, hungry for well qualified graduates.

This year the Scottish Agricultural College is starting the first BSc in green technology. Green technology has less engineering than renewable energy and is focused on rural development. As well as energy issues like biofuels, the course takes in green building and land-based developments including agricultural pharmaceuticals and industrial materials.

"This is a rapidly changing industry and it requires trained personnel," says Chris Leggate, programme leader of the green technology course. "The course would suit people who are concerned about the environment, interested in science and technology, and want to work in the rural sector."

Elsewhere very different new technologies have also brought new courses. The University of Hull and the University of York are continuing the trend for undergraduate courses in nanotechnology, the University of Wales, Newport is introducing a course in information security, and Coventry University is launching the first BSc in e-music in Europe.

New social shifts as well as new technologies are also setting the agenda for new courses. Few social shifts have been so talked about in the media and by the government in recent years as the interaction between Western liberal democracy and Islam. It is a social shift that some critics, notably Dr Ataullah Siddiqui in his report in April on Islam at universities, claim has for too long been disregarded in undergraduate programmes.

This year the Open University is meeting those criticisms with a new BA in Islam and the West, the politics of co-existence. The course brings together religious studies, sociology, media studies, history, politics and philosophy. It looks at the controversies surrounding the Muslim presence in the West, the diversity of Western Muslims, and the different ways Western societies have responded to the presence of large Muslim populations.

"The course is relevant to lots of people who work with the public to help to understand Muslim communities better," says Dr David Herbert, course chair. "And hopefully will provide a forum for debate for Muslims too - indeed it raises important issues facing us all."

London's increasing ethnic diversity has also inspired a new dance BA, being taught by Jason Piper, who appeared in the all male production of Swan Lake. "Dance is a sneaky way of getting in to certain societies, when you want to understand a culture and what makes it tick," says Piper. "Someone who wouldn't discuss religion would discuss dance. It doesn't have a political agenda."

And other new courses are looking at how we engage with the rest of the world in the past and present. The University of Hull has developed a new BA in theology, slavery and liberation for the 200th anniversary of abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. And the University of Stirling has developed a new degree in global cinema and culture.

It is not just what you can study but how you can study it that is changing. Five universities are currently carrying out pilots for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to develop new ways to study at Derby, Leeds Metropolitan, Northampton, Staffordshire, and the Medway partnerships of Kent, Greenwich and Canterbury Christ Church.

Staffordshire University has been piloting two degrees over the last year. While other students slack off, the two year students are spending their summer hard at work on distance learning. The benefits to students are obvious: lower debt and the chance to get your foot on the corporate ladder when you are barely out of your teens. "It's worked very well," says Steve Wyn Williams, director of academic development at Staffordshire. And it is not just the convenience that appeals. "For some students it's a badge of honour," he adds. "It shows commitment, energy and tenacity."

As student life gets more expensive there is an increasing focus at many universities on degrees that prepare you for professional life. This year the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester have developed a new BA in music and lifestyle journalism, while the University of Salford is introducing a new BA in gambling and leisure management.

The University of Greenwich is launching the first undergraduate PR degree in the capital to be Chartered Institute of Public Relations approved, with their new BA in public relations. At the University of Middlesex a new BA in policing is starting in September. Policing and criminal justice degrees are far from new, but this promises to be something different, with more of a focus on policing as a whole, the roles beyond criminal justice the police play, and the different agencies they engage with.

So whether you are looking for a fresh combination of academic disciplines or a more honed approach to the career of your dreams, it is worth giving new courses a fresh look.

'It was interesting to be part of something brand new'

Nathan Billings graduated from Combined Universities in Cornwall's renewable energy BSc last year. He was in the first year to graduate from the course. Billings now runs his own business, Capture Energy Ltd.

"I had wanted to go into renewable energy, but it was a matter of working out how to get into it.

I did maths, physics, media studies, and music technology A-levels. I was going to study film and media, and then I found out about this course and thought, that's what I really always wanted to do.

I took the train down, got off in Cornwall and just thought, yeah, I want to live here. It was a fairly easy decision.

We were guinea pigs, but it was interesting to be part of something brand new. And there were hiccoughs, some modules were ridiculously hard because the lecturers they brought in didn't know where to pitch them, but it was also really enjoyable.

When I graduated I found it a bit of a struggle to know where to go and work, there weren't a lot of jobs being advertised. I worked for a solar heating company for five months while I raised the funds to start my own business. In February I went full-time working for my business, Capture Energy Ltd. We design, supply, and install renewable energy solutions for architects and developers.

I'm really pleased I did renewable energy. I've got an amazing overview of this growing industry. There's not that many people who've got that."

'Viking studies brought together English and history'

Helen Airey graduated with a BA in Viking studies from Nottingham University last year. She was in the first year to graduate from the course. Airey now works in administration for a construction company.

"I did A-levels in English literature, Spanish, and classical civilisation. I applied for a mixture of English, creative writing, and Viking studies. I liked that Viking studies brought together English, history, and archaeology. We looked at the same period from quite different perspectives, but they were all tied together.

I'd been taught about the Vikings at primary school and I'd always enjoyed it, and I'd kept an interest in it. It's a very dynamic period: all the raids, all the explorations. It's amazing. Modern Punjabis have got Viking blood in them, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul has got Viking graffiti on it, and words we still use in English come from the Vikings.

And because there is so little literature and evidence remaining from the period, you find that you're always discovering stuff. When you study the Second World War it's all there already, but reading the original literature in the original language lends itself more to discussion. Just translating from Old English and Old Icelandic, we interpreted the texts in very different ways.

I very much enjoyed English literature and history at school. Being able to study the period in history, through literature, and through the languages too was amazing. You learn how to use different analytical tools to understand the artefacts, the literature, and the history.